Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Psalms”
Our Bible verse for today: “Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is better than jewels, and nothing desirable can compare with it.” Proverbs 8:10-11 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Nothing in life is as satisfying as being right with God.”
The Old Testament prophet Haggai ministered among the Jews in Jerusalem after they were allowed to return to the city following seventy years of exile in Babylon. It was around the year 520 B.C.
The people were sent into exile by God because of their unfaithfulness to Him. For generations they had pursued other gods and worldly pleasures instead of living faithful lives of holiness and righteousness. Through the prophets God had warned them repeatedly but to no avail. So finally he sent them into exile. But then, after seventy years, they were allowed to return to Jerusalem, pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, and start again. Unfortunately they had not learned their lesson. After a good but brief start, they stopped the rebuilding of the city and the temple, and began to lapse back into their old ways of seeking pleasure, comfort, and wealth rather than God. Enter Haggai.
Through his preaching he asked the people to notice that no matter how much material wealth they managed to acquire, no matter how many creature comforts they had, nothing ever seemed to be good enough and they where in a continuous state of always wanting more, more, more. “You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” Haggai 1:6.
Haggai’s message is clear and simple: “Shortchanging God reaps shortchanges in life.” If you are right with God, nothing else will matter. And if you’re not right with God, nothing else will matter. Honor God and you will be blessed. If you don’t, it won’t matter how much you have because you will never really be happy or satisfied.
Simply observing life proves this to be true. We all know of people who have great fame and fortune but whose lives are a train wreck and they are miserable. And we all know of others who, although they don’t seem to have a lot in terms of worldly possessions, they are rich in the things of God and their lives clearly show it. All of this proves once again that nothing in life is as satisfying and fulfilling as being right with God.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 