The Power Of Surrender – David ShearmanSample

Changed Priorities

Haggai was one of the prophets who encouraged the returned exiles to rebuild God’s house, the temple. But before he could help them with the positive work of rebuilding, he had the job of convincing them that their thinking, words, and priorities were unhelpful.

It is the same for us. We will be unfulfilled in life, and much less effective, until we prioritize “building His house” – in our life, family, church, and community. Jesus’ words to seek first God’s kingdom need to be heeded.

The first 12 verses of Haggai chapter 1 reveal how God highlighted His people’s wrong thinking.

1. Wrong thinking. People were saying that it wasn’t the right time for the Lord’s house to be built. In fact, it is always the right time to put God’s priorities first.

2. Wrong priorities. God challenged them, “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?”

3. Poor results. The people’s flawed way of life was delivering poor results. “You expect much, but see, it turned out to be little,” God said. They needed to give careful thought to their ways.

4. Building the wrong kingdom. God showed them why their lives were not going to plan. They weren’t getting what they hoped for because “...My house lies in ruins ... while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.”

5. A new understanding. Eventually the penny drops and we see the people making a positive decision to obey the voice of the Lord (v12) and change their priorities. After that, we read that the Lord stirred the spirit of the whole remnant of Israel and they began to work on rebuilding the house of the Lord.

There are many important, legitimate things in life that demand our time and attention. But the secret – which will lead to a better outcome for all those things – is to prioritize Christ and His kingdom; to build His house first.

What does this mean in practice?

It means Jesus must take the pre-eminent place in our lives. He comes first. We learn to surrender to His plans and priorities and follow His lead. Thereafter, He will ensure that all our needs are met. It is remarkable how, when we acknowledge the Lord and make Him first and foremost, everything else finds its proper place. And we are none the poorer for it, only richer!