CONSIDER YOUR WAYS

Haggai 1:1-7 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

The definitions of the word consider are to look at closely, observe, examine, to think about in order to understand, show consideration, or to think carefully or seriously. This is the keyword used by God in the above scriptures to the Israelites. Let me share with you the reason for this message to them.

In 606 – 605 BC the children of Israel finally returned to Jerusalem after being in captivity in Babylon for seventy years, and the main reason for their captivity was the sin of idolatry. When they first arrived, they were in a time of restoration and rebuilding for Nebuchadnezzar, and his army had torn down the walls, destroyed the temple and burnt the city. During their time of rebuilding the temple, the people came under great persecution, and consequently, they stopped working on it. (Please know, in this life hindrance, obstacles, and persecution will always present itself when you are attempting to accomplish things for God.) Many years passed, and the Israelites were busy building their own homes and given little thought to God’s house. Therefore, He sends a word to them through the prophet Haggai, “Consider your ways.” All of their efforts to gain material things for themselves were made for naught, for God was not allowing them to prosper.

I find these three words given thousands of years ago are still applicable to fellow believers and me. Often, we get caught up in the cares of this world, maintaining our various standards of living and forgetting to put God and his kingdom first. I can only speak for myself and say there are many, many, many material things that I want and He knows. If I focus solely on obtaining those things and withhold my support from advancing God’s kingdom, my efforts will be fruitless and the blessings of God absent.

In Matthew 6:32 – 33 I believe Jesus summarizes Haggai 1 in His admonishment to the people with these words, “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” When we advance His kingdom, He advances us.

I believe for continued success; our stewardship needs to be a three-fold commitment: to God, to give and to serve. As we become productive in our daily lives, we must stop and consider our actions. How does God view what we are doing? Are we just building treasures for ourselves? Are we decreasing instead of increasing? Are we continually loosing and not gaining? Are we working hard and not seeing any results? Maybe the solution to all of these negative responses is to prioritize our efforts and place God at the top of our list.

I am happy to say after the Israelites received the word they changed, and they completed the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 6: 13-22). The opposition was still there, but they did not allow it to hinder them; therefore, they prospered physically as well as spiritually. Hence, today, my prayer for all believers is that we consider our ways and make the necessary adjustments which will cause the favor and blessings of God to rest on us. So, now a decision is placed before you, and I close this blog with these words “CONSIDER YOUR WAYS.”