"God Promises Future Blessings"

1 April 09
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Lent

God Promises Future Blessings
Haggai 2:1-9; 20-30

The returned exiles saw a temple which was in ruins .Haggai has the unenviable task of encouraging them to rebuild it. The Lord’s message was that “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13). In our passage, Haggai goes on to proclaim the coming glory of the temple. The word “glory” comes from the Hebrew root kobed which means weight. “I will fill this house with glory” is what Haggai now says, the promise of a temple more weighty than before. The glory of the temple is to be more than that of silver and gold, for all that already belongs to the Lord of hosts. Solomon’s temple was indeed filled with silver and gold.

Today the temple of the Lord is our body (“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” asks Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19). God can indeed fill our temples with a greater glory because it is God’s Spirit who will fill it, not just silver and gold. It is God’s Spirit which will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land, so that all the treasures of all nations will come into His temple. Today we know that the temple was never rebuilt to its former glory; what was rebuilt was furthermore destroyed by the Romans. However, you and I are able to receive of the Holy Spirit that which is needful to build God’s temple in our very bodies. Even though our bodies will turn back into dust, the Holy Spirit will raise them from the dead, in the same way that the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). Praise God for His promises!

(Dr Lee Soo Ann,
Chairman,
Impact Christian Communication)

Commitment:
I surrender myself and my body to be the promised temple of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:
Lord, God of Hosts, build your temple in me by the infilling of the Holy Spirit into every aspect of my life and body. Amen.