Motivation to Keep Working (For God) - Haggai

 Haggai 1:5-6 (ESV)

Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

At any given span of our lives we could quote the above passage and feel the pain of financial problems and understand the strain of working hard and seeing little.   We seldom, however, contribute that to God’s sovereign power.   We see it as bad luck, lost opportunity, and/or possibly mis-management on our part (which may be true).  But, in the above passage we see that God is in total control of these things in our lives (even our bad management).  God uses our ineptitude and other factors to create the calamity we read above.  In the case of Haggai, the prophet, God is telling the people about this problem.   Because they decided to return to the land of Israel (from being in exile) and focused on their own comforts, God brought about this disaster upon them.   When we focus on US and not HIM, this is what can happen.   Solomon reminds us repeatedly in the book of Ecclesiastes that chasing riches is like chasing the wind (see chapters five and six).   But, it is also like trying to fill up a bag that has a hole in the bottom.   God was angry at the nation because of their lack of priorities.  Haggai was sent to focus them on the right priorities of life.   God has nothing against creature comforts.  In fact He is the one that provides any comfort we now celebrate and enjoy.   But, He does not provide them so that we can ignore Him or the work He has designed us to do.   We have in our country a retirement mindset.  But, it is not just about the work we do each day, we take the same mindset about the work God has designed for us in regard to His kingdom.   God has work for us to do and there is no age limit or retirement package for it.   We are to occupy ourselves until the Lord comes.  This is Haggai’s message.  

Luke 19:11-13 (ESV)

As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’