“Give careful thought to your ways, you have planted much but harvested little...you earn wages only to put them into a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:6)

Ever felt like you have been putting in so much but progressing so little? How about the feeling of having a busy schedule but wondering what you have achieved in the end. You see the human being has great propensity for activity but only a few have discovered the joy of purposeful living. Everyone can have a hustled life but not all have understood the meaning of life. Having enough on one's plate does not mean one is enjoying the meal. This was the message that Haggai gave to the people.

The people were saying this was not the time to build God's house. The altar of worship was not a priority for them. After all they were up to their neck with planting and harvesting, eating and drinking, earning and investing. They were busied with activities upon activities but sadly possessed no joy, no rest, no fulfilment. The simple solution the prophet dispensed was rebuild the place of devotion to Yahweh.

You see modernity has never solved the issue of contentment. Only when one finds God's purpose can one live happily with little or much. There is a place in our lives that fits an idol or a God. Interestingly, an idol would demand that we give more to it, while God calls us to rest in surrendered worship. This is the principle of the Sabbath. This is productivity God's way.

Blessings,

Ps. Loke Chi Shyan