“Why Never Enough?!?” – FBC Morning Light (12/19/2023)

Well, a good Tuesday morning to you, Tuesday before Christmas. Let me just mention this Friday night, the 22nd, at 7 o 'clock at our church, we're having a Christmas candlelight service, about an hour long, and we have different kinds of Christmas music, some instrumental numbers, we have congregational hymn singing, Christmas readings, the Christmas story, script from scripture, devotional from God's word, a bunch of good things, so I encourage you if you're in the Sauk Valley area, you can come visit us at Faith Baptist Church this Friday evening at 7 o 'clock for a Christmas candlelight service.

Well, let me ask you this, this is a time of economic inflation, prices are pretty steep at the stores, the grocery stores, and so forth. In fact, I saw an article the other day about this, the movie Home Alone, it came out several, many, many years ago, and it's about a kid who's left alone and he has to go to the grocery store to get stuff, food I guess, I don't know if I saw that particular movie, but anyway, and the cost of the stuff he got at the grocery store was $17 .00 and some odd cents.

Nowadays, now, this year, those same items would cost about $70 .00. Inflation, we all get it, we're all feeling that pinch. I'm not so much interested in talking about inflation as I am asking a question related to what we read in Haggai chapter 1.

In our Bible reading today, reading the book of Haggai, two-chapter book in the Old Testament, as well as Revelation chapter 14, and there are a couple of verses in Haggai 1 that we might be able to relate to, given this time of economic inflation and prices going through the roof and so forth.

Neglecting God's House and the Resulting Lack

The Lord makes this statement in verse 6 of chapter 1, he says, you have sown much and bring in little. You eat, but do not have enough. You drink, but you are not filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.

He who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. In verse 9, he says, you looked for much, but indeed it came to little. When you brought it home, I blew it away. There's so little to be seen for all the effort that we put forth.

It seems like there's never enough, there's never enough money, there's never enough to go around. Why is that? Is that because of inflation? Is that because the cost of living has gone through the roof, which it has, and everybody's feeling the pinch of that?

On a more personal level, and as a Christian, is there another factor involved? It's the other factor involved that I want to consider, because it's what Haggai considers here, the Lord is calling upon his people to consider in Haggai chapter 1.

In verse 4, 2 and 3, I'm sorry, 2, 3, and 4, the Lord gets at the heart of why the people are suffering so economically. Here's what he says, thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, this people says, the time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? You're starting to see the root of the problem, aren't you?

In verse 9, he says, you looked for much, and it brought in little. He says, why is this? Why is this? Because, the Lord says, of my house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.

In other words, look, it is absolutely right that we provide for our families, we do what we can to have a livable wage and earn income to take care of our families and our homes and so forth, absolutely, without question.

We don't provide for our own households, we're worse than infidel. But, do we do so at the expense of providing for God's house? I think what the Lord is compelling Israel, his people to do here in Haggai chapter 1, is to consider their ways.

In fact, he exhorts them that way a couple of times in these verses. In verse 5, he says, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. In verse 7, he says, consider your ways. Why is it that there's never enough?

Why is it that you put your money in a bag and it has holes in it, and it's gone before the next paycheck? Why is that? Is it because the Lord's house is neglected? I find it interesting that even Christian people can lament that they don't have money to give much at all to the church.

They will when they've got a few extra bucks in their pocket or whatever, but they can afford to spend over $100 a month on cable or satellite TV. They have multiple hundreds of dollars that they spend on their cell phone bills every month, and internet service, and all this kind of stuff that is helpful, some of which can be helpful, some of which can be important and valuable.

But do we have to have as extravagant of what we do have? That's the bigger question. When I don't have anything to give to the Lord's house, my giving to the Lord is very meager, and it's just very substandard.

I saw an article the other day that says the average Christian in the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, the average Christian contributes about 2 of his income to the Lord's work. That's pretty sad when you think about the fact that there are many people who are faithful believers who tithe consistently.

They give a good 10 of their income and more. What does that say about a lot of Christians? A lot of Christians are just really very meager in their giving, and yet they're struggling from living paycheck to paycheck.

I wonder if we shouldn't consider our ways and think about it. Am I generous to the Lord's work? If I'm not, I'm stingy when it comes to the Lord's work. Maybe that's why this never seems to be enough.

Let's consider our ways. Let's seriously consider our ways and think about that. We're coming upon a year here very quickly. Maybe one of the growth goals that we ought to have for 2024 is to get our finances in order in such a way that we can contribute faithfully, consistently to God's house in a way that reflects well upon him.

Let's consider our ways. Father, I pray today we would not be stingy when it comes to our giving to you. May we make our giving to you to be a priority, and then enjoy the blessings that come from that, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a good Tuesday. I trust that the Lord will bless you in it. Good day.