3 Pitfalls of Every God Lover
Hello Bride of Christ,
Little time and much to do sums up our culture. Research confirms 60% of adults believe there are not enough hours in the day to complete their to-do list (SWNS, 2023). A survey of over 10,000 workers discovered days are consumed with busy work (Liu, Jennifer, 2022). All the while God looks on, and Jesus Christ calls His followers to a different existence.
The plague of busy lifestyles and time-crunched agendas existed long before TV, iPhones, and the internet. Journey with me to Jerusalem, during the second year of King Darius, 520 BC.
We find God’s people consumed by busy culture. The Lord of Host describes it as, “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:6 NKJV)
Sixteen years released from Babylonian captivity, yet the people of God find themselves like unbelieving nations, striving to attain the basic provisions of life. These people have a history of ancestors who survived 40 years in the wilderness, sustained by God who did not let their clothes and sandals wear out (Deuteronomy 29: 5 NKJV), gave them bread for their hunger, and brought them water from a rock for their thirst (Nehemiah 9:15 NKJV). Nevertheless, they find themselves lacking in the same areas!
How? Is God not with His people?
Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord encourages His people to consider their ways, which in Hebrew means to think carefully about your path; to reveal three common pitfalls for God lovers.
Pitfall #1: Misplaced seeking.
God’s people spent countless hours planting vineyards, tending to crops, and managing livestock but yielded little (Haggai 1:6,10,11 NKJV). Why such fruitless efforts? God keeps it no secret! “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little, when you brought it home, I blew it away.” (Haggai 1:9 NKJV) The Lord made it fruitless.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He shared this principle with His Jewish disciples. Jesus told them to not worry about their life, what they will eat, or what they will drink, nor about their bodies, what they would wear (Matthew 6:25 NKJV). Why? For after all these things the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek (Matthew 6:32 NKJV).
The Sustainer in the wilderness would be their Sustainer in Jerusalem and continues to be their Sustainer today. Your heavenly Father knows you need all these things (Matthew 6:32 NKJV). Instead of seeking basic provisions, God desires His people to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). In Haggai’s day, this meant seeking to build the temple of God (Haggai 1:9 NKJV). Bride of Christ, today seek to wait on the Holy Spirit to lead you to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV).
Consider what you seek.
Pitfall #2: Distorted priorities.
Although the Jewish people were out of Babylon, Babylon was not out of them. The culture of prioritizing self-interest permeated their talents, time, and resources. Haggai shares the Lord’s view of the people, “This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” (Haggai 1:2 NKJV) The Lord asks, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4 NKJV)
God’s people prioritized their homes, work, needs, and finances over God’s plan for them (Haggai 1:6, 8 NKJV). God’s priority for Haggai’s generation was to build the temple, that He may take pleasure in it and be glorified (Haggai 1:8 NKJV). Bride of Christ, God’s priority for our generation is to build the temple, that He may take pleasure in it and be glorified. “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9 NKJV) “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV)
God stirred up the government, religious system, and a remnant during Haggai’s day to obey the voice of the Lord their God and fear the presence of the Lord (Haggai 1:12 NKJV). In other words, He reoriented and streamlined a nation’s political, religious, and individual priorities into one priority – obey God.
Consider your priorities.
Pitfall #3: Forgotten purpose.
In the busyness of life, lovers of God lost sight of why God returned them to Jerusalem. Where they invested their time (sowing, working, eating, drinking) demonstrated they believed their purpose was survival (Haggai 1:6 NKJV). Yet, when God delivered their ancestors from Egypt He told Pharaoh to let His people go so they may serve (worship) Him in the wilderness (Exodus 7:16 NKJV).
Worship is a response of awe to the saving acts and praiseworthy character of God.
Bride of Christ, the purpose of the deliverance of the Jewish people from Babylon had not changed. They were delivered to serve God and rebuild the temple as an act of worship, for worship. Therefore God encouraged the government (Zerubbabel), religious leaders (Joshua), and individuals (remnant), “Yet now be strong… and work, for I am with you. According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!” (Haggai 2:4-5 NKJV) God’s purpose in saving us today, like back then, is for the service of worship. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1 NKJV)
Consider your purpose.
Let’s get practical…
Bride of Christ, let us learn from our Jewish brothers and sisters, and do as God encouraged them long ago… Consider our ways!
Seek after God. He can be found in His written Holy text.
Prioritize God. Speak to God through prayer and listen.
Worship God. Praise Him through your service and song.
