Haggai 1:1-9 – In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 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. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.
THEME OF THE DAY: HOW ONE BECOMES A BACKSLIDER. One of the most dishonoring things a Christian may do in their relationship with the Lord is become a backslider. And this condition doesn’t come upon a child of God unexpectedly. No Christian suddenly wakes up one morning with a cold heart far away from the fervency of first love for the Lord Jesus. Missing church, ignoring the Bible, being prayer-less, having no desire for spiritual fellowship with other believers, and living for the world doesn’t just come upon a Christian without warnings. The backsliding Christian started the slide into this God-dishonoring condition by slow but sure steps. In today’s scripture, the prophet Haggai reveals three downward steps in the life of a Christian which ends him or her in a cold spiritual state.
The first step in becoming a backslider is tolerate the sin of procrastination – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? God’s people delayed building His house. They put off known spiritual responsibilities. This is where backsliding begins. Miss church one Sunday and it becomes easy to miss another. Delay participation in growing, fellowshipping, worshipping, and serving with God’s people, and the sinful habit of procrastination forms. The process of backsliding is underway.
A second step toward backsliding is ignore spiritual self-examination – Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Fail to do spiritual evaluation in our lives, and we will miss the warning signs of a heart growing cold. The Lord commands His people, “Consider your ways.” When church services are missed with no sadness; when the Bible and prayer are dull; and fellowship with God’s people not desired, stop, and consider why. Ignore the warning signs by failing to do self-examination, and soon, a full blown backslidden condition arrives.
The final step not only leading to becoming a backslider but gives evidence we are already there is when we give more of our free time to the things of the world instead of the Lord – You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Friends, if we find ourselves giving more effort, energy, and time to the things of the world instead of the Lord, we are not in a good spiritual place. We are living what truly defines a backslider – worldly. And the evidence will be a barren soul and no delight in the things of the Lord. Church, family devotions, reading the Bible, prayer, and being with God’s people will become “have to’s” in the Christian life, not “get to’s” in the Christian life. Dull and burdensome obligations, not privileges, will be how we view our Christianity. There will be no joy in the Lord.
Nothing displeases the Lord more than a backsliding child of His. Let’s be on guard for the warning signs and seek to stay close to Him who alone can prevent such a sad spiritual condition.
PRAYER: “Father, please keep me sensitive to sin and the ease of drifting away from You.”
QUOTE: “No one suddenly finds themselves in a backslidden condition and loss of first love for Jesus.”