Misplaced Priorities

Haggai 1:1-6 – God’s people put their comfort over His concerns. We must constantly evaluate if misplaced priorities have taken us. 

Context

• King Cyrus of Persia permitted the release of the exiled Israelites so they could return home (Ezra 1:1-4).
• Most Jewish people had become so comfortable that they declined the offer to return to the Promised Land (Isa. 10:21).
• The remnant immediately rebuilt the temple’s foundation, but after sixteen years, the work was still incomplete (Ezra 3:10).

Content

• Haggai’s message came from God and to the civil leader and religious leader (1:1).
• The LORD of the angelic armies would only ask mere people for something if they needed to give it (1:2).
• God is fully aware of what we do, say, and think (1:2).
• Continuing to put off God’s work indicates that you value something more (1:2).
• God’s people had little to offer God because they had invested solely in themselves (1:3-4).
• God knows we often need to pause our schedule and consider our ways (1:5).
• God’s people overlooked His agenda to prioritize luxuries that were unable to satisfy (1:6).

Consideration

• Time – We lose an unthinkable amount of hours due to ongoing distractions and undeserving devotions.
• Money – To receive an abundance of blessings and to offer only occasional leftovers is an insult to God.
• Efforts – When we take God for granted, we offer Him attempts we would never dream of giving to anyone else.
• Showing indifference to God’s instructions reveals a devaluing of God’s presence.
• Are you guilty of making God a small deal in your life?