Haggai 1:3-6 - Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
Haggai was called during the time of rebuilding. The people had returned from captivity and put all their efforts into rebuilding their fine homes and farms. The temple laid unfinished….God placed second on the priority list because of fear….because their faith had been weakened by a lack of worship.
They were working harder than they ever had…but never seemed to make any progress in their lives. No matter what material possessions they gathered around them….or how many successful crops they planted…they felt like they had nothing. And they never realized the problem until God sent Haggai to speak these words.
It reminds me how quickly we can get our priorities mixed up when we leave God out of our lives…even for a moment. If we run to fast…giving in to the high demands of life around us…trying to be super people and do all of it without God…we simply run out of fuel. If we cut everything out of our lives ….and have too little to do…we fade into a dark place of no purpose. I have been both places…and neither of them are good for us….because neither of them includes a strong relationship with God.
God comes first….that is the answer to a fulfilled... purpose driven…servant oriented life. If God is placed at the center like it says in Matthew 6:23…then God sees to it that we have everything else we need. Abundant life doesn’t always mean overflowing pocketbook or closet or even pantry. Abundant life means that your heart is so overstuffed with God that the material things…..the earthly things just don’t seem important any more.
One last thought. Just because I obey one thing God told me to do doesn’t mean that God is first place. His thoughts should rule everything I do. I can’t say that because I spend time with him in study at night and writing devotionals in the morning that I have it all covered. That may get me started on the right path each day…and close my day thinking of God….but there is at least 14 other hours left in my day… that is if I get my 8 hours of sleep that day. Those 14 hours are supposed to be focused on him too.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you are to be first place in all I choose to do…every hour of each day that you grant me. Forgive me for all the hours I have not had my priorities in the right order. Show me how to order the things I do so they are more pleasing to you. Help me today to keep you in focus all day long so you can use me more to share your love with others. Amen.
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