Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1:3-7 (KJV) Says, "Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled 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 prophecy of Haggai consists of four messages from God delivered to the nation of Israel in the city of Jerusalem after the rebuilding of the temple had ceased for about ten years. Haggai began his ministry in 520 B.C. to encourage the people to complete the task of rebuilding the temple. He was one of a small group of people who had seen the former temple in its glory.  His ministry was short, lasting only about four months, but it was sufficient motivation to prompt the people to begin working on the temple again.

The immediate purpose of the book of Haggai is to encourage the people to return to the building of the temple. It was imperative that the people build the temple because blessings from God depend on obedience.  In the above passage of scripture Haggai questions the people asking them if they should be dwelling in ceiled houses which refers to houses with ceilings paneled with fine wood, a common practice among kings, while the temple of the Lord was wasting away. The command consider your ways is used five times throughout this prophecy, and it is a plea on the part of God for the people to take note of their behavior, and amend their ways accordingly.

Notice that through the prophecy of Haggai God lets the people know that they need to be obedient to Him, and that the blessings He has in store for them depend on it. God's Word does not expire, and just as the Israelites were warned to amend their ways and that their blessings depended on it, our being obedient to God is mandatory, if we desire to receive the blessings He has in store for us.

We live in a society where people are quick to complain about all their problems, and just as quick to tell you who or what they blame their problems on.  We live in a society where many people who profess to be Christians, which means to be Christ-like, blatantly walk in disobedience to God while questioning where He is in their life. How can we groan and complain about our problems, live in blatant disobedience to God, and at the same time question where He is in our lives? How can we question God while totally ignoring our own behavior, and making no attempt to examine our lives and weed out the things that do not fit who we are as Christians?

I'm by no means saying that every time we face a trial in our life it is because we are walking in disobedience to God. Sometimes we face trials in order to draw us closer to God, and to strengthen our personal relationship with him. Nothing draws people closer to God faster than needing Him desperately during a trial. People who have not prayed in years will drop to their knees in an instant, the moment they find themselves in a situation they cannot handle on their own. Some trials are sent into our lives to test our faith. It is easy to proclaim our faith, when everything is going great in our lives, but it is through trials that our faith is truly tested. Finally, there are some trials that we face for reasons only God understands.

In the above scripture God brings to the Israelites attention, through Haggai, that they have sown
a lot and brought in little, that they eat but are not full, that they drink but are still thirsty, that they are clothed but none of them are warm, and that they earn wages but only to put them into a bag with holes in it. God makes clear to them that all of these things are consequences of their actions. As most of us know, history repeats itself and it has here in that we too need to be reminded that some of the trials we face are consequences of  our actions. We like the Israelites need to be reminded to consider our ways.

If you are facing a trial, I encourage you to take an inventory of your life, and get rid of all the things that don't fit who you are as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to remain steadfast in your faith trusting God, and setting the example you are to set as a Christian. I encourage you to be patient, and to remember God loves you tremendously. Finally, I encourage you to remember that through whatever trials you face in life, with Christ as your Savior, you can rest assured you are never walking alone.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.