Who's in the House?

 "Then the word of the Lord came to Haggai: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?'" Haggai 1: 3, 4

    Am I alone in this: Have you ever been so inspired by a home magazine that you jump up and start rearranging something? Or perhaps you've watched HGTV and now an unsettling discontentment nettles you? The pictorial views you've seen present a lovely dream in such a way that your own place suddenly looks live a hovel.

    Though the book of Haggai is succinct in its three chapters, there is much to learn by the behavior of God's people. Human nature doesn't change much, can I get a witness? Anyway, after their exilic captivity in Babylon, the Israelites returned to their homeland and got busy rebuilding the ruined temple in Jerusalem. Initially, they were all gung-ho until their neighbors, the Samaritans, started giving them smack. So, the work stopped. Saws were silenced. Hammers dropped. Lumber moldered for sixteen years while the people's priorities weaved and wobbled. 

   The Lord observed the people in their paneled houses and said, "You have planted much but harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (Haggai 1: 5, 6) 

    Can't get any satisfaction? Has another trip to Home Goods not remedied your sad heart? The click of "add to cart" doesn't fill the gaps anymore, does it?

    The Bible tells us that, after Jesus' ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit indwelled the hearts of believers. The temple building of old is now US!  The house that needs sprucing is the very thing that controls our days. So, what house am I working on the most? Is my mind well oiled in heavenly matters? Is my soul waxed with the wisdom and knowledge of the Word? Are the rooms of my heart cleansed by Christ? Is my foundation built on the Rock? It's not that the possession of pleasantries is sinful, it's when we place these before Him that we veer off track. Jesus told us: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

 "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." Psalm 127:1