Enough.

“All you have to do to become a Christian is to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. And that’s enough.” This is a common understanding of what it means to be a Christian, that you acknowledge that Christ saved you from…from what? Do we really understand what Christ saved us from? If we don’t, then are we really saved? If we do, then why are so many “good” Christian’s living unchristian and unsatisfying lives?

Haggai 1:5-6 says, “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown much, and harvest little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” You never have enough. I don’t know about you, but this phrase does plague me. Will there be enough in the bank account to pay the bills? Do we have enough food to make it through the week? Is there enough coffee left to get me through the day? Is there enough to get me a new jacket for winter? These are not unbelievers who are struggling, but believers! If Christ is suppose to be our all in all, why do we constantly wonder if there is going to be enough to do what we want to do?

That’s why. Because we wonder if there is enough to do what we want to do, not what God wants us to do. And where does it start? With our concept of what it means to be a Christian, or Christ follower. Christ has saved us from the ultimate effects of sin: death and separation from God our Creator. We owe God a debt that we cannot ever repay, and God knows this. So instead of demanding full payment, he says: be my servant, live for me, do my will, and you will be free. The Israelites embraced the concept of the bond-servant. That is, if a man could not pay his debts, he would serve in his creditor’s house/business until the debt was paid off. The proverbial doing dishes to pay for dinner scenario, except more long term. This is what Christ is asking of us. To serve in His kingdom, be His representatives, and to do His will, and he will provide for all our needs and we will be satisfied.

Therefore, it is not enough to just ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior. We must live out what we have asked too. The Israelites that Haggai was speaking to were this way. They acknowledged God, but took care of themselves first and gave God whatever time, energy, money, and offerings they could muster only after taking care of their needs. Then they wondered why they didn’t have enough. And God said, “Well, you are living like you don’t need me. So I guess you don’t need my provision either.” In Haggai, the people had neglected to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. They weren’t putting God first, they were putting themselves first. And so they reaped the consequences.

Haggai 2:17-19 says, “I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. Consider from this day onward, from the 24^th day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But form this day on, I will bless you.” The Israelites were working hard to provide for themselves, and there is nothing really inherently wrong with hard work, unless it is done without involving or seeking God. Once their changed their attitudes and priorities they received the ultimate blessing from God. “I am with you,” He says in Haggai 1:13.

Now, did you think the ultimate blessing was that their work would be fruitful? That they would have enough by their own standards? No. God never promises this anywhere. Often times, His blessing may take the form of success by human standards but if that is all we are living for, then once again, we will never have enough. The ultimate blessing from God is His presence. Look in Job 42:5-6 and 9. Job finally hears and sees God, and has nothing more to say. Previously in the book he had wondered where God was, and if He knew of his plight. Now, he is satisfied with His presence. In verse 9, it says that God accepted Job, and this too answers Job’s question of whether he was found worthy by the Lord.  God restores Jobs wealth, but that is not what brought Job satisfaction and joy. Psalm 84:1-2 and 10 states, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God…For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” These verses are part of a popular song often sung in church. We sing it and raise our hands, but do we really believe that just being in God’s presence is enough to satisfy us?

The Christian life is hard, because it calls us to go against everything our culture says to us, and to find our satisfaction in a single being: God. God never promises wealth, prosperity, safety, comfort, or an easy life. He promises His presence. Now, the question is: can you be satisfied with nothing but the presence of God? Or do you need other “things” to make your joy complete?