At Haggai, we desire to see and participate in God’s restorative work among the nations and cultures across the globe. This work reflects the coming of God’s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. Enabled by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are invited to join in this good and holy work.

From the beginning, God has demonstrated how his restorative work unfolds. Not by Jesus alone, but by the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This sacred, relational interplay brought order to what was formless and void, giving creation its purpose, design, and interconnection. Though what God created was “good,” humanity was never meant to be passive in its care.

We were called from the start to participate — to fill the Earth, to steward it, and to love as Christ would later demonstrate to us.

This calling does not imply uniformity. Rather, it embraces the unique and purposeful role of each person. It includes the diversity of nations, tribes, and tongues, and flourishes through the participatory love seen in the many “one another” commands found throughout Scripture. God’s design calls for creation to flourish through our fellowship with him, one another, and the created world.

This fellowship is echoed in creation’s interdependence. As plants produce the oxygen we breathe, we exhale the carbon dioxide they require. Leaves fall and decay, nurturing the soil. The waters that once rose in Eden now fall from the sky, sustaining life. Each of these rhythms reflects the restorative, interconnected design of our Creator — and we are invited to play a part in it.

God desires our participation in his work so deeply that even our rebellion was not the end of the story. Through his covenant with Israel and the redemptive work of Christ’s death and resurrection, God is restoring what was broken. And today, as followers of Jesus — empowered by the Spirit — we are called to be willing participants in that restoration.

So, as Christ’s own and creation’s steward, we must stay attuned to the part we play in God’s eternal intention. He formed us with purpose; he knew us before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-16). The question we need to ask is: “Lord, how would you have me participate in your restorative work?”

Written by Rick Fossum