Thought from today’s Bible reading from Haggai 1-2.
The following passage about the neglected house of the Lord contains a good reminder for us to be sure we have our priorities in order.
“Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?’ Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! 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.’
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,’ says the Lord. ‘You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house’” (Haggai 1:3-9).
The point of this message was not to say that the people were wrong for having their own houses in which to live. Nor does this passage teach that it is immoral for one to be prosperous in life. In fact, the Scriptures teach that whatever prosperity we enjoy is a gift of God (Ecclesiastes 5:19).
This passage provides a reminder for them and for us. We are to put God first. When we enjoy prosperity in life, we ought to be mindful of the opportunities to do good with our blessings. The Scriptures contain several examples of good works that one can do with his blessings:
- Give to the local church so that it can do its work (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
- Help those who are in need (Ephesians 4:28; Galatians 6:10)
- Help support family members who could use assistance (1 Timothy 5:4)
- Provide aid for orphans and widows (James 1:27)
- Support those who work in preaching the gospel (Galatians 6:6; 3 John 7-8)
- Show hospitality to others (Hebrews 13:1-2)
Tomorrow’s reading: Zechariah 1-7
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
