Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Anger”
Our Bible verse for today: “Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘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.” Haggai 1:5-6 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Misplaced priorities result in an unfulfilled life, and that then can lead to anger.”
The Old Testament prophet Haggai wrote a short but scathing letter to the people of God. Their spiritual lives were in decline because they had misplaced priorities, and that then led to a life that was much less than it could have been – much less than what God wanted for them.
In 1:5-6 Haggai challenged the people to give careful thought to their ways. He painted a picture of people who strive and struggle and put forth lots of effort, but it was misplaced effort because their priorities were out of line. They planted much (a good thing), but harvested little (something must be wrong). They eat and drink, but are never filled. They put on clothes, but the clothes never seem to make them comfortable. They earn money, but it’s as if their pockets have holes in them and the money is gone as fast as they get it.
Such a scenario in life is frustrating and can often lead to a person having a simmering sense of regret and anger. Often that person will feel as if they just can’t win.
And they’re right. If the pursuit of physical pleasures, recreation, social events, possessions, or anything else becomes a dominant theme in a person’s life, then no matter how successful they are at pursuing those things, they will still end up feeling as if “I just can’t win.” Nothing will ever be enough.
By removing God as your first priority you deprive yourself of God’s blessings. And if you don’t have God’s blessings, nothing will ever be good enough because nothing will ever truly satisfy you. Possessions and food and relationships and recreation are all good things, unless they become more important to you than God. Then those good things have become bad things because they’re keeping you from the best thing.
Most Christians would claim that God is their first priority. The people of Haggai’s day would have made that claim too. But words are cheap. Your actions tell the true story. If God really is your first priority then that should be evident in all parts of your life.
Your checkbook register is a pretty revealing indicator. I’m sure you spend lots of money on physical needs and desires, and on worldly pleasures. But do you give a full tithe to your church? Do you give sacrificially to special Christian causes?
How about your schedule, does it clearly demonstrate that God is first priority in your life? How much of your time is spent in prayer and Bible study, and in ministry activities? Where are you on Sunday morning? I know people who profess to be Christians but who haven’t regularly attended any church in years. That’s completely inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible.
Haggai’s point in that short Old Testament letter (and my point here this morning), is that if God is not clearly the first priority in your life then your life is much less than what God wants it to be. And that then can, and probably has, led to a simmering sense of frustration, disappointment, and maybe even anger.
I encourage you to make God your first priority – not just in word, but in deed.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 