Glory Days

I listened this morning to sports talk guys Mike & Mike discuss the "aging" defenses of the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens - a label earned by having rosters with several players "in their 30s."  (Insert "I feel old" comment here.)


Accepting the relativity of the term "old" as applied to sports, it stands to reason that teams see a drop-off in performance as stars pass their prime.  The question becomes, "What do we do about it?"  Some will capitalize on the veterans' wisdom and experience by turning them into mentors for younger players.  Some will drop the dead weight, clear some salary cap space and reload with rookie talent.  One thing you'll never see, at least on a winning team, is a bunch of guys sitting around saying, "Woe is us.  We were so much better a few years ago.  I guess those days are over."

Haggai warned the people of Israel about just such a defeatist attitude as they neared the completion of their temple rebuilding project.  "Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?" (Haggai 2:3)  Without a doubt, this reconstructed house of worship couldn't hold a candle to the splendor of Solomon's temple.  It would have been easy for those who invested time, energy and money to be discouraged and wonder whether it was all worth it.  So God sent this word: "Be strong, all you people of the land… Work, for I am with you… according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt.  My Spirit remains in your midst.  Fear not." (Haggai 2:4-5)

The presence of God among His people and the work of His Spirit in their midst has always been more important than the tangible trappings of ministry.  The new temple may have been small and plain in comparison to the glorious structure that preceded it.  But the fact that they had built it, in obedience to God, meant that His blessings were already beginning to be poured out on them abundantly.  Haggai also challenged the people to look forward to a day when. "'The treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD of hosts…  'The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former'."  (Haggai 2:7-9)

We all go through seasons of life where we're tempted to look back wistfully at the "glory days."  We don't seem to be reaching as many people, having as great an impact or feeling as much joy as before.  In those times, it's especially important to remember that God is with us, and as we obey, His Spirit is at work – whether we see it or not.  Sports teams, temples, ministries and individual lives all go through "rebuilding phases."  If you're in one now, cling to the promises of God's presence and His return.  He has so much more in store for us than we can see now.

Where's My Hand Sanitizer?

"Don't touch that!"  "Do you have any idea where that's been?"  "Go wash your hands!"  I'm not a germaphobe… I just have a four-year-old son!  So lines like that are fairly common in my family.

Too bad it doesn't work the other way.  "Hey, you just washed your hands.  Go grab that slice of pizza out of the trash so it's clean to eat."  Yeah, I know… sounds ludicrous… and a little gross.  But it proves the same point Haggai was making to the when he asked the priests of his day, "'If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?'' The priests answered, 'No.'  Then Haggai said, 'If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?' 'Yes,' the priests replied, 'it becomes defiled'." (Haggai 2:12-13)

As much as we'd like to be able to sanitize the world around us with a touch, it's just doesn't work that way.  So we carry our little bottles of antibacterial gel and try to keep our kids away from the yucky stuff.  The same is true in the spiritual realm.  While the sanctified life of a believer can certainly have a positive impact on the world, we can't eradicate all the sin in a room just by walking in.  To the contrary, it's much more likely that the "dirt" of our surroundings will rub off on us.  It's not as much a matter of proximity (Jesus Himself ate in homes of "tax collectors & sinners") as it is a matter of proclivity.  Can we walk in the midst of temptation and avoid our natural tendency to stick our hands in the dirt?  Or, as the old saying goes, can we be "in the world but not of it"?

For the people to whom Haggai spoke, the consequences went even further than personal pollution.  As they allowed the world around them to infect them, they discovered that, like a contagious disease, their own defilement continued to be passed along.  "'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled… I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail'." (Haggai 2:14, 17)

That's a scary thought… that God Himself may oppose the work I try to do, even in His name, if my life is not "clean" before Him.  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress AND to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)   So I'm going to pause and, as Haggai advised, "give careful thought to my ways" as I seek to serve the Lord… and perhaps apply a little "spiritual hand sanitizer" of confession and repentance as necessary.

It's All About the Follow Through

I'm a proud soccer dad.  My daughter's team just won their league tournament, and they did it the hard way.  It was a double elimination bracket, and they lost their first game of the day.  But then they gutted out five straight wins, including two in a row over a well-rested team that had only played two games before the final round.  Our kids were exhausted, but they didn't give up… and it paid off.  I give a lot of credit to their coach, Lenny, who is always preaching "follow-thru."  "Kick though the ball!"  "Run all the way to the net!"  "Never give up on a play!"  "Go till the final whistle!"

I think the prophet Haggai was bit like coach Lenny.  He arrived on the scene in Jerusalem in the middle of a stalled project.  His message was simple: "Get your priorities straight, and get the job done."  Many of the Jews formerly exiled to Babylon had returned to their homeland and begun rebuilding the temple.  But after several years, all they had to show was a foundation and an altar.

Haggai called the people to "give careful thought" to the situation (1:5, 1:7, 2:15, 2:18) and understand that their procrastination was not only disappointing to God but also a symptom of a deeper problem – failure to maintain proper priorities.  Their focus had shifted to the comforts of life rather than commitment to the Lord.  As a result, they failed to follow through and were missing out on the many blessings God wanted to pour out on them (1:3-11).

Sometimes I'm amazed at how easily I'm persuaded to procrastinate and how often I fail to follow through in my relationship to God and ministry for Him.  It doesn't even take exhaustion and blisters (see soccer reference!) or opposition and persecution (see Ezra chapter 4).  It just takes a turn of the head toward my own personal comfort and convenience.  Next thing I know, I'm jogging instead of sprinting, pulling up short on my runs to the goal, and missing out on the potential celebration of "scoring and winning" for the Lord.

So let's suck it up, listen to coach Haggai, get our priorities straight, and follow through for God!  GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!!!