Sweetened Promises

Read: Haggai 2
“5 According to the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit stands and abides in the midst of you; fear not.” Haggai 2:5

Examine:
The covenant relationship between God and His people was recalled in order to encourage them in their rebuilding. The impact of this statement was directly related to the depth at which the people believed in God and how well they understood His promises.

Apply:
The covenant I am under today is the Messianic covenant. The birth, death, and resurrection of Christ created this covenant and gave me a mission. The mission is not the rebuilding of a temple in the form of a building. The temple under the new covenant is the Holy Spirit’s indwelling the lives of those surrendered to the Lordship of Christ.

The promises on which I stand have been sweetened by the work of Christ. In addition to the promises God made to Israel, which are mine through my adoption in Christ; I also get the added benefit of the promises Jesus made. He has over come the world, there is no longer anything to separate me from God, and His power is upon me to do all that He did and more.

My mission is to actively participate in helping people move from darkness into temples of light. The promises of Christ are all yes and the power to complete the task is already inside of me. The impact of these truths is only limited by my willingness to believe.

Pray:
I look at the work here and I am tempted to think it is hopeless. There is so much broken and things are so far gone it is hard to hold out hope of seeing it get better. In this passage I am reminded of Your promise that I have the blessing of Your power to accomplish anything in Your name. You do not send unless You intend on empowering. In fact, I believe that the power to bring Your glory has been sent ahead of me into this task and I rejoice in the promise that You are making the way before me. I do not fear today. I do not carry stress about the work. I take my eyes off the things I can see and put them on You.

I am no one’s Savior, Christ is. I am no one’s provider You are. I am do not have the capacity to change anyone’s heart, the Holy Spirit does. I am just a vessel You have chosen to use in playing a small roll in this redemption. And I do believe, with all that is in me, that You have chosen to end the pain in this place and reconcile all that is broken to Christ. I believe and hold firm to Your word to me that You are stirring here and desire to do a new work.