Be Strong, Work Hard, Fear Not
Daily Old Testament Reading: Haggai 2; Zecharaiah 1-3
Daily Focus Passage: Haggai 2
The prophet Haggai declared the message of the presence of the Lord. God reminded the people that he was with them throughout every moment of life. He used the time in Egpyt as evidence that he was on his own even when the situation was dire. Drawing the people's attention back to this moment also reminded them of God's faithfulness to his promises and presence with them throughout the journey. The Lord continues to be with us today throughout every moment of life. Today's call is the same as the call to the people in Haggai's day: be strong, work hard, and fear not because the Lord is with you.
BE STRONG
The people receive the command to be strong as they seek to follow the Lord. The call to strength is to stand firm and remain faithful to the Lord. When we stand in strength, our lives become grounded in Christ, and we rely upon the Lord's strength to give us the needed stability. A life of strength occurs when we rely upon the Holy Spirit to empower us for the existing task. The strength of the Lord allows us to carry out God's will and to reflect his goodness and strength to the nations.
WORK HARD
The prophet called the people to work hard. When we follow Christ, we must never take the spectator approach. Instead, we must strive to work for God's kingdom. This work must occur with diligence and faithfulness. We must work hard because serving the Lord is hard work. We work hard by being sacrificial and seeking to fulfill the task given to us by the Lord. We must work hard for the kingdom of God because people's eternity rests in the balance. We must labor in the fields, ready for the harvest by the strength of the Lord.
FEAR NOT
The prophet encouraged the people not to fear the task before them. Fear enters when we allow the pressures of the flesh and this world to outweigh our faith and trust in the Lord. We gain the ability to fear not when we rest in the presence of the Lord and trust his work in our lives. When we live with the promise of God's strength, presence, and faithfulness, we can no longer live in fear. Thus, we demonstrate living in faith rather than conquering fear because our faith is in the Victorious One.
The message of Haggai challenged the people to live differently than the world because of the presence of the Lord. The people needed to rest in God's presence and trust him for the required strength to navigate the journey. If you analyzed your life, would you be marked by living strong, working hard, and fear not because of your reliance and faith in the Lord?
