As I read through the book of Haggai this past week, two things struck me. One was pointed out by the editors of the Bible I was reading from. It's the Women of Faith Bible, New King James Version. They pointed out that even though the book is only two chapters, the phrase "consider your ways" or "consider now" are repeated more than once by God to Haggai who then was the prophet for the Israelites. He is the only Old Testament prophet, besides Zechariah and Malachi, to minister to the people after the Exile.
This OT book is about a call to action! Haggai was sent to motivate the people. They had lost all of their spiritual motivation and it was mainly because of their self-centeredness.
Aren't we like this today?? in our culture?
We often neglect the things of God because we are so focused on our selves. On what makes us "happy" or "peaceful" or just the busyness of our lives....our doing, doing, doing, our going, going, going, our obsession with the internet and social media. We often push God to the back of our "to do" list intending to "get my quiet time in later".
Only "later" never arrives.
Haggai was trying to encourage the Israelites to live intentionally. To make good, right choices. And to be good stewards of everything we are given.
In just two chapters, God tells us FOUR times to "Carefully consider your ways" or "consider now....". God doesn't want us to take our lives for granted!
He really does want time with us....for us to be intentional about our spiritual walk.
Because the Jewish people were so busy rebuilding their own houses and lives and focused on themselves, the Temple building was not happening. Haggai was sent by God to encourage them to rethink their priorities. It's very convicting for us when we realize these words can be for us today, too.
When we are so focused on US, we often don't have that inner peace. We become frenetic about accomplishing our "to do" lists, we waste time being self-focused rather than outwardly focused on the Lord and the people in our lives.
God gives us good things....but we do need to steward them well.
When we line up with His principles, we will experience that peace we desire and long for. Everyone longs for it. The world will never know peace until they grasp the Prince of Peace. God has promised us that He is with us!
Haggai 2: 5 is pictured above.
And later in the chapter, in verse 9 God tells us:
"...and in this place, I will give peace".
Where God is, there's no fear. There's no anxiety.
Let's act!
Be intentional with the Lord today. You will be blessed.
3 comments:
I love that it's a book urging action. God so often urged his people around his Temple and I need to remind myself more frequently that I am now God's temple and I need to apply all those same things he asked to Israelites in rebuilding and honoring his Temple.
Very well written, Faith. We do need to be intentional about the way we live our lives...whether it be for God or for ourselves...because we just never know what the next minute will bring. We had a friend have a heart attack Friday night who had no symptoms of heart problems. Every time something like that happens I have to stop and check who it is I am living for.
In love this
I never thought about it that way
God is Good all the time and all the time God is good
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