Haggai was a minor prophet. That means he is one of a group of prophets whose messages were shorter than others and their works were eventually collected on a single scroll (Isaiah got his own scroll). When Haggai was written, the Israelites had returned from exile to Jerusalem, a city that had been laid to waste. Their homes, shops, places of education, and most importantly, the Temple, were gone. As they rebuild the city and their homes, God calls Haggai to address their misplaced sense of priorities. It’s a message we all need to hear.

Whether or not we feel things are going our way, we need to keep focused on what is truly important. And, if we place our priorities – what we are building – in the right order, God will provide for all our needs.

Have you noticed how the holidays tend to magnify things? Good times are better and bad times are worse. Unfortunately, hurtful feelings from the past can also pop up and be magnified–feelings over incidents or relationships that you maybe wish never happened. Feelings of being offended. Feelings of shame. Feelings of being labeled by past, or even present, events. To truly live in Christ as a new creation, these are all feelings we must overcome. To do this, we must not allow these feelings to define or control us. Instead, we need to focus on who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how He has labeled us. Let’s throw off the old, welcome the new, and help others struggling with the same feelings.

Have you noticed how the holidays tend to magnify things? Good times are better and bad times are worse. Unfortunately, hurtful feelings from the past can also pop up and be magnified–feelings over incidents or relationships that you maybe wish never happened. Feelings of being offended. Feelings of shame. Feelings of being labeled by past, or even present, events. To truly live in Christ as a new creation, these are all feelings we must overcome. To do this, we must not allow these feelings to define or control us. Instead, we need to focus on who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how He has labeled us. Let’s throw off the old, welcome the new, and help others struggling with the same feelings.

Have you noticed how the holidays tend to magnify things? Good times are better and bad times are worse. Unfortunately, hurtful feelings from the past can also pop up and be magnified–feelings over incidents or relationships that you maybe wish never happened. Feelings of being offended. Feelings of shame. Feelings of being labeled by past, or even present, events. To truly live in Christ as a new creation, these are all feelings we must overcome. To do this, we must not allow these feelings to define or control us. Instead, we need to focus on who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how He has labeled us. Let’s throw off the old, welcome the new, and help others struggling with the same feelings.