Fitting God in or Fitting into God?

Very often we try fitting God into our life and busy schedules by doing our customary bit by attending church, perhaps even attend a fellowship, serve and even maybe read the Bible and pray where possible. The real centre and focus on our lives still continues to revolve around our priorities, our schedules and our conveniences, postpoing the call of God in our lives. When we live like this continually, we can easily become frustrated and disillusioned and we wonder why we don't experience God in a fuller measure in ou rlives. We need to understand that God is too big for Him to just fit into our lives. We can only live a life of full measure and be satisfied, if we learn instead to fit into Him and give Him the first place and allow Him to dictate our priorities!

This was a similar predicament that Haggai faced. The Jews has just returned from exile from Babylon to Jerusalem and they wanted to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. They faced some opposition and instead of pressing forward, they became discouraged and gave in to disillusionment and abandonment of the call of God. They instead foucssed their lives and energy on themselves, their own interests and building comfortable houses and settling down forgetting the bigger call of God. In such a contect, God had a message for His people through the prophet Haggai:
Haggai 1:2-8
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' " Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 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." This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD.

If we really want the pleasure of God in our lives, we need to put Him first and fit into Him and His plans for us. We are so often like the people in Haggai's time - we are not overtly saying 'No' to God's work and His plans for us, instead we just postpone it as we do not have the time or the convenience to focus on Him now. We instead focus on ourselves and our priorities. We need to understand that we are missing out on God's best for us and settling on less when we don't honor God and please Him. When we put God's kingdom and His work first, He promises to look after every aspect of our lives!
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life[h] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Matthew 6:30b-33
...O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I believe God's message to Haggai is the same to us today - He wants us to consider our ways. Are you fitting God into your life where possible and living below what God has for us or are we fitting into Him giving Him the first priority? It is time to evaluate your life and rearrange your priorities. When the Jewish people rebuilt the temple of God, they could see the glory of God and they felt His pleasure. Consider Him and live your life so that you feel His pleasure!