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Haggai 1:2 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.
Chances are good that you are skimming this. We have become masters of skim reading and skim living. We have very little time, and by every observable indication we seem to be very mindful of our time. Yet, we don't seem to have time for the most important things. Our bodies wear out, our spirits break down, our families tear apart. The reason, oftentimes, is because we're spending time on things that may be good, but not important. It has always been true of the human condition that people make time for their priorities.
Haggai was God's choice to God's people after the Babylonian exile. By God's command, they had begun rebuilding the temple, but because of man's opposition they stopped. Yet, while the opposition stopped them from building God's house, it did not keep them from building beautiful homes for themselves. It's interesting to note that there was no opposition for them to build their own houses. There was only opposition against building God's house.
So what did God say to these people? In Haggai 1:2 Haggai says, "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." They weren't against building God's house: they just didn't think this was the time. It seems as if there's no perfect time for the most important things. In verse 4 God says, "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses and this house lie waste?... Consider your ways." God is reminding us just as certainly as He was reminding His people of old that you spend time on whatever you value.
The question of value is a "who," "what," and "when" question.
Who would they invest their time, effort, and money for? The Lord or self?
What would they spend their time, effort, and money on? The Lord's house or their own?
When would they build God's house? Ironically, it wasn't time to build God's house, but they somehow found time for their own houses.
Now to whom are you giving your time and for what purpose? What are you investing in? First of all, have you trusted Christ? Have you made time for your soul? What about God's Word? Are you spending time with your family? Time is one of the most precious commodities that God gives, and He can give you the guidance to use it wisely if you're willing to accept it. Let's spend our time wisely because we spend our time on whatever we value.
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