When a child draws a picture for you, they aren’t concerned with being impressive or getting the world’s attention—they simply want to show you love. Yet we are often discouraged in our callings because of expectations shaped by the world and our own sinful hearts. As the Jewish people returned from exile and began to rebuild the Temple, they became discouraged in just this way. The Temple they were building was small (Ezra 3:12) and unimpressive (Hag 2:3) compared to the majestic Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6). God sent Haggai to tell them (and us): Small things done for God are worth doing.

God doesn’t call Christians to build a physical Temple, but he does often call us to small unimpressive work. He calls us to build the people of his church. God sends leaders to build the people and the people build one another up (Eph 4:11-16). We build God’s church when we honor, serve, encourage, stir up, and love one another. Likewise, the church builds up families by having and raising children because families are little churches (Eph 5:25, Deut 6:7, Gal 1:28). Neither of these “buildings” are impressive in the eyes of the world, but small things done for God are worth doing.

We can do these “small” things in God’s strength because he is with us (Hagg 2:4-5), and promises to provide for and protect us as he did in the Exodus (Hagg 2:5). God tells the Jews that on the Last Day the glory of their seemingly small unimpressive Temple will be greater than Solomon’s Temple (2:9). Our small unimpressive “buildings”—when done for God—are part of God’s glorious plan to renew all things. When God shakes the earth and heaven in judgment, only those things done for him will remain (Heb 12:26-28).

Taking it Home: Are you living and working for things you or the world things are big, important, and impressive? Or are you working for the things that will remain when God shakes the earth?