Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Give Careful Thought to Your Ways

The Lord has brought to mind the book of Haggai to both John and I recently, and we are recognizing a repeated phrase in this small book:  "Give careful thought to your ways."
Really, there have been two things going on here for the Guckenbergers:  one, prep our home and the ministry home for groups this summer and take care of leaks, breaks, furniture, maintenance that can seem unending... two, we desire and need to maintain and grow ministry relationships so when we are ministering this summer we are meeting the appropriate needs and building into them personally and collectively as a whole.  Constantly, we are feeling torn between the two, feeling as if one is always being ignored.
John and I have been praying for wisdom and discernment daily (still) and this book of the Bible keeps finding itself on the forefront of my mind.  As I was reading it, I came across the idea of investing into your own "home" while the Lord's house (temple) remains a ruin.... He was basically rebuking His people saying, "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"  He was telling them that the more they invested in their own "stuff" and neglecting what was more important (the rebuilding of his temple) He was making sure their fruit was little.  Now, I know it is not wrong to invest in what you have been given and it is good to be a good steward of your possessions, BUT not at the stake of disobedience.  So, then the question is what is God calling John and I to do daily, or in this season?  This is where "give careful thought to your ways" comes in, doesn't it?  
I am learning that none of my purposes (or any of ours I would imagine) will be fulfilled easily.  All of them will require the most difficult decisions I think I can make.  But, through these, am I not becoming the person I am supposed to be?  I wasn't called to an easy life, right?  But a purposeful one!  John and I need to give careful thought to our ways because we love the Lord and don't want to miss out on His ministry.  
Today, I pray that all of you will give careful thought to your ways and please pray for John and I to do what we need to be doing each day...
Yikes someone is here for bible study early, gotta go.
God Bless

3 comments:

  1. I love how your blogs are kinda like an early morning Bible study. By the way, hope it went well. Praying for you.

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  2. cor...awesome thoughts...challenges me as well with all of the pulls to do different things or hang with different kids or whatever else that pulls at my time these days. Thanks.

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  3. Thanks Cor! Again, you've touched on a theme in my 'daily struggle' as I want to do so much with my 24 hours and often end up doing so little "giving careful thought" to how God wants me to spend my time!

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