"What’s in your wallet?" is from a popular commercial for a credit card company, but it raises an interesting question. What IS in your wallet? Or maybe a better question for this devotional is "What’s in your checkbook"?
If you were looking at my checkbook you would find utilities, cell phone, cable TV, the Internet, the mortgage and oh, what’s this? - Michigan State University. What’s that about?
For the past five years my wife and I have bought season tickets for MSU football. In fact, we have even gone to two of their last three bowl games. That would seem to reflect that it is a pretty important priority in our lives. That’s what our checkbook does – it reflects our priorities.
God had instructed the Israelites to rebuild His temple. The people of Israel had started but then got interrupted. First there were outside distractions and pressures. Then it was easy to find excuses not to follow through. They had let the pressures of daily living push God’s priorities to the back seat.
After all, the kids need clothes for school, the job is so demanding and if you don’t fix up your house the property value will plummet in this market. How easy it is to get distracted, to live in our "paneled houses while God’s house remains in ruin".
There is a great little book called, "My Heart Christ’s Home" by Robert Boyd Munger. It’s all about making and keeping Christ the top priority in our lives. He compares our lives to the rooms in a house. The study, the dining room, the living room, the recreation room, the workroom, the bedroom and even the hall closet – Jesus wants to be first in every room of our lives.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:31;33, "Don’t worry about what you’ll eat or drink or wear. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". The Lord spoke through Haggai promising the Israelites that, "I am with you. My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear." That promise still stands for you and me today.
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