Haggai 2:3
“Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?”
For several years I lived in the Chicagoland region. The area in which I lived was not far from a city that used to have a thriving economy. As you drove through the streets of that city, you would see homes that in their day were probably the homes of the wealthy. The ornate work on those homes was simply amazing. As you saw the homes in their remodeled condition, you saw homes that were not even close to their first glory, but people were still living in them. They would never be able to go back to their first glory though they were still being used by families.
Imagine if those homes were cast away because they would never reach the magnificence they once had. The children who lived in those homes would never have the memories that were being made. No, those homes were not as valuable as they used to be, but they were very valuable to those who lived in them. Yes, those homes had seen their better days, but that did not mean they were not useful.
The question was asked about the house of God, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now?…” The temple had been rebuilt, and those who saw the former house completely understood that it was not like the first temple. It is said about the first house in Ezra 3:12, “But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice…” Though the present house was of no comparison to the previous, it was still a place where they could go and worship the LORD. It was still a place where they could pray and get right with God. It was not as great as the first house, but it was still useful.
Friend, there are many people who once used to be greatly used of God who are now a shadow of what they used to be because of sin. Let me kindly remind you that though they are not like the first house, they are still a house that can be used of God. Just because sin crippled their life does not mean that God can’t use them again. I’m afraid that too often we cast those aside who fell into sin and say that they can never be used again, and that just is not true. If God has remodeled their life, then He still has a reason for them to be on this Earth.
You must be careful that you don’t focus on the scars of sin that you miss the usefulness that God has for them. They may have some great scars that sin has left, but don’t be so focused on what sin they committed that you won’t let them be used of God. Who are you to say that God can’t use them if He still allows them to live? It is only the grace of God that has kept you from falling into sin. You would be wise not to look down on them because you could be next. They may never be what they used to be, but you must allow them to be used to the degree that God wants to use them.
If you are the house that sin has scarred, let me remind you that God still wants to use you. Don’t let the Devil discourage you to the point where you don’t feel you can be used anymore. You may be a remodeled life, but God can still use the remodeled life to do something for Him. Let me encourage you to keep your eyes on God and yield to Him for that is the only way He can use you. There is someone whom you can help in your remodeled state. Don’t let the failure of your past keep you from being used by God today. You may not be like the first house, but you are still a house whom the Holy Spirit can still fill and use to be a blessing to those around you.