Haggai 1:3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
This passage of scripture gives us the details of a situation which occurred in the days of Haggai the prophet, when the house of God needed to be rebuilt, but was put on the back-burner by the Hebrews who took care of their personal needs and wants, and left the building of the sanctuary for last. The Lord observed their order of priorities and sent a message of reproof through the prophet Haggai, instructing them to reform both their ways and their thinking, so that the nation could be returned to prosperity. The dire results of withholding that which was due, and leaving the cause of God unattended were before their faces, and was manifested in a stubborn soil which refused to produce the bounties as in former years, in addition to which the salaries and wages that were earned through hard and exhausting labor, just couldn't stretch far enough, for some unknown reason.
The Lord then showed His people where the problem was, and it was the way in which they had prioritized personal expenditures over religious obligations, a scenario that is all too common within the ranks of believers. Whenever an emergency arises in our personal lives, we somehow find a way and the means to deal with it, and there are many unnecessary things that are bought, and money is lavished upon, which we do not really need. Yet we normally do not think twice to satisfy our wants and needs to the fullest extent and beyond, but when it comes to the cause of God we somehow have to "Think" about it.
Our contributions to the up-building of the kingdom of God in the earth should be our first order of priority, and then our personal expenses should be taken care of. The Bible teaches us the right order and the correct method of spending for religious and personal necessities, and when the scriptural method is followed consistently, it results in manifold blessings upon the heads of those who put Christ first. Let's read:
Proverbs 3:9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
In these two passages of scripture the order of bringing and then proving is set in stone, and therefore it is left up to us to choose the good and right way, so that God's name would be glorified and honored in our lives. Some Christians have never experienced first-hand the bountiful Providences of God displayed in their behalf, and the reason for this is that we tried in vain to reverse the scriptural order, by trying to prove first before bringing. But if we never bring we will never prove, and our entire Christian experience will be bogged down with hardship and difficulties of no ordinary nature, and though we may seek in vain for the reason why, yet the problem may lie at our doorsteps.
Whatever is done for Christ should be done in lieu of what He has first done for us, for when it was time for Him to make the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross, He didn't think twice, but rather willingly offered up His life for our sins, which was done in the most humiliating and brutal manner. And it is because He first loved us that we should now respond in the right and appropriate manner, by giving our all to Him in willing and loving service. Let us then be found faithful in the unrighteous mammon, and when Christ returns He promises to entrust to us the eternal riches, for he that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us the right attitude and spirit of giving, and may we ever think it a joy and a privilege to advance the cause of Christ in the earth, through our service and financial contributions, made with a cheerful heart. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!