First Things First

First Things First

 I’ll pay more attention to religion as soon as my schedule lightens up.” “I’ll get back into a daily time of prayer and Bible reading as soon as I finish the project I’m working on.” “One of these days I’ll get around to helping that mission to the poor I’ve been thinking about.”

 If you’ve ever made comments such as these, then you have some idea of the situation in postexilic Judah. The people had started to rebuild the temple, but stopped after a year or two of work. They got involved in other commitments, and before they knew it, 16 years had gone by. The temple was still incomplete. “We’ll get around to it,” they apparently said. “It’s just not time yet” (Hag. 1:2). However, God rebuked them for that attitude. Their priorities were distorted. They were putting God at the tail end of their commitments, rather than honoring Him as the Lord of their lives. The neglect of the temple was essentially a neglect of God.

 God’s word to the Jewish returnees also may speak to your priorities. If your spiritual life has been slipping, maybe it’s time to put first things first and place God back at the center of your commitments.