A goal that God has chosen for us to work on is a worthy goal. It is a worthy goal because God does not make mistakes. God is not engaged in trial and error. When God gives a goal, that is a worthy goal. If we attain that worthy goal, we shall achieve and experience much more good than we ever anticipated. Are you working towards this worthy goal?
Knowing God exposes you to the greatest power. With God nothing is impossible. With God, every promise is guaranteed. God can not even be compared to those miserable and weak forces that people relied on before Jesus came. Therefore, after knowing God, it is expected that you cannot even consider going back to the obviously weak and miserable forces. How can you turn back to weak and miserable forces?
Lack of knowledge is a major problem facing us today. We think we know but Jesus says, they do not know what they are doing. We speak in confidence, but Jesus says if only you knew…. We fight because we do not know that God can fight for us. We revenge because we do not know that God has promised revenge. We steal and take things by force because we do not know that God can give them for free and even something much better. We worry because we do not know that God has good plans for us and He is never too late. If only we knew…
Human beings love to be praised. We love people who say good things about us even if they are not the truth. Sycophants mislead influential people because they feed their need for attention and praise. Yet sycophants are like demons, they praise anyone who can do them a favor. They are never genuine. They are on a self-preservation mission. Sycophants would curse whoever they just praised if that curse would preserve them from harm. Their praise, therefore, is not genuine. The same crowds that cheered Jesus during the triumphant entry into Jerusalem are the same crowds that jeered Him to be crucified. True praises that Jesus rejected!
Has the word of God offended you? Are you angry at what has been preached, taught, and said? Ask yourself if anger can change the truth. When anger changes nothing, change that anger into acceptance of the truth!
How students will treat us in the future when they make it in life and are in charge as we retire is being determined today by how we treat them. They may not voice it, but it’s happening. They may not know but they will remember. When they no longer have to worry about how you will grade them, how will they treat you? You don’t know but it’s happening!
Has God ever seemed silent to you? Have you expected God to speak, move and act but He didn’t? Has God disappointed you, so to speak, in that He didn’t move when you expected Him to move?
In our daily struggles, we too need to succeed. We need success in our studies. We need success in our spiritual life. We need success in our employment and business. We need success in our health. We need success in all that we do. The formulas that fail are those that entail might and power. The only formula of tested success is when the Holy Spirit operates in us.
The third lesson is that lack of glory doesn’t mean it’s over for you. The glory that is much better can and will come your way. The present temple had nothing attractive. Haggai promises that the present may be discouraging, but the future is certain and powerful!