Reconstruction Required

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In Haggai 1:1-11, God explained through the prophet Haggai that he was very displeased with the people at that time. For each of them were neglecting the temple of God and were busy on their own houses.
What about us – our lives – the temple of God? Sometimes we focus on our physical, mental, emotional and even financial lives; and neglect our spiritual lives. And just as God had to reveal to the people that they are neglect him, so too we He is revealing such to us.
Is God revealing such to you…when will you stop neglecting Him?

"Your Incorruptible Inheritance"

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“To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” (1 Pet. 1:4).
Unlike earthly treasures, your eternal inheritance can never be taken away from you.
Despite the benefits of bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and a myriad of other investment opportunities, every earthly inheritance eventually is lost. If someone doesn’t steal it, or if it doesn’t lose its value in a stock market crash or recession, death will separate it from you. It’s inevitable! That’s why Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal” (Matt. 6:19-20).
The influence of sin and corruption doesn’t apply only to finances—it affects everything. Paul said, “The creation was subjected to futility . . . in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom. 8:20-22). Nothing on earth escapes sin’s corruption.
But your eternal inheritance is not like earthly treasures. It is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Pet. 1:4). “Imperishable” means it is incorruptible and unable to decay. The Greek word used describes a land that had never been ravaged or plundered by an invading army. The idea is that your spiritual inheritance is secure and can never be violated by an intruder—not even Satan himself. “Undefiled” speaks of something unpolluted by sin. “Will not fade away” suggests a supernatural beauty that time cannot impair. Peter used the same word in 1 Peter 5:4 to speak of the unfading crown of glory that faithful church leaders will receive when Christ returns.
Your inheritance is unique among treasures. No one can steal it, and nothing can corrupt or diminish it in any way. It’s yours to enjoy to its fullest throughout all eternity. Don’t let the pursuit of perishable things distract you from the joy of eternal riches.

"Inheriting Heaven or Hell"

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“[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Everyone receives an eternal inheritance—either Heaven or Hell.
We have seen several aspects of the believer’s inheritance, and will see more in future days. But realize that unbelievers also will receive an inheritance, for Jesus will say to them, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:41, 46).
Only Christians have eternal life and a royal inheritance. When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became a new creation in Christ and your life began to center on Him rather than yourself. The Holy Spirit indwelt you and began to transform your attitudes and actions. That’s the new birth! It’s like starting all over again, only this time you’re pursuing God’s glory rather than worldly pleasures or goals.
Also, when you were saved you became an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). So the new birth was the means of your salvation and your eternal inheritance.
Having said that, I must admonish you, just as Paul admonished the Corinthians, to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). You never want to be deluded about your relationship with Christ. When you trust in the living Lord, you have a living hope and a glorious eternal inheritance. Anything less results in an inheritance of eternal damnation.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Be sure your faith is firmly fixed on Him.

God's Motive for Your Inheritance

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“According to His great mercy” (1 Pet. 1:3).
Every dimension of life, whether physical or spiritual, is a testimony to God’s mercy.
When God saved you and granted you an eternal inheritance, it wasn’t because you were special or more deserving of His love and grace than others. It was because He sovereignly chose to love you and extend His great mercy to you. That’s why Paul said, “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Eph. 2:4-5). He “saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5).
Because of His great mercy, God addresses the pitiful condition of mankind. Unregenerate people are totally depraved, dead in trespasses, enslaved to sin, cursed to eternal damnation, unable to help themselves, and in desperate need of someone to show them mercy and compassion. That’s the good news of the gospel: God loves sinners and extends mercy to anyone willing to trust in Him.
Mercy tempers God’s justice. The Puritan writer Thomas Watson said, “Mercy sweetens all God’s other attributes . . . . When the water was bitter, and Israel could not drink, Moses cast a tree into the waters, and then they were made sweet. How bitter and dreadful were the other attributes of God, did not mercy sweeten them! Mercy sets God’s power [at] work to help us; it makes his justice become our friend; it shall avenge our quarrels” (A Body of Divinity [Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1978], p. 94).
The very fact that God permits us to live at all speaks of His mercy. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “It is because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (KJV).
No matter what your situation is, God’s mercy is more than sufficient for you. It “is great above the heavens” (Ps. 108:4, KJV). So be encouraged and look to Him always.

"Praising God for Your Eternal Inheritance"

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3).
God has blessed you richly and is worthy of your praise.
The source of your eternal inheritance is God, whom Peter described in several ways. First, He is our blessed God (1 Pet. 1:3). The Greek word translated “blessed” in that verse speaks of that which is worthy of blessing, adoration, praise, or worship. Peter’s praise for God is an example for us to follow. Our God is especially worthy of our praise in light of the glorious inheritance He has granted us in His Son (v. 4).
“Father” to the Jewish people of Peter’s day was one designation for God. The most common Jewish blessings emphasized God as Creator of all things and Redeemer of His people from Egypt, but not as Father (e.g., Gen. 14:20; 24:27; Ex. 18:10). Yet now through Christ, we “have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! [Daddy!] Father!'” (Rom. 8:16).
As wonderful a reality as the fatherhood of God is, Peter’s reference was not primarily to God as our Father, but as Christ’s Father. Their unique relationship affirms Christ’s deity (cf. John 10:30-33). God is the Father of believers in a secondary sense because He has redeemed us through Christ and adopted us into His family (Gal. 4:4-6).
In referring to Christ as “our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3), Peter amplifies His redemptive work. “Lord” speaks of His sovereign rulership; “Jesus” is His name as God in human flesh; and “Christ” identifies Him as the Messiah, the anointed King.
Peter’s final description of God is seen in the pronoun “our.” He is “our Lord Jesus Christ,” a personal Lord and Savior—not some distant, impersonal deity. He created and redeemed you because He loves you and wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of your life.
What a glorious God we serve! Worship Him today as He deserves to be worshiped.

"Proclaiming the Excellencies of God"

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“That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
You are an ambassador of the living God.
The privilege of proclaiming the excellencies of God takes us back to 1 Peter 2:9, but we consider it here because it summarizes the purpose of all our Christian privileges.
The Greek word translated “proclaim” is an unusual word used only here in the New Testament. It means “to advertise” or “publish,” and refers to making something known that would otherwise be unknown. “Excellencies” speak of powerful and heroic deeds. You are an ambassador of Christ, having the great privilege of proclaiming what God has done for His people.
That was an intrinsic part of Hebrew worship. For example, Psalm 103 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit; who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds, and judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (vv. 2-8).
It would be an honor to be an ambassador of the United States, representing this country’s power and capabilities to other countries. But you have an even greater honor: to represent the power and capabilities of the living God. When you have an opportunity to speak for Him, you can rightly say, “I have the privilege of announcing the mighty and heroic deeds of the living God, who has called me into His service.”
Because you are in Christ, you have glorious privileges that include union with God, access to the Father, spiritual sacrifices, security, affection, dominion, possession, holiness, illumination, and compassion. What greater honor can there be than to proclaim the excellencies of the One who has granted you such marvelous privileges? (John MacArthur)

All God's Giants Were Weak People

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Moses’ weakness was his temper. He murdered an Egyptian, strike the rock he was supposed to speak to and broke the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Yet God transformed Moses into “the humblest man on earth” (Num12:3)
Gideon’s weakness was low self-esteem and deep insecurities, but God transformed him into a “mighty man of valor” (Jud6:12)
Abraham’s weakness was fear, claiming that his wife was his sister in order to protect himself. God transformed him into “the father of those who have faith” (Rom4:11)
Impulsive, weak-willed Peter became “a rock”. The adulterer David became “a man after God’s own heart”. John, an arrogant “son of thunder” became “the Apostle of Love”.
God specializes in turning weaknesses into strengths. He wants to take your greatest weakness and transform it. But would you let Him?
Hudson Taylor

Your Strengths and Your Weaknesses

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But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”… — 2Cor12:9
Each of us have weaknesses, flaws even and imperfections whether physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, relational and even spiritual. What is important however, is what we do with these weaknesses.
Most times, we deny, defend, excuse, hide and even resent them. However, this prevents God from using them the way He desires. For God not only wants to use your strengths, but also your weaknesses for His glory.

True Worship

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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matt6:33
Things fight for our worship, whether school, work, friends, movies even. In those moments it can be easy to put God on the back burner of your life; only getting back to Him when you have some extra time.
But we have to make sure we don’t let that happen. We can’t reduce a huge God to a hobby—something we just do and pay attention to on our spare time. We need to keep Him in the forefront of everything we do. He needs to remain at the center of our vision. Everything else should hinge on and flow out of His being first in our lives.
True worship is a whole-life response to how great you know God to be. It should be with everything we have, everything we are, and everything we do.

No Other God

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“You shall not bow down to them (any other gods) or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”_ — Exodus 20:5

Consider sports fans at a game; dressed head to toe in paint, yelling and screaming, booing and cheering. Consider a pop concert; persons crying and screaming with arms stretched out reaching for that celebrity.
You see, as humans we are worshipers and we can’t help it. It’s who we are, what we do and how we were made. We therefore need to give our attention over to God. Spend time in prayer, in his word, in fellowship and walking in obedience. From out of that comes our desire to worship God. If you recognize God’s Sovereignty throughout the week, then you shouldn’t have any issues praising, crying and screaming when you meet with the believers (for church services).
What you spend the most time thinking about, doing, or giving the majority of your attention and so your worship to?