First Things First

Haggai 1:3-4 - Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: "Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?"

It is very easy for us to forget that we are to be seeking God's Kingdom and righteousness first (Luke 12:31; Matthew 6:33).  Everyone gets caught up in the daily busyness of life, and we concern ourselves and worry about things that we not only have no control over, but are already promised to us by our Lord and Savior.

What I really like about this chapter of Haggai, is what happened when the people were called out by God for focusing on the wrong things.  They immediately obeyed, and the Lord said He was with them (Haggai 1:12-13).  That's what God wants from us, not perfection.  We can't achieve that.  He knows our shortcomings, and what we are capable of.  He doesn't expect us to overcome those, because He already has.  He expects us to overcome what we are capable of overcoming, and that is our decision-making and choices.  When we choose to be obedient to Him, He will bless us.

The Gospel's in the New Testament all vary to some degree.  This is to be expected, because they were written by four different people, and no two witnesses ever agree on something exactly the same way.  They were also written for different audiences, so they tend to focus on different things.  But their core message is the same, which is why we see the same things repeated.

God's promise to be with us, and provide for us, wasn't a new concept when it was mentioned in Haggai, and certainly not when Jesus promised it.  Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (Matthew 5:17).  God promised to bless Abraham's obedience when he left his native land for Canaan (Genesis 12:1-3).  The great thing about Abraham's story, is that he didn't even know where he was going.  God said I will show, He didn't say when.  The beauty is that Abraham obeyed.  Materially, what did he have to gain by it?  Absolutely nothing.  He was already a wealthy man, and he was close by his family.  Why leave?  Because he recognized God's calling for what it was, and he knew he had to obey.  Something inside him knew that immediate obedience was the right thing to do.  But how did he know?

Solomon told us that God has planted eternity on our heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  While Solomon's words were written a long time after Abraham, that doesn't make them any less applicable to Abraham's situation.  God planted eternity on the human heart when He created mankind.

Our highest calling in this life, will always be to obey God first.  Whenever we come to a point where we aren't sure that what we are doing is God's call, we should stop and ask Him.  He always wants to hear from us.  Avoid the thinking that God will prevent it from happening if He doesn't want it to be, because He won't.  He will always allow us the choice to obey Him.  He won't violate free will.  That is why when we seek Him first, He has promised to bless us.  I once heard a Pastor say that God will always love us and that will never change.  But if we aren't seeking to do His will first, if we aren't being obedient to Him, then He won't bless us.

I pray that we all will stay focused on seeking and being obedient to God's will and purpose for our lives.  I pray that we will keep His plans and desires for us as our first priority.  And He will bless us abundantly as a result.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for planting eternity in my heart.  Even though I didn't recognize it for so many years, I am beyond grateful that You put it there so when I did start to seek You, I didn't have to look far to find You.  I am blessed that You have always bent down to listen to me.  I pray for those that haven't sought You out yet.  My prayer is that they will feel the stirring of the Holy Spirit in their hearts that has was planted there so long ago, and will recognize it for what it is - Your desire to bless them.  Your desire to spend eternity in Heaven with them.  I thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation and reconciliation to You that is available to us all.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!



God Bless!!!