[Haggai 1:5] “Now therefore, thus says the Lord of host, “Consider your ways!”
Much of what is communicated in this 15 sermon series dealing with mis-prioritizing the things of God and being inconsiderate of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God is developed around this verse.

These people of God began doing the right work for the right reason, but they compromised in one area and it lead to complacency in other areas, which lead to major mistakes and consequences. And the mistakes that God’s people in Haggai days made are the same mistakes many of God’s people make in our days.

So, there is only one logical conclusion that we can come to and that is: “That these people of God in Haggai’s days had not only mis-prioritized the things of God, they had concluded that they could do without a temple altogether.” They no doubt figured they could worship in the open air (as they had done in Babylon).

It’s interesting how these people of God could obviously find enough money individually to build cedar/ceiled homes for themselves but not enough money to put together to put God on display collectively?
Does any of this sound familiar? Notice if you will, when tuff times came—the things that were to be used for God, got used by the people for themselves first.

In other words, they were inconsiderate to God by mis-prioritizing the things of God.
Maybe you’re not inconsiderate, but maybe you used to be, or maybe you know some one like this now:

• They will have crystal chandeliers in their house—but they don’t care if the light bill is paid is God’s house.
• They will buy their children $300-$500 video game systems, I-pods, cell phones, and the latest technical gadget—but they won’t make investments towards the children’s ministry at their church.
• They will purchase magazines and tabloid newspapers on a weekly basis to be informed about the things of the world—but they won’t purchase biblical books every now and then to help them grow in the things and knowledge of God.
• They will own extra cars and have back-up cars for themselves and still miss church—but they won’t make contributions to their church so it can purchase passengers vans so that people without any transportation can get to church.
• They will sing secular songs out loud in front of anybody in public—but you can’t get them to sing sacred songs out loud with their church body in church.
• They will be devoted to secular and fraternal memberships—but they won’t commit to church membership, some people are more committed to their gym memberships than they are to their church’s membership.
• They will plan, save, and sacrifice to acquire their own house a place where they can put down roots—but it doesn’t matter to them if God’s house can be up-rooted.
• They will every year plan a vacation trip for themselves—but they won’t go on or support a mission trip to help others.
• They will talk more about their beauticians and barbers—than they will about God their Father.
• They think it’s more important to be considered funny for others—then to be considered faithful for God.
• They drink intoxicating drinks that can weaken their reasoning/judgment, loosen their convictions, and pervert their hearts—but they ignore the value of the drink found in the cup of Christ.
• They will work long mandatory hours and optional overtime hours because of its tangible benefits—but if they were asked to give God any time above what they deem is enough time to benefit His business and His body they get an attitude.
• They will allow Automatic Bank Drafts on their personal accounts on the dates that the institutions and organizations decides to make sure that they make their payments on time—but when it comes to God’s organism (the church) there is nothing automatic about it, “they” decide if, and when, and how much, and how often they will give to God.
• One more just in case I missed somebody:
• They will go to work sick, tired, and even when it’s raining and be own time—but they will miss church on a sunny day even when they are rested and well.

“Consider Your Ways” There is a High Price we pay for disobedience

[Haggai 1:8] “Go up to the mountains,”  let me tell you what this tells us and them, initially what you were to do for God was easy, but now because of misplaced priorities—it’s going to cost you more of an effort, they, you—me, we’ve go to go up to the mountains and bring down the timber/wood that they/we need to do the things we should have been doing with the timber/wood that was right in front of us all the time.

See, while they were in captivity; for 70 years God was growing trees in the valley so that when they got back to obeying God things wouldn’t be as hard, as well as God made sure that wood—would be available, and accessible without the extra labor of going up and bringing it down from the mountains.

Let me tell you what this should tell us, if God has us (those of us who are His people) somewhere uncomfortable (Did you get that?) Some of these folk had been uncomfortable for the entire 70 years of captivity—some of them had been born in this uncomfortable economic situation—for many this is all they knew). So again I say, “If God has us (those of us who are His people) somewhere uncomfortable, somewhere we would rather not be, and if we’re being faithful to Him there, when He gets all things ready for us to go where He wants us to be and do what He wants us to do, we’d better do it right the first time or things are going to get harder for us as a result of disobedience the second/third and fourth times…

Let make it plainer; they had to go up into the mountains because they had used up for their own houses the lumber (the stuff) that should have been used for God’s house.

This series is a must in our times; it demonstrates how economic stability, even for a nation, comes as a result of having proper priorities.