The Grands Letter (Hag/GLJ)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. on September 22, 2025 5:23 am (CST)Dear Grands,
Haggai 1:1-7, “In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.”‘”
3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”
6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”
One of the factors that makes the Bible somewhat difficult to understand is its generalization of otherwise clear factors. Words like “king,” “prophet,” and “governor” are understandable, to be sure. Yet, when the word says, “Consider your ways,” things are a bit different.
It’s not that our “ways” are not discernible; rather, it’s that they are not desirable. Now, add to that the fact that we don’t want to examine our ways too closely because we know them to be undesirable to the LORD. It’s much like when we were children and we were told it was “time to take a bath” or “time to go to bed.” We simply did not want to do what we were told.
How like that are we with the Word of the LORD! His directive for us is to engage in what He has designed for us. Let’s say that He is directing us to “give up” something we’ve been doing, or a verbal phrase that is not becoming of a Christian. It’s not something patently bad morally; we already know those things are wrong. Rather, it’s moving a bit too closely to things parents just want their children to avoid. You know what it takes to fill in the blanks.
Yet, prior to examining everything closely, we have noticed that the LORD either forbids His children from participating or the Holy Spirit is insisting that we terminate what we’re doing until He explains the situation to us. Not paying attention to what the LORD says is why things are not working out as we had expected. “But if I do this,” we argue, “it will surely be acceptable. My motives are pure.” Well, maybe they are, but “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.”
If we belong to the LORD, even when our parents do not, we are responsible to obey them. The LORD has given us parents to guide us in right paths. If we belong to the LORD and our parents do not, we are permitted to speak, but it is the LORD’s responsibility to awaken them to His Truth. In the meantime, we are to obey those to whom He has entrusted our care until they come to know Him. When we are obedient to Him, even lost parents will notice and hopefully will come to Him themselves. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,
until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom