CHRISTMAS 2020— A TIME TO CONSIDER YOUR WAYS
CHRISTMAS 2020— A TIME TO CONSIDER YOUR WAYS
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 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. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors— Haggai 1:2-11
Take some time this Christmas of 2020 and “consider your ways.” Where has your focus been? What have you been spending your time and resources on? Who is at the center of your life? Do you feel like you are running in circles? Well, the following may help understand why that is the case!
In the passage above we see how the people were focused on building their own homes. They were focused on their work and sustaining themselves. They should have been focused on rebuilding the temple— the place they gathered to worship God at that time. This would bring pleasure to God and He would be glorified. But the people were busying themselves with their own home projects and not the work of God.
Again, the people were told to “consider your ways.” At this time they were not experiencing the blessings of God. They, like we, were to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). But they were not. They were seeking to build their own personal kingdoms and doing what they wanted to do. It was time for them to get their priorities right. We are to focus on God’s kingdom, on God’s Work and the needs we have will be taken care of. Will we move in this direction? Consider your ways… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGLwJNYu7q8
Dear Father may I be about Your business. May that be the case for the rest of my life. Oh, may this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus.