Keep Your Heart With All Watchfulness

                                         Haggai 1:5
                       "Now therefore thus saith the lord
                            of host; Consider your ways."

         Set your heart on your ways; your affections, thoughts, works, so as to be circumspect in all things; as the apostle Paul says, (1Tim 5:21), "Do nothing without forethought," ie, without previous judgment of reason; "Son, do nothing without counsel and when thou hast done it thou wilt not repent."  They who do not set their hearts upon their ways, do they not daily incur almost countless sins, in thought, word, desire, deed, and yes by omission their duties?  Such are all fearless persons who heed not to fulfill what is written; "Keep your heart with all watchfulness" (Proverbs 4:23).
He sows much to his own heart, but "brings in little," who by reading and hearing knows much of the heavenly commands, but by negligence in deeds bears little fruit.
         If we would have the comfort and continuance of temporal enjoyments, we must have God as our Friend.  When God crosses our temporal affairs, and we meet with trouble and disappointment, we shall find the cause is, that the work we have to do for God and our own souls is left undone, and we seek our own things more than the things of Christ.  How many, who plead that they cannot afford to give to pious or charitable designs, often lavish ten times as much in needless expenses on their houses and themselves!  But those are strangers to their own interests, who are full of care to adorn and enrich their own houses, while God's temple in their hearts lies waste.
        It is the great concern of every one, to apply to the necessary duty of self-examination and communion with our own hearts concerning our spiritual state.  Sin is what we must answer for; duty is what we must do.  But many are quick-sighted to pry into other people's ways, who are careless of their own. If any duty has been neglected, that is no reason why it should still be so.  Whatever God will take pleasure in when done, we ought to take pleasure in doing.  Let those who have put off their return to God, return with all their heart, while there is time.
        Amen!!


Reading: (Haggai 1:1-15)

                                 May God Bless You
                                  And Your Families

                                                Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
                                                The Cross Life Ministry