A few Sundays ago Pastor Ed used a Scripture passage in the morning message that messed with the way I do life.  In Haggai 1:5-6 we find these words:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says, ’Give careful thought to your ways.  You have planted much, but have harvested little.  You eat, but never have enough.  You drink, but never have your fill.  You put on clothes, but are not warm.  You earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’”

It got me thinking, “What’s Haggai really about anyways?  Who’s he talking to?  Why?”  Well, Haggai is a little book that contains four progressive prophecies of the minor prophet, Haggai.  In the first two prophesies, Haggai speaks to the governor, Zerubbabel, and the high priest, Joshua (not wall-felling Joshua).  The last two prophecies are to the priests and Zerubbabel, respectively.

To understand what the book means, you have to know that the Israelites, the people group of whom these people are a part and of whom they are leaders, have just returned from Babylonian exile.  Also, they were sent into exile at the hand of God as a consequence of their unfaithfulness to the covenant they had made with God.  So the book of Haggai opens up with said prophet telling the two relevant leaders that construction should begin on the temple of the Living God.  Moreover, the leaders have been living in luxury while the temple project has been neglected.  So Haggai delivers the above passage about planning, sowing, reaping, hunger, thirst, clothing, and savings; more importantly, the leaders have done much with little to show for it.

So, here we stand at the inaugural moments of a fresh, new year.  In the words of Haggai, I charge us with the following considerations:

• Let’s give careful thought to our ways.  Set some measurable goals for this year.
• Harvest much.  What will you plant, work towards, and harvest this year?
• Have enough.  What areas of your life were famished this past year?  What do you need more of in order to have “enough” so that you can love well even as you are loved and love yourself well.
• Have your fill.  Have you been empty this past year?  Pursue the necessary things that bring life and abandon those dead ends.  Ask for help.  Serve.  Read a book.  Risk introducing yourself.
• Put on clothes.  Have you been protecting yourself with wisdom, courage, and kindness?  Maybe it’s time to set some boundaries, join a group that can support you, and put on confidence to overcome the idea that you are powerless.
• Save.  How are your finances?  Maybe this is the year where you seek out some help in managing your money, time, and energy better.

The new year is here.  Make it a new year and not a repeat of old ones, even if they were good.  One person reflected well upon this notion, saying, “A twenty-seven year old may not have twenty-seven years of experience, but instead just one year of experience twenty-seven times.”  Experience the new, fresh blessings this year from the God of them all.