HERE WE GO AGAIN

Haggai 1: 3 – 8
A few years ago, we witnessed one of the worst natural disasters our country has ever seen in hurricane Katrina. We watched as the city of New Orleans sank below the waters, and anarchy was born on the streets. I myself have never seen such destruction, nor have I seen such lawlessness.
The base nature of human beings came to the fore. Looting was the rule of the day, and it was reported that armed gangs roamed the streets in search of victims.
I don't blame the people for looting stores for their own survival, truth be told, if I owned a store in that city, I would have just thrown the doors open and said help yourself. What was wrong and worrying was that people not only took what they needed, but they satisfied their lust for material gain and foolish greed.
What good did big screen TV's do for the survival for the citizenry of the gulf coast? How were drugs and alcohol necessary for sustained life?
The book of Ecclesiastes tell us that there is nothing new under the sun. Haggai tells us that God knew how we would react to the duress we as humans would face during disasters, rather they be natural or of our own making; that our selfish nature would run amok.
4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
6 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."
On behalf of a loving God, Haggai urged his neighbors to give careful attention to what had happened. He noted the priority they were giving to their own comforts and wanted them to observe how dissatisfied and empty they still were. If God didn’t care, He wouldn’t ask us to consider the time and effort we are spending on diminishing returns. If He didn’t love us, He couldn’t remind us of all that He has given us. God sees what has happened to us and knows how much we need to focus on Him today.
My friends, everyday we go through minor disasters. Minor because they happen on a much more personal basis than those disasters that make the nightly news. We lose jobs, members of our families die, that old water heater falls apart, time and time again we are tested,We choose how we will react to these issues, those choices being; following our base natures or the way that God would have us follow.