Discerning our Priorities ~ 2nd Day

Continuing "discerning our priorities" ~ Haggai 1:2-11

2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' "
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?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 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."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."

..."because My house, which remains in ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house...." How does that speak to us? If we have a church home, this is even more relevant to our everyday lives and priorities.

Yes, our personal lawns need mowing, yes our windows need washing and our floors need mopping, but so do the church's. How often do we think "somebody" will do what needs to be done? And that's pretty much true, to a degree, but things fall by the wayside as "Somebody" gets older, is out of town or is sick." What then?

I remember a discussion with a friend some years ago when we were away from Virginia for a time. We were talking about the inadequate kitchen utensils and the failure to do landscaping in the spring at the church. My friend said, "well the church gets what's left. God says to give of our best, but we give the leftovers, so what do we expect? Nothing in the church is first-class because we save the first-class for ourselves." Huh?... does that describe us? Of course, if we tithed time to the church, then there'd be plenty of folks to do some of the many maintenance items that need doing. Anyway, I'll step off the box for now... What do YOU think? Do we honor God's house? If not, why not? If so, how so? Do we make God's house a priority for us today or should we even? Does paying someone else to do it count? <3

It seems as though a few people keep things going in many organizations and most likely in many churches too. The rest reap the benefit of the efforts of those few... but God sees that labor and blesses it. It's thankless work, but it is for the benefit of God's kingdom so it is not in vain. Yes, I think paying someone else to do it does count, in my opinion.. if the people are willing to financially support a person to do that work.

A timely subject!