“Consider Your Ways” What does that mean to you? I had been searching for where to go next in my Bible reading and was feeling decidedly unsatisfied. I had completed several Bible studies that were all very good, informative, applicable and challenging. However, I was still feeling like there should be more.

After much prayer and procrastination, I came across a blog post that mentioned Haggai 1:6. Haggai? I wasn’t sure I’d read that correctly so I pulled out my Bible and started to investigate. Sure enough, I found the passage and upon reading some of the background related to the book of Haggai, I knew that this was my next stop.

One thing I found incredibly interesting was the fact that Haggai’s “ministry” only covered a period of slightly less than four months. I had been dealing with the loss of yet ANOTHER job after only a year and nothing on the horizon to replace it so the fact that he was used by God for such a brief time really fascinated me. I know that God places us where He wants and when He wants, but I was still hurt and feeling like a failure. After I read that his ministry was so short, I started to think about how that related to MY life.

Perhaps I had been looking at my situation incorrectly. Instead of bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a steady job that was dependable, maybe I should consider that God was using that situation to make me depend more on Him and not my job. This cut deep. I am very much an independent person that wants to pull my own weight and contribute. When I don’t feel like I am doing that, I am attacked by feelings of worthlessness. I know that I am not alone in this. I also know that my worth is not determined by anything other than Christ and His sacrifice for me.

However, knowing this and actually living it are two different things. It can be hard to remember when you are pressured to provide for your family. This was the situation that Haggai was addressing. The exiled people were returning to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the temple. Along the way, the people had become sidetracked by providing for themselves instead of fulfilling their purpose; rebuilding the temple.

The book of Haggai opens with a conversation between God and His people:

 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak,^[a] the high priest:

² This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”

³ Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

The people had become more focused on providing for themselves than on rebuilding God’s temple. I think we are all guilty of making ourselves (needs, wants, desires) a priority over God. The people were remodeling/updating their homes, adding cedar paneling, (crown molding, new paint, grand landscaping, new appliances and furniture) instead of contributing to the rebuilding of God’s house. Because of that, God spoke through Haggai a convicting question and an admonition to consider their ways:

⁵ Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

^{6 “}You have planted much, but 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.”

⁷ This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

Well, if you are like me, you have put a lot of time, energy, effort, and resources into your own “garden/farm”. (Your provision for your family) But, it never seems to be enough. (Your harvest is small).

You eat and drink but are never full. You are consuming everything in sight but it still isn’t enough. (Your appetite is bigger than your resources). Do we really need all that stuff we are accumulating? Will your kids die if they don’t get the latest “whatever”? Consider your ways.

“You put on clothes, but are not warm.” (We are doing things that we think will fix the situation but somehow it just leads to more trouble). We are putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. We can’t correct spiritual problems with physical remedies.

“You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (We are being wasteful). I don’t know about you, but I definitely know the feeling of bleeding money. It seems like every day there is a new bill, something that has to be bought for school, the rates went up on something, or something breaks down and has to be fixed or replaced. That’s not even counting the maintenance and upkeep or the things we want to do. Mostly our purse has holes in it because of poor or selfish choices. Don’t misunderstand, there are many people who DO NOT earn enough to properly care for their family. I am speaking to those of us who do but maybe waste too much on “stuff”, “status”, or “entertainment”. 

This all boils down to two sentences:

You are not living a satisfied life.

You lust for more.

Consider your ways.

So the question now is, what do we do about it? It’s honestly as simple as making a choice. Will you chose to live a less selfish life in order to “rebuild” God’s temple? The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

The people that Haggai was addressing were rebuilding a temple building. We are the temple. The Holy Spirit resides in us. We no longer need a physical building for God to inhabit because he lives in our hearts. We should still gather together to worship, honor, and praise Him. We should gather to serve and love and encourage other believers. The Bible instructs us in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake assembling together because we all need to be encouraged and held accountable.

Now, how do we apply this to our lives? It is easier said than done. We have to make a choice of will. We have to choose to spend time with God in prayer. We have to choose to spend time reading God’s Word and asking tough questions like:

What do you want me to know, see, understand, or change because of this?

How do I need to reorder my priorities?

How can I model this for others?

Then we actually have to follow through (another choice of will) on whatever it is that God reveals to us. So many times we know what it is that God wants us to do; we just don’t want to do it. I’ll confess that following through is one of THE hardest things for me; and I am sure others also struggle with this.

I hope that this has somehow inspired you or made you feel less alone in your own situation.