Haggai 1:5-11<\/p>\n
How We Tend to Interact with The World<\/strong><\/p>\n We often find ourselves falling into one of two categories:<\/p>\n As disciples, we\u2019re called not just to believe the right things and think the right thoughts but also to do the right things to make a difference in the world around us.<\/b><\/p>\n Proverbs 20:5 reminds us that “Insight draws out purpose.” We can discover and understand our motives and expectations when we think deeply about our actions.<\/p>\n In Haggai 1:5, \u201cGive careful thought to your ways,\u201d isn’t a call to fear or hesitation; instead, God invites his people to consider how they\u2019re acting in the presence of God and other people.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t always have access to the deep waters of our souls. Psalm 139:23-24 urges us to ask God to search our hearts, revealing the hidden fears, anxieties, and anger that must be addressed.<\/p>\n The \u201coffensive way\u201d that the Psalmist refers to is anything that violates the character and nature of God in our hearts. God does not see you as offensive. He sees something offensive in you that needs to be removed so you can fully experience a relationship with him.<\/p>\n If we\u2019re unaware of the deeper motives that drive our actions, we can\u2019t expect to change our actions effectively. When we\u2019re able to name our fears, anxieties, desires, and anger, then we\u2019re better equipped to surrender them to God for his help to change. If we\u2019re not willing or able to admit what lies in the deep waters of our souls, it will stay there and sabotage our lives.<\/p>\n Discipleship means surrendering the broken, messy, and hard parts of ourselves so that God can make us more like Jesus.<\/p>\n After surrendering our brokenness to God, the next step is to confess it to a loving, trusted brother or sister in Christ. When our brokenness no longer remains hidden, its power begins to diminish. But we often avoid this step of confession because it requires work and is vulnerable.<\/p>\n 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 shows how you have the capacity to know yourself in a way that\u2019s different from anybody else\u2019s. In the same way, no one knows God like the Holy Spirit. We come to the Father through the Holy Spirit because the death and resurrection of Christ opened access to the Father.<\/p>\n Because the Holy Spirit is with us, in order to hear him, we have to stop polluting our minds with thoughts and overloading ourselves with activity. Instead, we must slow down, listen, and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance.<\/p>\n Sometimes, things seem better than they were before, but we\u2019re unable to name the problem or solution. If you cannot define the problem, it\u2019s likely that it didn\u2019t go away; you just had momentary relief that resulted from something good while the deeper issue remained.<\/p>\n Often, when you begin to dig deeper into your problems, on the path to a solution, they get worse before they can get better. It may not be that new issues are being created, but rather, the already deeply hidden problems are now at the surface. But now that you can see them, you can work on them.<\/p>\n In Haggai 1:6, we see that God began to frustrate the Israelites\u2019 experience with him by disconnecting productivity from their activity as a result of not building the temple. Planting led to little harvesting. Eating and drinking didn\u2019t satisfy them. Clothing did not warm them. Their wages vanished after they earned them.<\/p>\n There are at least two possible explanations for why God would choose to disconnect productivity, results, or benefits from our activities:<\/p>\n Without consistency and intentionality, we quickly lose focus and priority in our spiritual lives. God can use seasons of fruitlessness to awaken us to how far we\u2019ve strayed from the path of relationship with him and the purposes he calls us to.<\/p>\n\n
Two Things That Every Person Needs to Address to Be a Better Disciple:<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Big Idea: You Cannot Change What You Cannot Define.<\/h3>\n
Who Know You Like You Do?<\/h3>\n
When Things Seem to Get Better But Aren\u2019t Better<\/h3>\n
Why Does God Disconnect Productivity from Activity?<\/h3>\n
\n