Priorities

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai:  “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

Haggai 1:3-6

This is what it looks like when we have our own agenda and we don't have any intention on living in God's will.  We don't ask God for His help and we don't bother asking Him what He wants from us.  We just do what we want, and what we think is best for us, without relying on God's input.............without putting Him first in our life.  The things we do don't glorify God and we usually always end up unsatisfied.  

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.  You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.

Haggai 1:7-9

I will be the first to admit it's not easy living in God's will, especially when I have my own ideas and plans.  It's easy to get caught up in the things I want to buy and the things I think will make me and my family happy.  I can get on a role and forget to ask God, or even, at times, have no intentions of relying on Him, or inviting Him into my plans.  I have been to that place that says I did everything right but I don't see the results I expected.  I am familiar with planting much but harvesting little, and drinking much but staying thirsty.  And in all those moments the one thing that is always in common is that I'm doing everything on my own and I am not putting God first.  My priorities are my own and it all goes down hill from there.  

So often we get great ideas and we begin the work of building our own careers, families, friendships, futures without ever consulting the Creator of our lives.  Our priorities are our own and they don't match up with God's will for us.  Many times we do great things and we have great ideas but we don't see results because we moved on our own instead of asking God first.  We focus too much on ourselves and forget to invite God in and we work on building our own lives and forget about the lives God wants us to touch for Him and the homes he wants us to help provide for and the jobs he has laid out for His Glory.  While His work lies dormant, and His house lies in ruins, we are working hard and "having fun" working on our personal stuff.  We miss out on so many blessings and  we end up never satisfied.

My dear friends I need your prayers putting God first in my life and I promise to pray for you, as well.  It is a community effort to hold each other accountable to our relationships with God and the God first life that He wishes for us.  If we keep on living me first, we will never be satisfied and we will constantly be looking for something new, better, and more exciting.  Put God first and watch your life transform and be filled with so much Joy you are shining brightly and abundantly overflowing.