A Course to Chart

By |Published On: November 1, 2018|Categories: News|

A person holding a compass

With the start of November, it seems we also start the head-long rush toward the holidays. Every store has their Christmas displays up, every mail catalog features Christmas specials, and every radio station is playing Christmas jingles. Amidst all the super-sales and rock-bottom deals, a word from the prophet Haggai comes to mind,

“Now 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.’ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways'” (Haggai 1:5-7).

It’s an unusual verse, but it fits the season. We have so much stuff, but we still want more. We are baffled at why the abundant life seems to elude us and land easily in the laps of others. We eat but never have enough; we drink but are never filled. Why aren’t we satisfied?

If we find ourselves here, there’s a warning for us: I Peter 4:3 says, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do.” Are we sold out to the ways of the world, or do we follow Jesus, the Way? Little wonder God has to repeat himself twice in Haggai – “give careful thought to your ways.”

So how do we chart a course for the months ahead? I like the way Proverbs 19:23 puts it: “The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content.” So, when you’re tempted to overcharge your credit card, stop and consider the Lord. If you’re tempted to crowd your busy calendar with another party, consider what the Lord would do. Check out everything with the Lord first, and it will lead to a life that rests content in Him throughout the Christmas season and beyond :-).

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