Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.”

–Parallel verses:
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

All throughout the Old Testament, we find story after story of God calling his people back to himself. In this case, the prophet Haggai prophesied that God is willing to receive his rebellious people back if they will focus on rebuilding his temple. Before Jesus came, God resided in the temple of his people, and they were called to offer sacrifices to him for their sins. This was a foreshadowing of what was to come and it stands as a call in this present time to get our hearts right with God. The sacrifices that pleased God were not shallow in nature — just done out of duty and by the rules. David tells us what type of sacrifices God is pleased with: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭16‬-‭17‬)

In the Old Testament this temple was a physical building, because fallen and sinful men could not stand in the presence of a holy God, though his prophets were an exception to this rule at times. This lack of worthiness in God’s presence was the case in such totality, that even after the prophet Isaiah saw God he exclaimed: “‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬)

But when Jesus came, everything changed in how we worship and relate to God. By his death he saved those who believe from their sins once and for all, and by his resurrection he reigns victorious in heaven and he has placed his Holy Spirit in the hearts of his true disciples. So, as the passage in Peter describes, we no longer have to go to a temple or church or other location to meet God. We are his temple as Christ followers. And just like back in Haggai’s time, God is calling us to rebuild the temple of our hearts. He also calls us to build in community with other believers, so the church is important!

In looking back over my life, I have let many unclean and sinful things enter into my mind and heart. And God’s Spirit helped me clean them out. But I must decide to not continue to build the temple of my heart with the things of this world. I must turn to God and ask for his help to build my temple with eternal things — things that last!

With what am I building the temple of my heart today? Is there any impure way in me? What is God calling me to do about it?

Lord, you designed and formed me and gave me purpose. May I honor you with the temple of my heart and only allow admittance to those things which will honor you in your place of rest.