Greed and selfish gain are how we’ve defined time, building each our very own Babel to climb. - Michael Apa
There is a story I’d like to share with you. It comes from Haggai 1:3-10. The Lord came to the prophet Haggai questioning the ways of his people. He asked why they live in lavish houses, while the Lord’s temple lays in ruins. The Lord continues, warning the people of their endless pursuits and bottomless desires, “Consider your ways! “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” His warning is not open-ended either, because in verse 9, He states that He will swiftly blow it away. “Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because My house is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.” (10, NKJV)
In this context, greed is the daily distractions that place our focus on the flesh. Our ways are futile (Haggai 1:5-6) as it seems that feeding the flesh is an endless endeavor (Prov. 30:15-16). The desires and worries of this world (1 John 2:16) become obstacles and thorns (Matt. 13:22) in our path as we strive to build our house on the rock (Matt. 7:24-27).
It is important to understand the shortness of time (Eph. 5:15-17) and find God’s purpose in our lives as we will wither away like grass one day (Is. 40:6-8). The picture of the grass and flower fading away in verse 8 is a juxtaposition to the tree in Psalm 1:1-3. We become prosperous, peaceful, stable throughout all seasons, and produce fruit at the right time if we make a habit of meditating and finding delight in His law. It is His law that gives life to the spirit and soul (Ps. 119:25, John 6:68). His Word is the blueprint necessary for the reconstruction of our house or His temple (2 Cor. 5:1).
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus asks, “is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”. This hints at another important verse (Matt. 4:4) indicating that the Word of God is vital for the spirit, the soul and the “new self” (Eph. 4:24). The Word of God is compared to milk (Heb. 5:11-14), meat (Prov. 9:2, John 6:54), honey (Ps. 19:10, Prov. 16:24), bread (John 6:35), water (Rev. 22:17) and wine (Is. 55:1, Prov. 9:1-6). By baptism (Gal. 3:27) and absorbing the essential nutrients of Scripture (Ps 42:1, 1 Pet. 2:2), the new self grows in Christ and sheds off its former skin (Prov. 30:18) as the intentions of the carnal nature oppose the Spirit (Gal. 5:17).
We each have our works set in place before us in Christ (Eph. 2:10) as fellow builders in Christ, each one of us being the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:9,16) and Christ the foundation (Is. 28:16). Love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1). Since we are Christ’s fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9), the only way we can successfully build up our temple and help others construct theirs is by knowing, meditating on, experiencing and understanding how the love of the Lord is good and perfect and is essential for all parts of our being (Mark 12:30-31).
That’s all for now! If you found this to be encouraging, I really want to hear from you and I want to get the conversation going. Comment your musings below, or on social media (FB or Instagram)! 
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Thanks for reading.
More to come,
Michael
