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Haggai 2:10-10 – Receive God’s Blessing

Read Haggai 2:10-19

The Book of Haggai gets specific with its dates more than most Bible prophets. If I were to receive a word from God to share with people like Haggai, I’d want to memorialize the encounter by keeping track of what date that miracle took place. Knowing the date confirms “when” God spoke and makes it easier to remember and celebrate! Like having a birthday – we intentionally celebrate that on a specific date.

God wants us to celebrate him so that he can celebrate us. This prophecy would suggest that God is looking at our actions as well as our inner souls. When is the last time you celebrated God? Maybe you can look back and see his fingerprints over a particular situation. I do that all the time and stand amazed.

Haggai 1:12-15 – Listen to God

Read Haggai 1:12-15

We’re given another exact date in our text, and it’s roughly three weeks after the one in our last reading. Even if it took a little time, I liked how the leaders paid attention to Haggai and didn’t ignore the message from God. I imagine they were delighted to hear God had not abandoned them. Even better, they had received clear instructions. After their time of deliberating, they got to work.

What do you think it was about that message in our last reading that really stirred them? Maybe it was those clear instructions! I always like when I get confirmation from God that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Just as precious, when I get off course, I always appreciate the correction—but perhaps not right away.

1 Peter 3:1-7 – Attention Wives and Husbands!

Read 1 Peter 3:1-7

There are some interesting words of wisdom in our text today. Peter was married, so he had the marital experience Paul did not have (Paul talked about family roles, too). Even if you’re unmarried yourself, we all know people who are married. Keep them in mind, too, as you read these verses.

Some people may say Peter’s advice is outdated and doesn’t apply anymore. Others may appreciate Peter for calling out how marriage is a partnership. The Bible has a lot more to say about marriage, but it’s interesting to get Peter’s viewpoint of God’s great design. What can we glean from Peter?

Nahum 1:1-11 – The Sides of God

Read Nahum 1:1-11

The book of Nahum is only three chapters long, and it’s one of the minor prophets that doesn’t get a lot of attention by church leadership when planning worship services! While we may encounter some harsh language, we need to keep in mind that Nahum was prophesying to a stubborn group of people who were refusing to repent.

Historically, Nahum’s focus is on Nineveh, and we’ll see the prediction and celebration of Nineveh’s demise. Nineveh was the center of the Assyrian empire, and the Assyrians had been used by God to bring Israel to its knees for their own rebellion and sinfulness. We encountered Nineveh before in the book of Jonah.

Hebrews 13:4-6 – Sex & Money

Read Hebrews 13:4-6

Keep in mind that our reading today comes from the Preacher’s closing remarks. As such, we encounter those important “last-minute details” we mustn’t overlook. These few verses handle three hot-button items: Marriage, Sex, and Money.

Times haven’t changed that much because we could agree those are highly relevant topics still today. What wisdom can we glean for ourselves?

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