Today's The Day to Deal With It

Devotional

Day 1: Wreaths Over Ruins

The cracked back door stood exposed, its shattered glass hidden beneath a decorative wreath. For seventeen years, post-exilic Jerusalem lived with their own unfinished temple – a gaping spiritual wound masked by paneled houses and busy fields. Through Haggai, God confronted their excuses: “Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?” The people’s priorities had shifted from divine purpose to comfortable survival. [10:52]

God sees through our wreaths – the busywork, delayed obedience, and respectable excuses we use to avoid hard obedience. Like ancient Judah, we pour energy into secondary things while neglecting the primary work He’s assigned. Our “reasonable” delays mock the urgency of His call.

What broken door have you draped with wreaths of distraction? Is there a conversation, confession, or kingdom task you’ve buried beneath academic papers, church activities, or even family duties? Where does your schedule reveal mismatched priorities?

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
(Haggai 1:2-4, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to strip away every decorative excuse hiding your unfinished obedience.

Challenge: Write down one specific thing God has asked you to address. Tape it to your bathroom mirror.

Day 2: Bags With Holes

The Israelites sowed vast fields yet harvested little. They earned wages only to find their moneybags full of holes. God declared their labor futile because they’d abandoned temple-building for self-preservation. Their political fears, past trauma, and practical needs became chains binding them to half-obedience. [15:17]

Futility follows when we substitute God’s assignments with self-made substitutes. Like Judah’s leaky moneybags, our best efforts apart from obedience drain eternal significance. Academic achievements, ministry projects, or even family stability become hollow when detached from His specific call.

What “paneled house” have you built instead of God’s temple? Do you pour energy into career security while neglecting reconciliation? Chase academic excellence while avoiding repentance? Name one area where your labor leaves you emptier than when you began.

“You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.”
(Haggai 1:5-6, ESV)

Prayer: Confess three ways you’ve prioritized temporary comfort over eternal work.

Challenge: Cancel one non-essential task today to create space for your neglected assignment.

Day 3: Plywood Over Light

When the speaker’s family nailed plywood over their shattered door, they traded broken glass for total darkness. Jerusalem’s temple ruins left them spiritually exposed, yet they kept pretending – until God sent drought. Futility escalates when we double down on temporary fixes: more committees formed while marriages crumble, deeper Bible knowledge while pride goes unchallenged. [22:18]

God allows consequences to expose our counterfeit solutions. The Israelites’ leaky bags and the plywood-covered door both reveal the insanity of self-reliance. Only raw obedience restores light and fruitfulness.

Where have your solutions created new problems? Do you manage anger with isolation? Mask lust with overwork? Identify one area where your “fix” has deepened the darkness.

“You have looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”
(Haggai 1:9-11, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for the droughts that reveal your misplaced priorities.

Challenge: Remove one physical “plywood cover” (delete an app, clear a workspace) to confront your neglect.

Day 4: First Inconvenient Step

Haggai didn’t demand finished temples but specific next steps: “Go up to the hills and bring wood.” The people obeyed by gathering materials, not completing construction. God met their partial obedience with assurance: “I am with you.” Jerusalem’s restoration began when they traded excuses for axes and saws. [28:48]

Obedience starts with physically moving toward the problem. For the speaker, fixing their door required calling Lowe’s, not just feeling guilty. God honors practical initiation more than perfect plans.

What “hill” must you climb today? Is it a difficult call? A confession email? A first meeting? Choose one concrete action that proves you’ve stopped debating and started building.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.”
(Haggai 1:7-8, ESV)

Prayer: Ask for courage to take the next material step in your neglected assignment.

Challenge: Set a 15-minute timer today to begin your “wood gathering” (research, draft, call).

Day 5: Stirred Spirits, Strong Hands

When Judah finally moved, God “stirred up the spirit” of leaders and people. Their renewed vigor wasn’t self-generated but Spirit-ignited. The speaker’s family needed contractors, not just resolve, to fix their door. Obedience unlocks divine resources – courage for conversations, wisdom for repairs, endurance for rebuilding. [31:32]

God doesn’t demand perfect completion but willing partnership. He stirred Zerubbabel’s spirit after initial obedience, not before. Our first steps activate His power.

Where do you need stirred spirits more than white-knuckled effort? Will you let God’s momentum replace your striving today?

“And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.”
(Haggai 1:12-14, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for the Holy Spirit’s power to finish what He’s called you to start.

Challenge: Text one person to hold you accountable for continued progress this week.

Sermon Summary

Haggai speaks into a community staring at an ugly, unfinished thing and calling it fine. The post‑exilic people stand before a foundation sixteen or seventeen years old, with sacrifices going up beside rubble, and say, the time has not yet come. God hears the line and presses in. The text names their refrain, uncovers their reasons, and then tests those reasons against reality.

The ruined house of the Lord stands in stark contrast to paneled houses and wide fields. The people can build. They can plan. They can hustle. They just have not done it for him. Haggai calls this misordered love. The imagery lands hard: sown much, harvested little; wages tucked into a bag with holes. Creation itself leans against them. The pattern looks like a wreath hung over a shattered window, then trash bags, then plywood, all while the door no longer does what a door is for. The name for that is futility.

The prophet does not simply shout, do better. God reasons with his people. Twice the word says, consider your ways. The invitation is to stop, take stock, and then take the first inconvenient step. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house. That step is not about optics. Verse 8 says it plainly. God will take pleasure in it and be glorified. He knows the cost. He delights in the sacrifice.

The people receive the word. Obedience shows up as listening and doing, and the fear of the Lord takes its proper place. Then the sequence turns beautiful. God meets obedience with assurance. I am with you. He follows assurance with empowerment. He stirred up the spirit of the leaders and the remnant. Motivation that had gone flat wakes up. Energy rises where apathy had settled. The work begins.

Isaiah’s cadence hums under Haggai’s moment. Come now, let us reason together. Movement out of futility does not come by white‑knuckling a task list. It comes through a give‑and‑take with the Lord who speaks, waits, convicts, and then strengthens. The hard, messy, slow work still takes time. It costs money, breaks some plants, and stretches conversations. But the thing stops mocking. The door is finally a door again. The temple becomes a house for faith to live in. Today is the day to stop hiding the fracture, to consider ways, to take wood, and to trust the God who says, I am with you.

Key Takeaways

1. Paneled houses expose misordered loves [17:23] The finished homes beside God’s ruined house reveal what the heart actually values. Activity can be loud and impressive while devotion is neglected in quiet places. Haggai names the contrast so the people stop calling delay wisdom. When the center is neglected, even good projects become a way to avoid God. [17:23]
2. Futility follows unfinished obedience [17:49] Seed, food, wages, and weather testify when calling is dodged. Sown much and harvested little is not bad luck, it is warning light. God allows scarcity to shake sleepy souls toward the thing that actually needs doing. A wreath over a break keeps appearances while the house stays unprotected. [17:49]
3. Consider your ways, then step [28:23] Reflection without action hardens into excuse, and action without reflection hardens into legalism. The text pairs both: consider your ways, then go up to the hills and bring wood. The first inconvenient step is often the hinge. Obedience reprioritizes God’s pleasure and glory over usefulness and image. [28:23]
4. God gives presence and power [31:03] I am with you answers fear before productivity rises. Then God stirs the spirit, rousing what discouragement and delay have dulled. The sequence matters: word, reverence, obedience, assurance, empowerment. Grace does not replace work; grace makes the right work possible. [31:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:55] - Seventeen years and shared community
[06:48] - The cracked back door story
[08:30] - Naming the hard thing with God
[09:49] - Haggai 1 and delayed obedience
[12:32] - Real reasons, real wounds
[14:54] - When obstacles fade, excuses stay
[17:23] - Paneled houses and priorities
[17:49] - Bags with holes and futility
[25:48] - Good work that hides disobedience
[28:23] - Consider your ways, take wood
[31:03] - I am with you
[31:32] - God stirs sleepy hearts
[32:42] - The door finally gets fixed
[33:54] - Today is the day

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Haggai 1:1-15 (ESV)
Isaiah 1:18 (ESV) — “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

Observation Questions

In Haggai 1:2, the people say, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.” What reasons did they likely give for delaying this work, according to the sermon? [12:32]
What specific consequences does God list in Haggai 1:6-11 for the people’s neglect of His house?
How did the people respond to Haggai’s message in Haggai 1:12-15, and what two actions did God take afterward?
The sermon compared the unfinished temple to a broken door covered with a wreath. What practical steps did the speaker take (and avoid) to address the door? [23:48]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God called the people’s neglect of the temple a problem of “misordered love” (Haggai 1:4)? How does this contrast with their priorities?
The sermon mentions that “futility follows unfinished obedience.” How does Haggai 1:6-11 illustrate this principle in both practical and spiritual terms?
God says, “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13) before stirring their spirits to work. Why is His presence emphasized before their action?
The speaker connected the broken door story to avoiding God’s calling. How might “good work” (like projects or assignments) still be a way to hide disobedience? [25:48]

Application Questions

What “unfinished thing” in your life (a relationship, habit, or calling) have you tried to cover with a “wreath” of excuses or distractions? What makes it feel inconvenient or costly to address?
Haggai tells the people to “consider your ways” twice. What practical step could you take this week to intentionally reflect on your priorities—journaling, fasting, or discussing with a friend?
The sermon warned that “sown much, harvested little” is a warning light. Where have you experienced futility (e.g., exhaustion without fruit) that might point to misaligned priorities?
God stirred the people’s spirits after they obeyed. Is there a step of obedience you’ve been delaying because you’re waiting for motivation? How could you take one small action today?
The broken door story involved messy steps (calling Lowe’s, damaged plants). What practical, relational, or emotional “mess” might you need to embrace to address your “unfinished thing”? [33:07]
How can you encourage someone in your community this week who feels stuck in futility or delay? What would it look like to remind them, “I am with you”?

Sermon Clips

58s

“If you have a thing with god right now, something he has called you to address and you've just let it lie here, And maybe you've let weeds grow up over it. Today is the day to reason together with the Lord. Listen to his word. Consider your ways. Take that first highly inconvenient step. He will not leave you alone, especially now that we are indwelled by the holy spirit. He will meet all of us there, and he will give us the motivation and the energy and the heart to finally do what it is he's asked us to do and to deal with it. Today is the day.”

48s

“But this is my favorite part. The relationship doesn't just end with that obedience. God continues to graciously give to his people so that they can do what he has for them to do. Look at verse 13. It said, God offers an assurance. He says, I am with you. And that is gonna be really important for this community because they're gonna face some more political opposition shortly. And in verse 14, he stirs up their spirits. This has an idea of kind of rousing people from a sleepiness or, like, a spiritual inattentiveness. He woke them up, and he gave them the motivation and the energy to that they had been struggling to feel and to get themselves going where they needed to go.”

37s

“After they listened and obeyed, he empowered them to do what he asked them to do. See this beautiful give and take back and forth? God is patient, and he gives and he sends his word. His people listen and obey. He gives them assurance and motivation to do what it is he has for them. It makes me think of the passage in Isaiah where God implores Israel, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

39s

“Is there something that God has asked you to do? God has specifically asked you to address in your own walk with him or in your work for him that you've also just kind of let lie there? And you haven't really addressed it, and maybe you've tried to put a wreath on it, but it's sitting there. And the really uncomfortable thing is that I'm talking about the hardest thing that he's asked you to do, the one you don't want to, the one you'd really try not to think about. Maybe it's challenging somebody really important in your life, and you really don't know how it's gonna land.”

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Dallas Theological Seminary This sermon · AI assistant

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Today's The Day to Deal With It - Kymberli Cook