"NOT Today !"

 

Haggai 1:1-6 "In the second year of Darius the King, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the WORD of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built. Then came the WORD of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled [finished] houses, and this house [tabernacle] lie waste ? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."

     The old adage "Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today" is sound advice, especially when it involves doing what we can for the LORD. In our day, however, just as in the days of Haggai the prophet, most seek to do exactly the opposite when it comes to serving GOD; they prefer the saying "Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow." In our text, we see the sad picture of a people who had plenty of time to construct their own houses, but who postponed building for the LORD. Perhaps their intentions were good, but their priorities were definitely wrong.

     We should view each new day as another opportunity to do as much as possible for the LORD, whether it is through serving, giving, praying, studying, or witnessing for HIM. We have no guarantee of tomorrow (James 4:14 pictured above). Each one of us can always find something to do for the LORD with the days HE has given to us. Time is so valuable, and we can never recover the moments we have wasted. Open doors of service may suddenly close ! Whenever GOD gives us the opportunity to do something for HIM, no matter how humble or menial it might seem, we should never lose the blessings the LORD intends for us by using the feeble excuse, "The time is not come. . ." (v.2). Furthermore, we should recognize the costly and disappointing results of failing to put GOD's work first: "Ye have sown much, and bring in little" (v.6). Earthly rewards are only temporary and can never fully bring satisfaction. It is no wonder, then, that the LORD instructs believers to lay up treasure in Heaven and not on Earth (Matthew 6:19-20 pictured above). You will never be sorry when you make each earthly moment count for eternity. MHR

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

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