Priorities – Haggai 1:4
Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?
When is a good time to give money and time sacrificially for the Lord’s work?
If we are waiting to fund college and retirement accounts and to make our houses luxurious with furnishings and appliances, we need to consider our ways.[1] For the Lord desires consecrated hearts, those dedicated to bringing Him glory, those that will make Him their first and truest love. He knows that greed, once allowed to get a fingerhold on us, will close its viselike grip around us in a flash, consuming us, shutting us off from truth and light. Therefore, He tells us to bring our full tithes and generous gifts to Him,[2] to entrust ourselves to His loving-kindness, not in the gold dust we clasp in our hands only to watch, helpless, as it slips through our fingers to blend into the sands of the earth, mocking us for the futility of our service to it. He knows how quickly we become spiritually lazy, how fast we shift our eyes from Him to our own comforts, making ourselves easy prey for the powers of darkness. He warns us that the time is upon us to serve Him with all our strength rather than seeking after useless things that bring us no lasting profit.[3]
The Lord promises to be with those who heed His instruction to open their purses and lend their hands for Kingdom work, but far from Him are those who spend their wealth and time only on goods and pleasure for themselves and their families. Such people will find themselves cut off from the Lord’s munificence, never having enough to satiate their appetites for goods and comfort.[4] They would rather cling to the little they have than to trust our generous Lord, who provides in abundance for those who walk with Him in obedience.
Are you willing to work for and
give to the ministries of the body of Christ, but not quite yet? If so, consider your ways, and ask the Lord
what He would have you do today, not tomorrow.
Do not wait for the perfect time; rather, give freely and plenteously to
the work that the Lord directs you to participate in, and believe in His
promises for your full provision. You
will not be disappointed, for He will satisfy your thirsty and hungry soul,[5] bearing you up on eagles’ wings and bringing you to
Himself.[6]
[1] Haggai 1:7
[2] Deuteronomy 12:6
[3] 1 Samuel 12:20-21
[4] Haggai 1:6
[5] Psalm 22:26
[6] Exodus 19:4-5
