“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>Have you ever wondered why you never have enough money, time, peace or joy?
“mso-spacerun: yes;”> never enough to make a sustained difference in your life?
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;”> While not commonly discussed, quoted, or preached, the book of Haggai in the Old Testament of the Bible offers insight into these common but complex questions. Questions specifically concerning why or how we as God’s children, his remnant, and his chosen elect continue to sow seeds through hard work everyday but reap meager harvests. Though we remain fed, clothed, and sheltered, we always end up with just enough to get by.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>God directly answers these questions through Haggai, “font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;”> a post-exilic prophet who encouraged the Israelites to re-build the temple that was destroyed during the Persian/ Babylonian war.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>God said,
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; color: #333333; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;”> “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; color: #333333; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;”> This is what the Lord Almighty says.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; color: #333333; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;”> “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT; color: #333333; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;”> “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty? “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands” [Haggai 1:5-11].
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;”> Clearly, God is admonishing us to undergo an exhaustive self-evaluation. Have we been obedient? Have we completed ALL of our God-given tasks? Have we considered His perspective and placed His concerns above our own?
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;”> Oftentimes, we suppose that because God has not chastised us concerning a particular task because it is either not critically important to Him or not worthy of our diligent pursuit. We figure that we will get to the task later. It gets placed in the back of our minds until we eventually determine that since the conditions or circumstances are no longer suitable or sufficient, the task is obviously no longer significant.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;”> However, none of these presuppositions is the case with God. A God-given task is always important and is to be diligently pursued and expeditiously completed.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> In closing, the next time you feel lacking, go to God in prayer with thanksgiving and ask “font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> H “font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>im to reveal to you any areas of kingdom neglect or disconcern so that your increase may be released.
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