Seeking First the Kingdom: Haggai

What happens when the demands of daily life crowd out what matters most? The book of Haggai confronts us with this uncomfortable question as we discover a community of exiles who returned home with a divine assignment: rebuild the temple. Yet somewhere between unpacking and rebuilding their lives, they lost sight of their sacred calling. Their homes became paneled while God's house lay in ruins. This ancient story mirrors our modern struggle—we juggle work deadlines, family obligations, and endless to-do lists while our spiritual foundation crumbles from neglect. Jesus echoes this same truth in Matthew 6 when He tells us to seek first the kingdom of heaven, promising that everything else will fall into place. But here's the revolutionary insight: after Christ's death and resurrection, we no longer need a physical temple. We are the living temples, the intersection where heaven meets earth. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, making every moment an opportunity for worship. This shifts everything. Our weekly gathering isn't just another hobby competing for calendar space—it's the garden from which everything else in our lives grows. When we take communion, we're not performing empty ritual; we're physically remembering the ultimate sacrifice that transformed us from temple-visitors into living sanctuaries. The question isn't whether we have time for God, but whether we understand that getting our relationship with Him right is what makes everything else work.