“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 your own house.

Haggai 1:9 (NIV)

Sometimes in our lives, we work at things and they don’t produce the results we expect. When the Jews returned from exile in Babylon after 70 years they immediately started to rebuild their homes. They worked the fields, planted crops, and tried to pick up where they left off before they were exiled. However, there was one problem with that. They were exiled because they didn’t pursue God first in their lives and sought out idols and other things that suited their desires.

We know from Haggai that the Lord “called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands” because the people were working on their own homes and ignoring the temple of God (Haggai 1:11 NIV). One might have thought the people would have learned their lesson from being in exile and paid more attention to the house of God.

However, we don’t think like that. When I’m working on something I really want it to do well. What’s the point in working on something if you don’t want it to do well? I’ve noticed in my life that I’ll keep plugging away and trying to do things my way when sometimes, for whatever reason, my way isn’t working. Like the Jews, I have found myself in situations where I “have planted much, but harvested little. [I] eat, but never have enough. [I] drink, but never have [my] fill. [I] put on clothes, but are not warm. [I] earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:6 NIV).

There are many reasons why all the effort we put into something doesn’t produce the fruit we desire. When the Jews were putting in a tremendous effort with little reward the Lord sent them a prophet who told them to, “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:7 NIV). If you’re finding yourself running around in circles, then perhaps it might be time to take a moment and give some thought to how you’re living your life. One question to ponder is, “Are you tending to your own house before seeking God’s will in your life?”

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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