Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:  Consider your ways.  You have sown much, and harvested little.  You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill.  You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.  And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.  Haggai 1:6 ESV

Do you ever feel that you just can’t make enough money or save enough money?  Does it seem as though your pay never stretches as far as you need it to stretch?  In our scripture passage today Haggai is relaying God’s command to rebuild the temple.  He is letting the people know that they have become so consumed with their own wants and desires that they have not taken time to do what God needs them to do.  In verse 4 he asks them, “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house (God’s temple) lies in ruins?”  These people were “busy” focusing on themselves and what they needed and what they wanted.  Haggai is commanding them to focus on what God wants.  In doing so, he asks them to think about how they are living.  They are busy but not accomplishing much.  They have acquired things, but it’s never enough.

I ask you to apply this verse to your life and see how you measure up.  Are you taking good care of yourself, but neglecting what God has commanded us to do?  Do you have lots of “stuff” but are busy trying to get more.  Maybe you are busy trying to pay for what you have so you can buy even more.  Will it ever be enough?  Do you ever feel content with what you have or do you always feel as though you “need” more?

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret to being content-whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.”  This “secret” is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  If we focus on God and His business, He helps to handle our business.  But often times we get so busy in our lives that we forget about God.  We forget to pray.  We forget to read our bible.  We neglect to gather and fellowship with other believes.  We neglect to study God’s word.

Then we wonder why we are having problems?  Hmm, it makes you wonder.  Are you giving God your first fruits?  Are you giving Him the best you have?  He doesn’t want what’s left over. He doesn’t want the crumbs that fall from the table. He doesn’t want some vain, repetitious prayer after you are exhausted and have fallen into bed.  He doesn’t want some half hearted bible reading where a minute after you are finished you have no idea what you have just read.  I know we lead busy lives, but we must put God first.

If the harder you work, the more behind you seem to be, then maybe you need to reassess your goals.  Maybe you need to switch your focus.  Put God first and focus on Him.  If He has blessed you with a job and food to eat and a roof over your head and a car to drive, won’t you take some time to praise Him?  Don’t you think He deserves glory and honor?

We fool ourselves by thinking that we need all the finer things of life.  We need God.  We want all the other things.  God wants us to have a good life (Jeremiah 29:11).  He wants us to have a life filled with abundance (John 10:10).  But when we get caught up in our things and getting more and more things, our life gets out of balance.

If you are working and seem to be putting your money in bags with holes in it, stop to give this some thought.  Are you giving the first ten percent of your earnings to God?  Are you setting aside time for Him each day?  We serve a loving, merciful God, but we also serve a righteous judge (Psalm 7:11)  who will not tolerate continued disobedience. We also serve a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).

If you are saved, then good for you, you have fire insurance.  But if you want your life on earth to be one of peace, joy, and contentment, then you must put Him first.

Have a great day!