Day 211: Investigate & Be Transformed

John 1:35-51; 1 Chronicles 9; Haggai 1-2

In John, we see the unique responses of the various disciples as they are being called by Jesus. First, the phrase "come and see" is used several times, by Jesus and others. The concept is that these people need to check it out, investigate it, get their nose in it. The true, life-altering power of Jesus isn't something someone can tell you about and believe it, I think it has to be something you investigate and experience for yourself. Secondly, is Andrew's response. The first thing he did was to run and tell his brother about the Messiah. I definitely need to work on this: talking about Jesus with others. He wasn't afraid of what his brother would think because he believed with all his heart that Jesus was it. Then you have Nathanael, who questions the origins of Jesus. "What good can come from a place like Nazareth?" He's skeptical until Jesus proves himself. He came and saw, investigated it, and was ultimately transformed.

The people of Judah were taken as prisoners to Babylonia because they disobeyed God. We will be prisoners of whatever we focus on besides Jesus. It doesn't matter if it is our image, friends, sports, substances, lifestyle--it will capture us because we were not meant to be disobedient to God. When they finally got back to Jerusalem, there were certain roles to be filled at the temple. What is interesting about some of them is that they were to be on duty day and night. Protecting God's house was not a part time shindig, it was a full time responsibility. Our faith needs to be a full time thing, not just a part time job when trials come.

In Haggai, God is upset because the people were so focused on their fancy house rather than God's house. I sort of equate this to American Christians who are so focused on our own lives that we don't seem to care about the rest of the church or the things that God cares about like the poor, the hungry, the sick. Our energies need to shift from gathering stuff for ourselves to building up the kingdom of God, just as Haggai shared with the people of Jerusalem. It's hard, but if we are truly going to follow the Lord's call for our lives, then we need to stop making our lives more comfortable and look outward at those in need of physical things as well as the message of Jesus.

God continues in Haggai by saying that he will shake the nations, that all gold and silver will return to him, because it is his anyway, that he will be there with the people to rebuild the temple. While God's anger is fierce and powerful, his promises to help and restore are just as powerful. But, he wants us to rely on him. He sent hardships on the people in order that they would turn back to him, and apparently in Haggai's time, they didn't do a great job of doing that. Perhaps that's why we go through hardships in this life; they are opportunities for us to turn back and trust in God.