Revolutionary!

Is there a reason your bag has Holes in it?

“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” Haggai 1:5-7 

The people who were supposed to be the LORD’s people had alienated the affections of their away from the LORD and onto the things of this world. Sound like today? Yes. They were “doubleminded” and spiritually adulterous and God was not answering their prayers due to sin in their hearts and lives.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8

In other words, if you can’t make up your mind and heart that Jesus is first, forget it. There is no relationship. You have rejected Christ, “the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

There is no neutral ground. You must choose and by not choosing Him, you HAVE chosen to reject Him (Matthew 12:30).

He sees all.

The LORD sees where the affections of your heart are-whether they are on Him or something, anything else.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4

Does Jesus get your first moments and dollars or are you the god you are serving? – “No man can serve two masters.” (Matthew 6:24)

If we don’t obey Jesus’ command to “Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God,” that is, put God first in all things, there will be diminishing returns in our lives instead of prominent growth (Matthew 6:33). For example, have you noticed that if you don’t get up and seek the LORD first and foremost, making Him the priority of your life, studying His Word and spending quality moments in prayer, that your day gets away from you and you don’t have quality private prayer time with Him? (Matthew 6:6) Isn’t the same true with out giving? If we don’t deliberately choose and plan beforehand to put God first when money is received, we simply do not get around to it or it’s a mere token tip. Right?

Your life will never be right nor work right until GOD, not you, is “first.” Jesus must be supreme – no different than your woman wants to know that SHE, and no other woman is on your mind and heart – that you love, you cherish, and protect her (Ephesians 5:25-27). Same example for the ladies to “love their own husbands.” (Titus 2:4-5) Otherwise there is adulterous heart, right? Yes (Exodus 20:3-7). Christ Jesus is either your “first love” or you have the idol of you. Jesus says you must “repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5)

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Are you taking care of your own business and not “the Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49) If so, unlike Christ, you are all about yourself, your own self-serving business and not “the Father’s business.” The LORD created and saved you to be about His business first and foremost. How do we think that’s going to work out for you if you don’t repent and begin putting the LORD first in your life and finances? Diminishing returns.

——- EVER FEEL LIKE you have leakage in your finances? You know, where it seems that no matter how much you earn, it just finds new ways to get spent? Check this out friend. This has happened to people like you and me for centuries and the LORD addresses it here.

The Cure to Diminishing Returns

In Haggai 1, the LORD confronts His people for not finishing the rebuilding, the work of restoration He sent them to finish. They had left off doing God’s bidding and had turned inwardly and were reaping diminishing returns which was making them miserable. This same phenomenon can be observed today in the lives of so many who name Jesus as their Savior but don’t have His blessings in their personal lives. Find out here how to break this pattern and begin walking in the glorious blessings that the LORD Jesus Christ has ordained.

Lots of Christians are too busy building or adding to their earthly home while neglecting and even jeopardizing their mansion in glory. The people of Judah were not putting God first. They were not seeking first Christ’s kingdom but rather putting themselves first and therefore made to be miserable and their earthly riches were being scattered as God blew upon them due to their idolatry, their spiritual adultery.

IF those claiming to know Jesus were obeying HIS stewardship instructions, would true ministries be destitute? Gospel ministries true to God’s Word provide us with the privilege to support them.

The work of the Gospel of Jesus is the only eternal and infinitely superior work in the earth. The closer we get to Christ’s return, as foretold, more people are backsliding and the less people there are to participate in Christ’s glorious Gospel work.

The clear proof that God is working in our lives, that we are truly following Jesus, is that we are becoming less and less vested in this fleeting, fallen world (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). And that we, our good works, our giving are more and more invested in eternity – in the eternal kingdom of Christ, laying up treasures in Heaven, sending them before us, relinquishing the things of this world for the glory of God – putting them to work for the eternal Gospel of Christ – for saints to be fed and equipped and the lost to hear the Word of God (Matt. 6:19-21).

So, HE brings you every penny you have and yet, HE gets crumbs or nothing? Then you wonder why your heart isn’t clear, clean, at peace? Deliberate sin will always defile our conscience, yet literally obeying God always yields the blessing of a clean, pure heart that can ask the LORD anything and He will grant is. Read. Matthew 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 John 3:18-22.

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the FIRSTfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10

Hint: It’s probably not Satan quickening you to support God’s work, right? Right.

PRAYER: Father, in the name of Jesus, please forgive my mis-stewardship of YOUR resources. Please forgive my sin, for not giving You the very first fruits of what You have and are giving me LORD. Here and now I repent and turn my heart and life back to You dear LORD. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Consider Your Ways | Consider and Build | Build the House | Which World are you Rich in? | Dollar Dialogue

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PARABLE OF THE TALENTS [podcast]

The Eternal Consequence of Obedience vs Neglect A parable is an earthy story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus’ parable of the talents is a teaching and severe warning of stewardship and the eternal consequences of obeying or disobeying God in the matter of our handling of His resources in this fleeting life. “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” 1 Corinthians 7:31 It is said that of the 38 parables Jesus taught, 16 of them involve stewardship. To further underscore the divine importance placed on stewardship, we should note […]

Proving Jesus Matters to You [podcast]

Kingdom Opportunity  “All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” 1 Chronicles 29:14 May our LORD bless each of us to be cultivated in a heart filled with sincere and true worship and thanksgiving to Him. “…freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8 We should understand that we have freely received the salvation of our God in Christ and that those who don’t give out of the mercy, forgiveness, love, supply that He has given us, are not in God’s will. Out of what God gives us we give out and this clearly proves […]

WHERE to Give Your Money and Where Not to Give it

Sending Up Treasures to Heaven “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 You’re going to spend your life and energy doing something. Should it not be that which holds eternal value? Isn’t everything else waste? Why waste your time and energy in this brief life on temporal trinkets and pursuits? Riches There’s no heavenly treasure to be gained by giving to political causes. Sending support overseas? Did you know there is a priority laid out in God’s Word as to where we are to give? First, we should only fund full-counsel Christ-centered ministries. Then, we are […]