One more time, Haggai 1:7 says, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.” This phrase appears six times in the book. It’s a call to reflect on life as a whole and my own life in particular. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I would argue that the wise man of scripture is the one who is always “considering” his ways or examining his life. Many Christians hold a little disdain for Philosophy. They shouldn’t! Philos means love, and Sophia means wisdom. It’s the wise man in Proverbs who loves wisdom.
Haggai’s call to “consider your ways” goes deeper than to question my actions. He really calls his readers to think about the source of their actions. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As one ‘thinks,’ so is he.” Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely… think about such things.” Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Take every thought captive.” John Locke was right, “The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.” When you take your thoughts captive to God’s word, your actions will follow. Frank Outlaw expresses the importance of taking our thoughts captive, even from a secular point of view. He wrote, “Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become actions. Watch your actions. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Watch your character. It becomes your destiny.”
In reflecting on our lives, it’s important to come to grips with where you came from. If you believe you’re an accident of the mud, sun, and scum, you will live like it. If you believe God made you, you live differently. If you believe you’re a product of chance, you will not find any purpose in your life. However, if God made you, there’s a reason for your existence. But there is another question that is important also. “Where am I going?” Martin Heidegger believes that man is a “being unto death.” Others feel we are headed for a final “nothingness.” If one assumes the evolutionary hypothesis regarding man’s origin, this is our destiny. But like Dr. Norm Geisler says, “Christians have a greater long-range optimism. They believe that God’s kingdom will come, and His will shall be done ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ Christians believe history is moving in a specific direction and will accomplish God’s purposes. Bible-believing Christians believe ‘there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.’ They believe in what C. S. Lewis called ‘the great divorce’ of heaven and hell, which will provide eternal bliss for those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and an eternal woe for those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’”
In the modern science of Anthropology (The study of mankind), the issue of man’s origins is usually ignored. If there is a comment on man’s origin, it’s always from the evolutionary point of view. It is so presented that whoever might consider the case for the creator must be of somewhat lesser intelligence. But Biblical Anthropology studies a much wider field. It begins with the most significant questions of life and gives us the answer upon which we can build hopeful and meaningful lives. It’s simple: no God, no purpose! Know God, Know Purpose! Man came from God! Man was created to worship God, and man was created to live forever. Considering our ways, as Haggai suggests, leads us to the realization of our sinfulness. Once that is understood and appreciated, we have hope. Paul tells us in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”