After their return from captivity in Babylon, the Jews were supposed to get busy building the temple of God.  Although they didn’t refuse to do what God told them, they kept putting it off.

In Haggai 1, God’s question to them was, “Why are you living in luxurious houses, when my house lies in ruins?” In other words, “Why are you building your kingdom instead of focusing on mine?”

We’re all guilty of the same thing to some extent.  In our minds, it’s not that we’re refusing to follow what God is telling us to do, but we are saying to God, “Not yet.”

“God, I know you’re calling me to start tithing, but not yet.”  ”God, you’ve made it clear that I need to share the Gospel with my neighbor, but not yet.”  ”God, I sense you want me to take a step of faith, but not yet.”  In the process, we neglect God’s kingdom, so we can focus on our own.

What we have to keep in mind is something I learned as a kid, and that is “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”  When God tells us to do something, we cannot hesitate if we want to be in a right relationship with him.

Is there any area in your life where your response to God is “Not yet?”