Sharing the Word

In today's reading Zechariah prophesies a great future for Israel. Things may not now be everything they were, but they are not yet everything they will be. God has plans for his people.

Haggai proclaims this oracle of encouragement regarding the reconstructed temple. It will be a sign of God’s covenant with Israel. The Lord’s promise to maintain the covenant was real and strong.

We take pride in our churches as we should, because they express our dedication to the Lord. They speak of who we are.

Today we have churches and schools and all kinds of organizations dedicated to the agenda of Jesus. But we need to be careful that these secondary things do not become primary.

Each one of us has been called by Christ to cooperate in his work of salvation. We all have responsibilities for helping to build up the body of Christ.

"Ezra" and "Nehemiah"--narratives of return and restoration--deal with the postexilic period of God’s people. But there was still a long way to go. God’s providence isn’t always fulfilled effortlessly.