Doing it all wrong

"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; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! – Haggai 1v6-7

I hope I am not overdoing this little exposition of Haggai, I have loved this book for years and every time I read it some fine detail pops out. I like this verse especially because of the last little phrase.

The people wondered why they were not prospering. Haggai gave them an answer after describing how they felt. 'You plant your crops, but don't harvest enough. You eat, but you are never full. You drink but you are still thirsty. You have plenty of clothes but you are still cold. When you make money it is like there is a hole in your pocket.' Haggai didn't try to find words to comfort or sympathise with them in their trouble. He told them again 'Consider your ways.'

So what was the problem? It seems to me that they were more concerned about their crops and their food and water and their clothes and their pay cheques than they were about doing God's work. When we do that we get caught in a cycle of worrying about those things instead of trusting the One who is in control.

What did Jesus say about this? 'Don't be concerned about tomorrow. There is enough trouble to worry about there. Instead of worrying about tomorrow seek the things of God and His kingdom and He will take care of all the rest.'

God knows what we need. When we learn how to be content and trust Him we don't need to worry about the food and drink and clothes and that money that disappears.

Indeed, it is time for us to consider our ways, follow God, and trust Him,