Whose House?

3 Then the Lord spoke his word through the prophet Haggai. He said, 4 “Is it time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?"
Hag 1:3-4 (GW)
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD
Hag 1:8 (KJV)
What God is saying to us today in this passage is If we are not building the Kingdom of God in our lives, if we are ignoring His house, which is Christ in us, then we need to go to Him and get those things that will restore us to Him in a close personal relationship. We can do that by reading and meditating on His word and fellow shipping with Him by thanksgiving and praise,talking with Him, and listening to what he has to say to us through the Word and in our spirit.
The Christian life is not about you and your needs—it is a call to deny yourself and share the forgiveness of Jesus with everyone around you.
Too often we reduce the Gospel to what God wants to do for me, how can He fix me/my situation. God wants us to be so infused with Him, His Life, and His Word, that it takes a hold of us and results in a holiness that empowers us to live a godly life and to become Kingdom minded people.
In other words, God’s grace becomes so infused in us and reflected in the way we live, such that we no longer live for ourselves, but for God. He wants to visit with us in such a way to transform us to be the man or woman He created us to be. When God visits His people, He is comes for two primary purposes …

1. to destroy the works of the devil and
1Jn 3:8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.NLT

2. to build His Life/Kingdom into our lives
Jn 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. God’s ultimate goal for our lives is to transform us.

If you have neglected the House of God in your life, today is a good time to begin to build or rebuild that relationship. Go to the mountain (God)and get the lumber and begin. He will take pleasure in that house you have built for Him in your life and you will find you can live the life that he has for you. He will transform you into His image.