“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’” Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops.  Haggai 1:2-10 (New Living Translation, NLT)

Have you ever felt like you’ve been chasing your tail? Working hard and never seeming to get ahead? Do you work to pursue finances, food, clothing, and other needed things, but they never quite seem to be in your grasp? Are you always pursuing, but never possessing? This passage may give us a clue why some Christians never seem to “get ahead.” It may be a simple matter of priorities.

Now, please note that I am saying this may be the case for some Christians. I am not saying this is the case for every believer who has not yet seen the manifestation of what they desire. Each situation is different and it isn’t wise to make generalizations and try to apply them to everyone. What I am saying is that if we aren’t seeing what we are believing for, we should check ourselves to see if this might be the problem- or even part of the problem.

The people mentioned above were living in Jerusalem and had fixed and repaired their own houses and had made them nice to live in. And yet, they made excuses for not rebuilding the temple, the house of God. Their focus was on themselves and not on the Lord. As a result, they were barely getting by.

When we look to our own desires and place them ahead of the will of God, we can be setting ourselves up for failure. God and His kingdom should always come first. Jesus emphasized this truth.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:31-33 (New Living Translation, NLT)

The best way to “get ahead” is to put God’s interests above your own. You can never lose when you seek God first.