What Are You Saving?
What are you saving?
Those were the words I found when I opened my Bible to the book of Haggai last Sunday night. In this book, God uses Haggai to remind His people that their first priority is, and always should be, Him and His glory. They had returned to rebuild the temple but they got sidetracked. Instead, they said, “It isn’t time yet” (1:2). In verse 6 of chapter 1, God basically says that with their way of thinking, it will never be time to honor Him. They will forever be too busy trying to fill empty sacks and pursuing earthly goals to prioritize God. In fact, because of their refusal to put God first, we learn that no matter how hard they worked, God made sure their efforts were stunted (1:9-11).
That chapter steps on my toes and makes me a bit defensive. It talks of eating and never being full, drinking and never quenching thirst, clothing yourself and never being warm. But don’t I have to eat, drink, and clothe myself God? You tell us in Your word that we should work or not get to eat (2 Thess. 3:10). And besides, I’m busy doing good things! I can think of a lot of answers and excuses as to why I don’t prioritize glorifying God. And, just as with the people of Israel, none of those excuses will do my any good.
Why? In the end – and for that matter, the beginning and all time in between – our very existence is to glorify God. He tells us over and over that we should not focus on the things of this world (Matthew 6:19-20). We are told instead to “Set [our] minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).
If we could get that message into our heads – and hearts – perhaps we could learn the lesson that the people of Haggai’s day did. God never said not to work, clothe ourselves, or eat and drink. He simply said consider Him first, and the other things will work themselves out. When they did that, He rewarded their efforts. And He gave them the best blessing of all: “Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, ‘I am with you, declares the Lord’” (1:13; emphasis added).
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (emphasis added)
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
