Live Pure Lives
The subject, Live Pure Lives, is a fantastic theme for Father’s Day weekend. Fathers are necessary for families’ success. For this success to materialize, every father should recognize the need for purity. When a father is overcome with sin, their life becomes unsure, leaving the family down a path of uncertainty filled with regrets.
In our lesson this week, the Prophet Haggai reminds the post-exiled Jews that the mere act of rebuilding the Temple does not guarantee purity. The Prophet's message is clear: virtuous deeds that lack a clean heart, God ignores. The journey to living a pure life starts within, from the heart. This powerful message from the Prophet Haggai should inspire today’s fathers that when one prioritizes purity within his life, a transformative power emerges, reshaping his own life and the lives of his family.
From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Haggai 2:18 NIV
Therefore, fathers must give careful thought to the foundation that they are laying for their offspring. Haggai uses the term give careful thought twice in this one verse. The phrase, give careful thought, makes you think internally about the ultimate purpose of doing what you are doing. Why? When you give careful thought, you begin to think long and hard about the rationale for the activity. For example, the post-exile Jew took twenty years to rebuild the Temple, yet Haggai informs them to give careful thought to the foundation of the Temple. Notice in the Book of Ezra that people reacted in two ways as the Temple foundation was laid. Those who had never seen the grandeur of Solomon’s Temple sang, shouted, and praised the Lord. The older generation wept loudly and profusely because Zerubbabel’s Temple could not compare in size or splendor to Solomon’s Temple that they remembered (Ezra 3:8-13). This reflection and careful thought should prompt fathers to evaluate their actions and priorities for the benefit of their families, fostering a sense of self-evaluation and introspection.
So, fathers, as you give careful thought, ask yourself these two questions: Are you investing totally in yourself? Are you investing in something that only God can receive glory?
God Ignores virtuous deeds that lack a clean heart.