Haggai 1:4-8 Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins? ⁵ Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. ⁶ You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it. ⁷ Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared. ⁸ Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it].

Israel had returned from Persia (Babylon) and for sixteen years the Temple of the Lord lay in ruins. What was going on? Got Questions answers that question stating, “During his first year as king of Persia, in 538 B.C., Cyrus issued an edict allowing the Jews to return from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). The altar was repaired, and the foundation of the temple probably began sometime in 537 B.C. Then Samaritan opposition brought construction to a halt in 536 B.C. Ezra 4:24 notes, “Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The temple project languished for 16 years, until 520 B.C. Therefore, originally, the Jews stopped rebuilding the temple due to opposition from the neighboring Samaritans. But other reasons crept in. At the time of Haggai’s prophecies, some Jews simply said that the timing was not right. Yet the time was right for them to build their own homes. In fact, Haggai rebukes the people for their concern for their own houses while neglecting God’s house. Haggai taught that God was sending His judgment because of the Jews’ neglect of the temple of the Lord.”

“What does this have to do with Thanksgiving?” you may ask. Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” According to 1 Cor. 6:19-20 you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Corporately we are a Temple of the Holy Spirit. What happens in the temple? Well, if it’s God’s temple there are sacrifices of thanksgiving, worship, and praise. There are priests making intercession to the Lord. There are priests serving God and serving others. There is no praise, or worship in grumbling, complaining, or fault finding. God is not glorified when we are stingy with the “fruit of our lips” focused on death. Unfortunately, we end up eating the fruit of it.

The fruit of death tastes good – at first. Sweet to the tongue but then bitter in the stomach. It reminded me of our love for sugar. An article on the University of Michigan’s website cautions about sugar’s toxic effects: “Sugar is Killing Us. Here’s Everything You Need to Know.” Gretchen Voss writes, “You’d never willingly eat poison, right? Okay, maybe you snack on not-so-healthy treats every so often. Or scarf down non-nutritious junk at happy hour. But straight-up poison? Never. Or so you think. “Sugar can act like poison in high doses—and the amount in our diets has gone beyond toxic,” says Robert Lustig, M.D., a neuroendocrinologist at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. The typical American now swallows the equivalent of 22 sugar cubes every 24 hours.”

Death and life are in the power of our tongue. Yet the “sugar” of complaining, fault finding, murmuring, gossiping, malice, scorn, profane speech, etc. – tastes sweet in the moment but is death to us spiritually – in the long run. Colossians 2:6-7 has the remedy to our overdosing on negative speech: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord; continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.” Did you catch all of that? Someone who has received, trusted and relied upon Jesus to be their Savior, Baptizer, and Master – will seek to continue living in Him, being rooted and built up in Him, overflowing with what? THANKSGIVING!

During this holiday season when we are tempted to complain, nit pick, fault find, or criticize why not let that be the “dummy light” on the dashboard of your life that it’s time to build up the House of God, be His priest, offering up and overflowing sacrifice of daily thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving from Jackie, and me!