October 6 | Haggai 1:2-6

“Thus says the Lord of Hosts, saying, “These people say that the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house. Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house is in ruins? And now, thus says the Lord of Hosts, “Consider your ways!” You have sown much, and harvested and brought little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but not to your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And the one who is hired is hired with a bag of holes.” (Haggai 1:2–6)

It’s difficult to decide where to put the money you take in every month. Most people have a prioritized list of where the money must go first. If you are surviving with your paychecks you are probably not filling the luxury column before the bills column.

The Israelites who returned from the Exile learned a powerful spiritual truth about giving to the Lord. They were spending all of their resources on building their own houses, planting and harvesting their crops to survive.

But they made a big mistake. They didn’t prioritize building the Temple, the Lord’s house, first. They were shooting themselves in the foot. All of their hard work resulted in less and less provision. No matter what they did they were falling short of money, crops, and other resources.

Action Step: Unless you prioritize giving unto the Lord what belongs to Him your efforts to gain prosperity will be futile. Trust the Lord to be your Provider. Don’t trust in your own resources.

Jesus, You are my Provider. Everything I have is because of your grace and blessing in my life. Teach me to have the right priorities, godly priorities, that bless You. I want to trust in Your provision instead of my own resources.