This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.’”

Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “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. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 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.”

Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

I am not sure, why of all Scriptures, I am encouraged to share this for today's coffee. I can sense it is mostly for me but believe it is a specific message for someone else too who needs to hear. While at it, let us all examine ourselves.

Are we causing our own draught by not building the house of the Lord? Can our homes be called a prayer house? Is there praise and worship and thanksgiving going up from our hearts non-stop? Are we actively taking part in building His kingdom? Are we finding opportunities to serve in our local church?

As the Word says, let us give careful thought to our ways and make honoring the Lord our #1 priority.

Let us focus our attention on building His kingdom. God bless you all!