Subscription Lists
The Way
by Kevin Pauley
"Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" Now, the LORD of Hosts says this: "Think carefully about your ways: You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it." The LORD of Hosts says this: "Think carefully about your ways. Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD. "You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?" This is the declaration of the LORD of Hosts. "Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.” - Haggai 1:4-9 HCSB
We tend to swing in reaction to previous errors rather than carefully and soberly think through our actions. One generation raises artificial standards until they become racist and the next becomes a dope smoking, free-love fest. One generation focuses on climbing the corporate ladder to the nirvana of greed and the next drops out and tunes in to dark nihilistic punk culture. Back and forth, back and forth we swing.
The Catholic Church built huge Cathedrals some of which took centuries to build. After the Reformation, many of the Protestants began building huge churches too but in many cases they have thrown the baby out with the bath water. They recognize the waste of spending millions on statues and gorgons, and yet they go to the extreme of building ugly monuments to practicality that are indistinguishable from the local movie theater.
Some allow their churches to get run down; with water stains on the ceiling and the weeds overtaking the front flower beds – something that would be anathema in their own homes.
God resoundingly and clearly proclaimed that the state of His house reflects the state of our devotion to Him. When you think about it, it makes sense. If a man loves his car, doesn’t he spend hours washing, polishing and vacuuming it? So what do visitors think about our devotion to God when we can barely find the energy to dust the window sills?
Balance must be found. We cannot spend millions on our buildings and pennies on evangelism or the care of our poor. But wherever our means lie, we need to make sure that we are giving God our best. If a grass hut with mud walls is the best we can manage, then let’s make sure that only the finest grass makes it on our Father’s roof.
Let’s put our money, time and effort where our mouth is. We claim that Yahweh is our King – what does our church building say?
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "The Way" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.