Misplaced Priorities – Beloved Women – May 13, 2020
READ: “Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:3-4 ESV)
TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: “I just can’t seem to find the time.”
How often is this a response – to exercising, completing a project, or far too often, to spending time with the Lord, or pursuing a task He has placed before us?
In Haggai, God’s people had been freed from seventy years in Babylonian exile. Upon their release, they were faced with the task of rebuilding the city – the temple, the walls and their homes. They eagerly began construction, but after a season of opposition and discouragement (Ezra 4 and 5), construction stopped.
However, somehow, they later found time and resources to build their own homes. Sixteen years later, they would still say, “the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.”
The reality is, the time was always there, the priority was not. Preservation was a priority. Shelter was a priority. Comfort was a priority. Until Haggai addressed it, they failed to recognize how they neglected the One who made all of those blessings possible.
It was now time for the sovereign Lord of all heaven and earth to take His rightful place as the priority.
PRAY: Father God, help me to see the ways in which I have allowed other things – good things – to take priority over You. Help me to remember that You are the supreme ruler over all, and that You are far more worthy of my time, energy and devotion than the blessings you have graciously provided. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
REFLECT: In what way(s) do you have “misplaced priorities?” Is there a way that God has specifically been impressing on you to serve that you simply have not made a priority? Why? Is it fear? Opposition? Comfort?
CONNECT: Find more encouragement from Kim Gillespie on Instagram @kimgillespie03.
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© 2020 by Kim Gillespie. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Wednesday, 13 May 2020.
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