Haggai

As I studied the Bible lesson this morning I discovered how difficult it really is to do what God asks us to do as true believers.  Interestingly enough, even Israel struggled to put God first.  They weren't being blessed by God in there everyday efforts of life because they had forgotten to put God first.  They were building houses for themselves but leaving God's house in ruin.  Although we may not have an actual house we are building for the Lord, we have a spiritual one inside ourselves.  If we neglect to build that house on a daily basis our other efforts in life will not be blessed. 
There are four spiritual truths found in Haggai. 
The first being the Lord's work must take priority over all others.  Yes, Yes, I agree, in theory we as true believers strive for that.  The challenge here is to do more than just strive.  We are to put God's work first no matter what.  If we are able to apply this truth to our lives the benefits will outweigh any concerns or fears we have of stepping out and doing it.  
Second, the Lord demands clean instruments.  The challenge here is to make sure we are repentant and humble in our actions.  If we continually remind ourselves of where we came from and where we would end up without God's great mercy, we will be in the right mindset and be a clean instrument for God. 
Third, the Lord's work is linked to God's plan for all nations.  It is very difficult to see the big picture.  We are so small and yet God  is using each true believer for the good of His glory.  We must believe that even if we feel we can't make a difference in the giant pot of soup, we can with the help of our Lord and Savior. 
Finally, the fourth spiritual truth is good is not contagious, but evil is.  Wow, that is a hard one to swallow.  We are always hoping our smile and way of life will impact those around us, but in reality it is the evil around us that is spread to others.  We must force ourselves to do more than just live a good life.  We must challenge ourselves to reach out to those around us and make sure they know where they are headed.  Now, don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying we need to be rude about the whole matter.  What I am simply saying is we need to do more than just hope our good lives will be enough of a witness to change peoples hearts toward God.  My challenge question to you today is:  You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  If you apply these spiritual truths to yourself personally what do you find?  Have you given too much attention and time to your personal affairs and neglected the things of God that are important for spreading the Gospel and the furtherance of His work?
May God richly bless you as you hear and obey what He has to say to you today!