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HELEN SANDERS
6-14-2021
A BAG WITH A HOLE IN IT
Have you ever bought food and the bag it came in had a hold in it? You can be sure that you have a mess. Recently I microwaved a vegetable and the steamable bag that it came in looked good when I put it into the microwave but when I took it out there was a pinhole in the bag and water spirted out all over the floor. These holes are undetectable when the bag is frozen.
A bag with a hole in it is like a pocket with a hole in it. Things fall out and you may not realize it until it is too late. I have lost numerous things over the years because I didn’t know there was a hole in my pocket.
Haggai was a prophet whose personal life is unknown, yet he was used greatly by God. One of his famous words were “Consider your ways.” He was the first prophet that ministered to the remnant of Israel that returned from Babylonian captivity. Israel had been enslaved because of their sin for 70 years, and now they were returning back home. When they got there, they wanted to build their houses and take care of “their” things. Haggai said in 1:3-5 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, this people say, the time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled (roofed) houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”
They were preoccupied with their own problems, but they were not doing what they should spiritually. They were building their homes but neglecting to build the house of God. In verse 6 Haggai let them know why things weren’t going well for them. “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 earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Again, in verse 7 he said the second time, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”
When we don’t make taking care of God’s house a priority, we can expect lack in our lives. We can expect that when we earn money what it says in verse 9 will come to pass where it says, “Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow (blow it away). Why? Saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.”
Are you passionate about your walk with God? Is he first place in your life? We can always tell what is first by what is written in our bank statement. Is all of our money spent on our own house (including our bodies) and not on God’s house? Do we tithe and give offerings so the work of the Lord can continue? There is a spiritual drought in many churches because of the lack of taking care of the church’s needs first.
As a youngster I had no understanding of tithing. My mother made about $50 a week, but she had made a pledge to tithe to help with the church building fund. Every Sunday a $5 bill went into the offering plate. That was one tenth of what she earned, but even though she wasn’t saved, she made a commitment to the work of God.
Many think that they cannot afford to give offerings and tithes, but we can’t afford not to. If God was concerned with his temple in the Old Testament, you can be sure that he is concerned with the Church in the New Testament. When I learned about tithing and taking care of God’s house first it made a remarkable difference in my life. When I took care of God, he took care of me. If you are struggling trying to pay bills and rob from God what is his tithe you can be sure things will get worse. Many think the tithe was part of the law and it was done away with, but the tithe came long before the law. It is a principle that started with Abraham. You give God what is his and take care of his house and you can be sure that he will take care of you.
In Matthew 6:33 it says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added (not taken away) unto you.” Does your bag have a hole in it? Perhaps it is time to examine what you are doing with the money that was in it.
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