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Haggai One
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 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." Haggai 1:5-6 NIV
God knows us pretty well, doesn't He? You ever feel like it just is never enough?
Today we will begin a several day look at the short book of Haggai. In this first look we see a response from God to a people who never seem satisfied. The people were constantly wanting more than they currently had; never content. Even though this was actually written a couple of thousand years ago, it is as much a truth today as it was then.
I thought that if I could just become self-employed I would be on easy street. I had seen others with their own business. They drove fancy cars, lived in big houses and spent weekends at their weekend home. I was wrong. Ever been responsible for meeting someone else's payroll each week?
I soon learned that money runs out just as fast on this side of the employment spectrum. The more expensive clothes wear out just as fast as the cheaper ones. The more I tend to make, the more the government seems to want. In fact, after 10 years of self-employment I was no better off financially than my career working for someone else would probably have taken me if I had continued the employee path.
You know what I concluded, and I think it is what God meant by this verse, we labor and labor only to discover in the end that the only real reward in life is Jesus. Big bank accounts, nice cars, houses, boats and investments are great, but they can't satisfy the heart of a lonely man. Only Jesus gives us what will purify our hearts and cleanse our soul. Only He can meet our real needs; the ones that are around whether the checkbook is empty or full. Only Jesus can give us a hope and a future that will never spoil or fade.
The greatest treasure in life is a personal relationship with Christ. I hope I have learned that lesson by now.
God knows us pretty well, doesn't He? You ever feel like it just is never enough?
Today we will begin a several day look at the short book of Haggai. In this first look we see a response from God to a people who never seem satisfied. The people were constantly wanting more than they currently had; never content. Even though this was actually written a couple of thousand years ago, it is as much a truth today as it was then.
I thought that if I could just become self-employed I would be on easy street. I had seen others with their own business. They drove fancy cars, lived in big houses and spent weekends at their weekend home. I was wrong. Ever been responsible for meeting someone else's payroll each week?
I soon learned that money runs out just as fast on this side of the employment spectrum. The more expensive clothes wear out just as fast as the cheaper ones. The more I tend to make, the more the government seems to want. In fact, after 10 years of self-employment I was no better off financially than my career working for someone else would probably have taken me if I had continued the employee path.
You know what I concluded, and I think it is what God meant by this verse, we labor and labor only to discover in the end that the only real reward in life is Jesus. Big bank accounts, nice cars, houses, boats and investments are great, but they can't satisfy the heart of a lonely man. Only Jesus gives us what will purify our hearts and cleanse our soul. Only He can meet our real needs; the ones that are around whether the checkbook is empty or full. Only Jesus can give us a hope and a future that will never spoil or fade.
The greatest treasure in life is a personal relationship with Christ. I hope I have learned that lesson by now.
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