“It’s Shaking Time!” Haggai pt 2
Last week from Haggai chapter 1 we discovered that the Israelites who had returned from exile had allowed their priority list to get inverted and God and His house were placed at the bottom of the list. This caused God to send Haggai the Prophet to awaken even to shake the people up and to make them aware of their dangerous position with God. God told them that they would never get ahead by placing their houses ahead of God’s House!
The priorities in our life will determine our success or failure of life and we need to make sure that as believers we have the right priority list or we will never get ahead and God will withhold His blessings from our life.
Priority List article:
Developing Christian Priorities in Life by Lambert Dolphin
The following notes are based on a discussion in Silicon Valley in a men’s core group consisting of university students and young professionals.
The Non-Christian’s Priorities are usually somewhat as follows:
1. Leaving home, getting through school and choosing the right career. Being independent of parents is considered a virtue, and the chosen career should pay well, offer opportunity for advancement, and be always fun and exciting.
2. Earning a good income and accumulating wealth and property is what we are here for--it’s the good ol’ Protestant work ethic. Building up assets (not just savings for emergencies or vacations) is considered a fundamental American right, as stated in such expressions as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
3. Meeting and choosing the right marriage partner. These days this is done by dating and often sleeping with a variety of partners until the right one comes along or is selected by a trial and error process. Wide range sexual expression before marriage is taken as normal and even desirable by many.
4. Raising the children properly, becomes an increasingly important priority while moving along a career path among the newly married.
5. Going to church and/or community and civic involvement is a lower priority goal, but may be postponed until the children leave home or if there is spare time for hobbies and such. Religion, if any, is supposed to be an aid in achieving one’s life goals through self-improvement. Some join churches to meet people or for enhanced social status of because it’s seen as noble and exemplary
6. Retirement, old age, dying---and presumably ceasing to exist forever follow. It is assumed that nothing is really known about an afterlife, and certainly in today’s society very little sense that we are accountable to God and must face judgment. It is best not to think much about such inevitabilities in an existential, hedonistic society where short term goals are preferred in an uncertain and confusing world.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (I John 2:15-17)
In Contrast, the Christian’s Goals should be somewhat as follows:
1. To know God better every day through personal time with Him in the Word. This includes knowing one’s spiritual gifts and determining the ministry God has called each one of us to. (All Christians are in the work of the ministry!) As responsible Christians we usually will need to get a job to support ourselves. If married, we have a responsibility to our families that is always high on the list of priorities. We cannot serve God very well if we don’t know what He is like and what He is doing in the world. "To whom much is given, much is expected." Christians should take their gifts seriously and find ministries where they can serve God by exercising their gifts with full heart, soul, energy and faithfulness. If possible the Christian’s job should provide needed financial support to allow maximum time for ministry.
2. Developing a good prayer life is essential for growth and for tuning in to what God is doing in the world. Walking with God is our daily responsibility, otherwise He can’t use us and we do not become whole persons as He intends for us. Prayer is God’s way of drawing us into what He is doing in the world. If we are not available, or head in the wrong direction, God will use someone else to get his work done---and we will lose all the credit. Rewards are given only to those who have risked themselves, seized God-given opportunities and denied themselves in order to advance the kingdom:
For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ’Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ’Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ’Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ’You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ (Mt. 25:15-30)
3. As followers of Jesus, we are to be unconditionally available to God for the work of His kingdom. God is self-giving love. Therefore the primary work of the Christian is to pour himself or herself out for others, using his or her spiritual gifts. This requires daily dying to self and setting aside worldly goals and pursuits. If we line up with what God is doing we have little time for worldly pursuits.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:24-26)
4. The Christians needs to maintain good fellowship with other believers. "Do not neglect the assembling of yourselves together, as is the habit of some, and all the more as you see the age drawing to a close." We all need one another because we are "members one of another." Being in the Body of Christ implies family membership in the household of faith, and also intimate spiritual connectedness with our fellow believers. "If one member suffers, all suffer. If one rejoices, all rejoice."
5. We are to act as salt and light in the present evil age. This is automatic as we are filled with the Spirit and stay involved out in the marketplace.
"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ." (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)
6. We are to love God with all our hearts and minds and souls and strength, and our neighbors as himself. "Love covers a multitude of sins." "Love is the fulfilling of the love." "The whole law is fulfilled in this one word: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"
7. The Christian’s battle is a spiritual one. The follower of Jesus needs to discern between flesh and spirit and forsake worldly ways of dealing with evil in ourselves and in society. Everything that has been done in the flesh, that is, by self effort, will be burned up. Only those things that we have allowed Jesus to do through us will endure.
"... be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We are to make sure that our priority list is aligned with God’s chosen priority list and then we must live by it if we want the blessings and a personal intimate relationship with Jesus. If we fail to prioritize our lives then we set ourselves up to be shaken by the Lord and chastised to get our attention.
This last week we in the Midwest got a shake up call called an earthquake – let see what the news said about the earthquake:
Opening Video Illustration: Video clip Fox News on the Midwest earthquake April 18, 2008.
News - Reference all the earthquake tremors in the last few months and the news media’s focus on earthquakes again! Here are a few of them listed in Goggle News:
WEST SALEM, Ill April 18,2008 — Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago’s Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage.
The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 45 miles from Evansville, Ind.
It was felt in such distant cities as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and Atlanta, nearly 400 miles to the southeast.
"It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign, Ill. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal.
LOS ANGELES — California — the land of sun, beaches and earthquakes — faces an almost certain risk of being rocked by a strong temblor by 2037, scientists said Monday in the first statewide forecast of the seismic threat.
New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will hit the Golden State in the next 30 years.
The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent.
The last time a jolt this size rattled California was the 1994 Northridge disaster, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage.
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area.
Scientists don’t know exactly what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of molten rock rumbling away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon, said Robert Dziak, a geophysicist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University.
There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported.
Risk of Vancouver Island earthquake increases next month
Canada.com, Canada - Apr 1, 2008
The chance of a major earthquake striking Vancouver Island will be slightly higher next month as tiny tremors rattle the earth 40 kilometres beneath our ...
CNN Student News Transcript: April 15, 2008
CNN - Apr 14, 2008
He believes these tiny tremors are a good thing. BURNS: If you have a whole bunch of small earthquakes, that’s good. You’re releasing all that energy; ...
Tiny tremors rattle Dublin area
San Jose Mercury News, USA - Mar 20, 2008
The quake did cause a short delay of Bay Area Rapid Transit trains because of post-earthquake protocol that causes the trains to stop, but the system was ...
Three Earthquakes Rock Southern Iran
Allheadlines - Apr 4, 2008
The IRNA news agency quoted reports from the Seismographic Center of Tehran’s University that the earthquake were felt at Khoy City in west Azarbaijan, ...
Magnitude 7.2 Quake Hits Northwest China, USGS Says (Update4)
Bloomberg - Mar 20, 2008
The earthquake’s depth was 37 kilometers, the agency said. The city of 280000 people, about 3160 kilometers west of Beijing, lies on the edge of the ...
3 tremors hit Iran
Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran - Apr 4, 2008
The epicenter of the 3.6-degree earthquake, hitting Hondurabi Island’s suburbs at 05:05 hours local time (00:35 GMT)), was 26.87 degrees in latitude and ...
Tiny quake raises questions: Could we shake?
Brownsville Herald, TX United States - Apr 7, 2008
The Falls City High School secretary was actually one of many who experienced a South Texas rarity Monday morning: An earthquake. ...
What’s causing those tremors?
KMVT - Mar 19, 2008
Following up on a story we had yesterday, we still don’t know anything for sure about the tremors many people, especially in the Buhl – Castleford
2 strong quakes hit Marianas
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia - Mar 28, 2008
By Mark Rabago The Marianas region was shaken by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake as people of the island chain were just about to get up for work at 6:06am ...
Reporters have been investigating the rising number of earthquake tremors that have been happening across the world today. There has been an unusual amount of shakings happening across the world.
We could say literally that the world is being shaken regularly today and these tremors do get people’s attention.
Thesis: In Haggai’s day God shook up the Heaven’s and the Earth to awaken the people to their wrong priorities and to refocus them On the building of God’s House. God is shaking up the world today so that we reprioritize our lives God’s way so as to get us to refocus on His House today.
Scripture Text: Haggai 2
1On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”
The priests answered, “No.”
13Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
14Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’S temple. 16When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the LORD. 18‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
20The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Introduction:
In our chapter today we are told through the words of the Prophet Haggai that the Lord is going to shake things up in the Heavens and on the earth. This is to get the attention of the people to show that God is who He says He is and we need to prioritize Him in our life or we will never get anywhere!
But what does the Prophet mean in out text today that the Lord is going to shake things up?
In the beginning of the chapter the Lord tells the people to remain strong, to know that His Spirit is with them. This word of encouragement preceded the prophetic word of a shaking that is going to come to the nation of Israel and to surrounding nations.
Verses 6-9 tell us of a shaking that is coming to the heavens and the earth by the hand of God!
This shaking is tied into the glory of the Lord coming down to the people in the new temple.
The Lord tells the people to pay attention to their lack of blessing and see if they do receive a blessing because they have returned back to the work for the Lord and to the building of God’s House. Since they have repented and changed their priority list and put God first then God is going to bless them even though He is about to shake up the Heavens and the earth all around them!
The people of God need to know that God is still going to bless them because of their right choice, their right relationship with Him and because they chose the right priority list for life.
Today I want to connect us with our chapter by talking about what I see happening in the heavens and in the earth today – I hear from other pastors and from Christians around the world that a shaking is happening all across the world – not just in physical shakings like all these earthquake tremors but in the spiritual climate of governments, societies, the scientific community, economies, and even within the church itself.
But I want us to look at the shakeup that is coming to the scientific community and to secular society as a whole:
Video Illustration: The trailer for the movie, “Expelled”
This movie is about the attack on God in our society and the silencing of scientist who believe in intelligent design in our world. Listen to the producers and to their thoughts about the shaking that is about to happen in the scientific community and in the US today. Evolution is going to be exposed for what it is a lie and God is working through many scientist to prove that He created this world and Darwinism is a flawed theory!
T.S. - Let’s briefly look at where God is doing a shaking today in our world:
I. The Lord is shaking up the Governments of the world in various ways to awaken them to their sinful ways.
a. How is this happening?
i. Economic turmoil
1. Stock market turmoil
2. Inflation turmoil
3. Mortgage crisis
4. Foreclosure crisis
5. Gas crisis
ii. There is an all out attack on positions and people in authority today.
1. Personal attacks are at an all time high
2. Respect for others at an all time low
3. Reference the respect problem from the book at the AACC conference – we live in a disrespectful society!
a. Why? According to Expelled – Darwinism!
iii. Fear factor turmoil
1. Terrorisms fear is costing governments billions of dollars
a. Reference the security in my trip to India
i. It was incredible but it had to cost a lot of money to accomplish
b. Just in DC alone over 2 Billion dollars have been spent to secure the nation’s capital.
i. I observed in DC last year on the class band trip all this new security first hand.
iv. The rise of immorality in societies and its impact on society as a whole.
v. Rise in drug addictions and alcohol addiction is at an all time high in many of the countries of the modern world.
vi. The decline of coherent functional family units.
1. The disintegration of the family is happening at a rapid rate.
2. 50% of all marriages end in divorce
3. Families are splintered apart today like never before in the history of the US
a. Reference Josh Kindergarten class – he is the only child in his class of 25 with the original Grandparents still intact.
b. Reference the impact in the school system and many of the teachers comments you here about the horrible dysfunctional families
vii. The healthcare turmoil is impacting governments across the world.
1. People are dying because they cannot afford healthcare!
T.S. – Governments are not the only entity being shaken today so is the world as a whole being shaken – and in many parts revival is sweeping through the nations of the world.
II. The Lord is shaking up the world through various ways – to reveal His glory.
a. How is this happening in the world today?
i. Global economic turmoil!
1. Governments in the world are being impacted by rising fuel costs, unstable stock markets and recession warnings. Combing this problem from country to country and it is becoming a global problem.
ii. Civil turmoil!
1. Civil wars, violent protests and violent uprisings are occurring in many parts of the world impacting the global world.
iii. Terrorism turmoil!
1. Attacks can happen anywhere today and the world is shaken as a result of the terrorists!
a. They have happened in many countries and continue to rise.
i. This is not just from Muslim extremist but from students in colleges, high schools, shooting rampages area an all time high in America.
2. Rogue nations with nuclear war capability are causing havoc in the global security of the world.
a. North Korea
b. Iran
c. Former Soviet republics
d. Pakistan
e. India
iv. Illustration from the news: Olympic torch turmoil and its impact on the Olympic games in China.
v. Natural disasters!
1. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, drought, flood, and the like.
T.S. – From looking at the news you could make a case that the world is being shaken today to wake it up and to relook at God.
III. The Lord is shaking up the church in various ways too – Why? To spark revival!
a. Why would the Lord shake up the church?
i. I believe it ties in to the first Commandment.
a. The reality check is we have lost our priority list called the 10 Commandments!
Division of the Ten Commandments by religion/denomination
Commandment Jewish Anglican, Reformed, and other Christian Orthodox Roman Catholic, Lutheran**
I am the Lord your God 1 preface 1 1
You shall have no other gods before me 2 1
You shall not make for yourself an idol 2 2
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God 3 3 3 2
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy 4 4 4 3
Honor your father and mother 5 5 5 4
You shall not murder* 6 6 6 5
You shall not commit adultery 7 7 7 6
You shall not steal*** 8 8 8 7
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor 9 9 9 8
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house 10 10 10 9
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife 10
i. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
b. The rise of immortality in the church!
i. Reference 1 Cor. 5:9-13: 9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
1. We today are just like the Israelites in Haggai’s day we have gotten our priorities in life reversed and turned upside down.
2. God’s is not first for some in church – sin is – immoral living is and God will have nothing to do with sin in His House.
a. God will remove his blessings from those who chose to live in sin!
c. Seek first the Kingdom of God Jesus told us but are people n the church doing this today?
i. Jesus said “Seek first the Kingdom of God then all these other things will be added to you.” (Matt 6:33, 34).
ii. Everything we do is suppose to have Christ at the center. Everything!
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 confirms this priority; "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God."
a. Christ first in everything! This is to be our priority.
b. Living according to this priority requires knowledge of God’s Word.
c. We need His guidance in making decisions not the worlds.
d. We need to ask for His wisdom (James 1:5).
i. One preacher said, “Aligning our lives to this priority liberates from the frustration of static priority lists to the singleness of life God desires for us. Beloved let us keep our priority straight!”
d. What is happening to the church because of the upside down priority lists?
i. Here are few thoughts from recent headline news:
1. The growing abuse scandals and reported cover-ups in mainline churches.
2. The financial embezzlement stories of church leaders.
3. The immorality scandals in church leadership and within the church as a whole.
ii. The church is losing its influence on society and it is in big trouble because their priority lists are upside down:
1. Relevant Magazine in their May, June 2008 issue asked a bunch of church leaders this question: “Faith: What is the biggest problem facing the church today?” Here are some of their response from pages 73, 74:
a. Shane Claiborne: “One of the most dangerous things in the Church today is the prosperity gospel that God has come to bless you and to give you health and wealth. The Christian experience becomes just about what you can get.”
b. Nancy Ortberg: “We don’t believe God. We don’t believe the vision of God. We don’t believe who he is. We don’t believe that he’s good. Were not captivated by that vision…”
c. N.T. Wright: I think it has to do with relearning the issue of how to think…The Bible still waits there as this wonderful, huge, enormously energizing, complex book, which actually has the robustness and the suppleness to carry us forward into the new place we should be.”
d. Chuck Colson: “We have substituted therapy for Truth. We hear a feel-good message, and we’ve lost our understanding of the basic truths of Christianity…but live out our faith in such a way that people can see the invisible Kingdom made visible in our midst.”
e. Brian McLaren: “I think the biggest problem of the Church in America is that we’ve lost our way. We’ve gotten comfortable carrying on a version of Christianity that has drifted farther and farther from what God intends.’
f. Steve brown: I think (the biggest problem) might be self-righteousness. What to do about it? Repent, publicly and often.”
g. Cindy Jacobs: “We need to get back to a biblical worldview.”
e. Priorities are an issue in the church today and David Wilkerson addresses this issue with the following thought from his most recent newslatter:
i. “A priority is the importance you place on something. And Christians who neglect prayer have perverted their priorities! Many believers pledge they’ll pray if and when they can find the time. Yet each week, seeking Christ becomes less important to them than washing the car, cleaning the house, visiting friends, eating out, going shopping, watching sports. They simply don’t make time to pray. Yet people were no different in the days of Noah and Lot. Their top priorities were eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and caring for their families. They had no time to listen to messages of Gods coming judgment. And so no one was prepared when judgment fell! Evidently, nothing has changed over the centuries. For most Americans, God remains at the bottom of the priority list. And at the top are income, security, pleasure, family. Of course, for many Americans God doesn’t even make the list. But that doesn’t grieve the Lord nearly as much as how little he’s valued by his own children!”
f. Steve Kroening in his article, “What Is Your Priority?” also addresses this issue he notes:
i. “ Zig Ziglar’s #1 principle of success is to prioritize! Unfortunately, many Christians fail to succeed because they have their priorities out of whack. But if you can get your priorities straight, everything else will fall into place. Here’s your starting point. How many times have you heard a Christian say, “My priorities are God, family, church, work, etc.”? I hear it all the time. It sounds spiritual. But the reality of that statement is that God is just one of many priorities. In other words, God is just one of many gods. If God makes one thing clear in Scripture, it’s that He is God alone and expects us to make Him the priority of our lives. So instead of making a list of priorities – with God as one in a list – here’s how your list of priorities should look: God. That’s right! That’s all there is to it. God is your sole priority. Of course, we have a lot of other things we must attend to in life. These include family, church, work, etc. So how do these fit into this new priority? If God is your only priority, should you avoid all the other things? Of course not! The secret is that you now work on these areas of your life as a priority given by God. It is, in fact, His priority, not yours.”
g. Barna also addresses the problem with priorities in one of his articles:
i. "Spirituality is in vogue in our society today," he commented. "It is popular to claim to be part of a ‘faith community’ or to have a spiritual commitment. But what do Americans mean when they claim to be ‘spiritual?’ The recent Grammy awards were perhaps indicative of this breakdown between self-perception and reality. The members of the group that won the award for best song thanked God for the victory then immediately followed with profanities that had to be bleeped from the broadcast. It seems as if God is in, but living for God is not. Many Americans are living a dual life - one filled with good feelings about God and faith, corroborated by some simple religious practices, and another in which they believe they are in control of their own destiny and operate apart from Him." Citing further evidence of this dualistic perspective, the author of more than three dozen books on faith and culture stated, "The survey also noted that among those who say their faith has ‘greatly transformed’ their life, just one out of four positioned their faith practices and pursuits as their highest life priority. It certainly seems that millions of Americans are fooling themselves into thinking that they have found the appropriate balance between God and lifestyle."
Conclusion:
God promises to bless those who put Him first in their life. He tells us that He will do a shaking in this world but we need to not fear because He will bless us in the process. We are His chosen ones and He will take care of us in spite of what happens in the world if we have the right priority list! Don’t miss this point – we have to do our part and that is prioritize God’s way – not our way!
Haggai 2:19b:
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
20The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Altar Call; So I am now returning to the questions, “What does your priority list look like? Who is number One? Who is number Two?” “Do you live your life by the right priorities?”
If you do not you need to repent – change your way and do it right so that God can bless you and protect you from the coming shaking of this world!
