Consider Your Ways – A Timely Teaching for the season. (Devotion Series).

The book of Haggai, though brief with only two chapters, delivers a powerful message of how our choices matter and how God has chosen to work his purposes through the faithfulness and obedience of his people. This reality invites us to reflect humbly and prompts us to an action, rooted in the hope of His Kingdom; thus, deterring us from spiritual complacency.

Haggai opens in Chapter 1 with accusing the people of Israel of misplaced priorities – “Consider Your ways”. The Israelites are back in Jerusalem, but they are spending all their time and resources rebuilding their own fancy houses while the temple still lies in ruins from its destruction nearly 70 years ago. Thus, Prophet Haggai asks, “Are your own houses really more important than your allegiance to God?” (Hag. 1:4). This is an exhortation for them to turn from their unclean ways and to trust in God’s sovereign power. Are we any different?

Therefore, this message is just relevant, especially to the youth and young adults navigating distractions such as academics, career pursuits, social media, and materialism. While not inherently wrong, these pursuits can overshadow our relationship with God, weakening our spiritual foundation.

“Consider Your Ways” is more than a teaching theme – a crucial life principle. It is for introspection, especially in a fast-paced world. It’s an invitation from God to pause, observe, and realign our lives, decisions and affections. Thus, calling us for a four-aspect life;

Spiritual Evaluation: This involves a call to ask hard questions like, Where am I with God? What are my spiritual habits? This is more like a monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) process for our lives, which causes us to lay our hearts bare before God just like the Psalmist, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Ps. 139:23).

Re-prioritise for God: This emphasises putting God first in all aspects of our lives – including choices, schedules and goals, ministry decisions, partner engagements, at all times and feelings of despair, frustration and emptiness. Our pursuits should cease from being about me to being about others as we act upon Jesus’ words, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

Realigning the Heart: This calls for intentionally bringing of one’s heart’s thoughts, desires and actions into alignment with God’s will and purpose. It is essentially the shifting of focus from personal ambitions to a desire for Christlikeness. This involves a complete drift towards “lesser things” like fame, relationships, pleasure and an overly busy work that might be mistaken for serious ministry. It’s an invitation to renew one’s devotion to Christ.

Obedience and Response: Just as the people in Haggai’s day obeyed and their hearts were stirred to take courage and act on the basis of God’s promises, a group of Jews returned to their land after a long time in exile. Upon their return with great joy, they rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem.

Therefore, the book of Haggai calls us to consider our ways and asks us to;

• Examine our priorities and see if we are interested in our own pleasures than doing the work of God at all costs.
•   Rest secure in God’s hand, knowing that He will bless us as we serve Him faithfully.
• To confess our failures and seek to live pure lives before Him daily.

At the core of this theme lies our need for a saviour – Jesus Christ. No effort, routine or work can replace a true relationship with God. Jesus Christ came to restore what was broken – realigning our hearts, re-prioritising our lives and redeeming us from our struggles and sinful nature. Through His obedience and humility to the cross, death and resurrection, he offers us a new life- truth rooted, Kingdom focused and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Misusera Sembajjwe & Ssekajja Patrick Lule