Priority One

This is a brief summary of the message from January 9, 2011. You can listen to it here.

“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.”

Do you ever feel like that describes your life? These are God’s words through the prophet Haggai in the Old Testament. I think they encapsulate the majority of people’s feelings about their lives right now. Maybe you’re working hard, but can’t make ends meet; or maybe you’re putting out hundreds of resumes, but can’t find a job; or maybe you’re just tired of being tired. My guess is, we all struggle with this feeling of being unfulfilled.

The tendency in all of us is to look for someone to blame. It’s the economy. It’s my kids. It’s my parents. It’s the government. It’s all of the above. The truth is that there ARE myriad factors and all manner of influences that effect our lives. And deep down, we’re just looking for any valve that can relieve the stress and anxiety.

But God’s wisdom in this situation is different. The verse I quoted above (Haggai 1:6) is sandwiched between a repeated phrase: “Thus says the LORD, “Consider your ways.”” (Haggai 1:5, 7) God’s solution isn’t to consider the ways of everyone else, but to consider our own ways. What are we doing (or not doing) that might be the cause of this unfulfillment? Are we prioritizing ourselves to our own detriment?


The people of Haggai’s time were neglecting to follow God’s plan of rebuilding His temple, and instead were focusing on taking care of themselves. It didn’t work. So God reminded them that their true purpose was to follow His plan. In our day, the message is the same, although the circumstances have changed. Since Jesus came, died, rose again, and gave us His Spirit, His purpose isn’t about a building anymore; now His purpose is the church and her mission. Are we prioritizing the building the Kingdom in our relationships and in the local church? We need to consider our ways.

Haggai’s message is a timely one for all of us. If we expend ourselves in the pursuit of God’s plan and His work, then we will have everything we need. If we compartmentalize His Kingdom and expend ourselves in the pursuit of our own self-preservation and advancement, we will only come up empty. Priority One is God’s Plan, not ours. Until we get that right, we will always struggle. God does not bless selfishness. Ever. But God is with those who labor in His Kingdom. Always.

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:35)