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JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE HAGGAI Day 1 Haggai 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. 3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your paneled houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus says 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 earns wages earns wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus says the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, says the LORD. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground brings forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. 13 Then spoke Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, says the LORD. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. Have you wondered why your finances are bad, even though you have a good job? Have you wondered why everything seems to break down at once, eating away your finances and destroying your plans? God told Haggai to tell the people they needed to build the temple first before they built their homes. When they did, the houses they built, the fields they planted, and the labor of their hands would produce the crops and give them a living. As Christians, many of you are under the impression you don’t need to give the tithe of your income any longer because you aren’t under the law, but under grace, and you can give as you determine. Jesus sat in the treasury and watched how people gave to God. Luke 21:1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. (KJV) The tithe was never abolished. God still honors the tithe and the offering. Not just the offering. When you determine to give God the tithe of your income, and tithe on your gross and not on your net, God will bless you. I have been poor all my life, yet when I first heard about the tithe, I determined to give even when I had nothing to give. When I was married, my husband wouldn’t allow me to give. When I divorced, my children felt I was throwing my money away. Yet, this is my testimony: When I determined to give God the first fruit of all my income, God took care of all my needs. My bills were paid, even when it didn’t look like I would have enough, there was enough. I’ve been through the time in my life when it seemed like every cent I had went to car repairs, and appliances that broke down. I never had what I needed. Yet, as soon as I gave God the first part, the money was there to pay for those unexpected expenses. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (KJV) You might not have much, and it might look like you have more month than money, but when you determine to give God the first part of your income, you will find you have enough money for the month. All your needs will be met. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for the increase when it doesn’t look like I have enough to take care of my needs. Help me to give you the first part of my income, trusting you to meet all my needs according to your riches by Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 5 April 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay