Haggai 1:12

Haggai 1:12 says, Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.  Unlike many times when God sent His prophet to the people of Israel, this time the high priest, Zerubbabel believed Haggai and with the remnant of the people obeyed God.  God will always make His will known to those who are His people, both individually and collectively, and He will always call on those who are His people to put the things of God first.  We cannot be effective Christians if we only do what God calls us to do after we have done everything that we want to do.  Verse thirteen adds, Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.  When the people of Israel listened to Haggai and did what God asked of them, then God  promised them that He would be with them.  When we do what God asks of us, which means first that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then He will always be with us.  Nothing can ever separate us from God as followers of Christ, except our own disobedience.  Then, even though we are still His child, we will be ineffective as witnesses for Him.  Verse fourteen continues, And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,  We are told that God stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the high priest and the spirit of all the remnant of Israel, and they did the work on the house of the LORD.  It is one thing to be stirred up by the spirit of the LORD, but if we are simply stirred up and do not do what God calls us to do, then it is of little use.  When God stirs us up spiritually, we need to do what He has stirred us up to do, and that will always be to do the things that are for His kingdom and not for material reasons or success.   Verse fifteen concludes, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.  We are given the time frame for when this happened.  They did not delay in obeying God, and we should never delay in obeying Him today.  We must do what God calls us to do when He calls us to do it.