9/27/07 - Life Journal - Too Busy Being Instead of Doing

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
Haggai 1:9-11

The Lord, through Cyrus, commanded His people to return to Judea and rebuild His temple. When they got there it seems they took their time and were busy settling in and taking care of their own houses instead of His. For this He withheld His blessings upon them until they commenced building the temple.

Life does get in the way. School, work, hustling kids all over the place and even working FOR the church take away precious time that we should be spending working in His honor. A lot of times we are so busy doing church duties that we forget about being the church. Everything we struggle for in this world to "better" our lives, God will blow away. Jesus again said it best in Matthew 6:19,20, ""Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Lord thank you for your grace but let me not forget my mission. Help me stop the lip-service I hear and speak, saying we must be the church for our community, without acting out on our words. Make me realize the difference in doing church and being the church.