There’s a Hole In the Bucket
Haggai 1: 6 -7
You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!”
There are few of us who have not lived through a time when it seemed like we couldn’t get ahead no matter what we did. The answer to that problem is that we must look more closely at the condition of our lives.
In this story the prophet Haggai is speaking to the Jews. They have returned to their land after 70 years of Babylonian captivity and have begun rebuilding their lives. However, they have left the temple in disrepair. God is telling them that there is a hole in their lives which needs filling. Verse 4 reads, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [the house of the Lord] lies desolate?” I can well imagine that these people were praying themselves blue in the face all the while not realizing that by their own actions, or rather their neglect, they were effectively loosing locust among their harvest. I think the same is true of us so perhaps we should consider our ways.
We know that the devil is a thief. What I am finding is that we open the door and invite him to come in and steal from us. Of course, we do not realize we are doing it but that is why God says, “Wait. Stop for a moment and consider your ways.” If you are being robbed of health are there ways you are cooperating with the devil? What about finances? I wrote a devotional recently entitled, It Works, the point of which is that giving actually does create financial well-being. Although I have written on the topic numerous times over the years still people struggle with their finances when they shouldn’t. But I look at their lives and patterns and see that they are not doing those things which God said would cause them to prosper. “Consider your ways!” Give and it shall be given to you. It isn’t complicated but it requires you to do something affirmative.
The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts for from it flow the issues of life. (Proverb 4: 23). The God’s Word translation reads this way, “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. ” But we soak our precious hearts in television shows, music, and movies that traumatize it and then we immerse it in hours of negative news broadcasts. Of course you are challenged. Your heart cannot bear up under that and if you think it can, you are fooling yourself. I don’t mean to be harsh I just want you to have everything that you want and need and everything that Jesus died to give you but we cannot pollute our homes, minds and hearts and still receive fresh, clean water.
Look at your home. Does more enter into it that is of the light or of the dark? Don’t tell me how that TV show really isn’t that bad. I’m not your boss but God is saying, “Consider your ways!” He is only saying this to you because He wants to get blessing to you but you are blocking the way. He only wanted you to give so that He could bless you. He wanted the Jews to rebuild the temple because it was depriving them of their blessing.
What is it that you want out of life? What does God say about how to acquire it? He has spoken to every issue. Now ask yourself this, “How can I cooperate with God so that my needs and desires are fulfilled?” God isn’t holding back on you. He wants to fill you to overflowing (Psalm 23). He just needs a little cooperation from us. I pray that God speak to your heart today and show you ways that you can plug up the holes in your life.
