Putting God First This Fall
Written by Jeff Marshall, Senior Associate Pastor - Campuses
We all have plans and dreams that can easily take priority over God.
“Not now, Lord. When things slow down. When the finances are better. When the kids are older. When work settles down. When retirement comes. When the house is finished. When I have margin.”
The book of Haggai exposes the danger of a life where God is acknowledged but then deferred. God’s people, the Israelites, had come home from exile. They were rebuilding their own lives. They were making space for their own security and comfort. But the house of the Lord was still unfinished. They had come back from Babylon and were given permission to rebuild the temple, but the work had stalled for years.
They were discouraged and distracted from continuing work on the temple. While they expected God’s presence and blessing, God was not blessing them. Instead, they experienced drought that led to poor harvests and harmed their livestock. Nothing seemed to be going their way. Where was the blessing God had promised?
But the problem wasn’t that God wasn’t faithful to His word. The problem was the Israelites’ lack of commitment to what God had called them home to. They had shirked their duty to Him. They had become tired, complacent, untrusting and disinterested in what God had called them to do: Build the temple.
Ever feel like that? You know there is something you promised to do, or something God has been nudging you toward, but you just don't feel like doing it. Maybe you have already worked hard on other things. Maybe you've lost interest. Maybe you're not sure it will turn out the way you hoped. Maybe it feels harder than you expected, so the easiest thing to do is just not do anything.
Haggai speaks to our modern heart that says, “Once my house, career, finances, family, reputation, or comfort is secure .... then I'll give God whatever remains.” And truthfully, if all of these things are met first, then really how much can be left to give Him?... The answer is very little!
We weren’t made or built to take care of all these things ourselves. God designed us to trust and rely on Him. We turn to Him first and put Him first in our lives and He takes care of our needs.
As the Israelites worked on the wrong things and prioritized their own desires, it was exposing what they really loved. It revealed what they were putting first. And because of what they were putting first, they were struggling. Nothing was working out the way they had planned. They had forgotten that God comes first and then everything else flows from putting Him first.
The Gospel doesn't say, “Make God first so He will bless your plans.” It says, “Jesus is Lord, and life only becomes whole when it's reordered around Him.” Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)
That's not a slogan for a busier Christian life. “Do more and God will bless you!” No, it is the invitation for all of us to live under the gracious rule of Christ. Living with Jesus and putting Him first allows Him to lead us into doing what is needed, what is good for us and what will truly satisfy us. Then you will have everything you need.
So, Haggai asks us, “What's getting our attention first, our best energy, our deepest trust, and our quickest obedience?” The answer to those questions reveals what we're truly building. What are we working towards? Not financial freedom, personal security, status, or comfort. What we should be working toward is putting Jesus first in our lives.
So, how do we put Jesus first?
We should examine our hearts before we examine our activity. The question is not simply, “Am I busy for God?” but, “Am I surrendered to God?” Do I give everything I do to Him and for His purposes. Am I doing what He wants me to do?
We should repent of divided priorities and return to obedient dependence on God. Our hearts are still capable of being divided. Wherever God has become secondary to comfort, control, reputation, or security we have chosen these priorities over Him. We can worship God on Sunday and then live the rest of the week as though He is only one voice among many. Seek Him to help you reorder what is most important.
Seeking the Lord may need to begin with being honest about the things we have prioritized over Him. Maybe we have prioritized comfort over Christ. Maybe we have prioritized control over prayer. Haggai calls us to whole-hearted surrender to God alone. We worship Him first, we follow Scripture, we confess sin quickly and repent of our actions, and we make space to talk with Him. Then we serve from love rather than obligation.
And when we surrender to Jesus, He does not just forgive us and leave us the same. By the Holy Spirit, He begins to clean us up, reorder our lives, strengthen us, and make us into people who belong fully to Him.
The good news is that Haggai doesn't end with condemnation, but with a promise: “From this day on I will bless you.” God calls His people back because He intends to renew them. For us, that renewal comes through Jesus, who cleanses what is unclean, fills His people with the Holy Spirit, and sends them into the world as His holy people.
Our response is not to try harder in our own strength, but to come honestly to Christ, surrender fully to His leading, and rebuild our lives around His presence.
Zechariah, Haggai’s contemporary, says it this way: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” The Spirit of God is what gives us what we need to make what we do great in God’s eyes. God is not asking His people to manufacture glory and make everything you do amazing through your own efforts. He is calling you to faithful obedience in dependence on His presence. That’s what He calls us to! And the glory is all His.
This blog was adapted from Pastor Jeff’s message, Haggai: First Things First, part of The Twelve: B-Sides series. Hear the full sermon on FAC Experience App!
