Haggai 1:5-6 “5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! 6 You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.’”
CALLED TO ACTION
Haggai is a short, little book with only two chapters. It is often overlooked. I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon preached on Haggai. Why is that? Well, it’s kind of a harsh message. The people were allowing the house of the Lord to lie in ruins while they went about their everyday life. Haggai, speaking for the Lord, called them on it.
You see, the condition of the temple was a symptom of the problem. The people weren’t dedicated and surrendered to Jehovah. They were complacent and full of apathy. They were too busy trying to live their own lives to give much attention to the Lord, to the One to whom they owed their very lives.
TEACHING MOMENT
Teaching our children respect for a Holy God is so important. Going through life without sacrifice to and for Him is possible, but dangerous. Your little Johnny needs to learn to give, not just his financial blessings, but also his very life. Complete surrender is the key to the Christ life, not “playing church.”
How do you show your children to give their all to the Lord? By being the example. They need to see you making sacrifices for God. They need to see you choosing Him over your own desires. They will learn more by observing you being obedient than they will ever learn by lecture or coercion.
So, how are you doing with that? Are you comfortable in “your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” That’s the question asked in Haggai. It still needs to be asked today. We (myself included) are so comfortable that we forget to sacrifice. God has not called us to riches. He may choose to bless us that way, but His intention for blessing us is for us to bless others.
A Moment In Time 