Why You’re Working Hard but Getting Nowhere | Haggai 1:6

Devotional

“You have sown much, and harvested 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.”

Haggai is one of the twelve minor prophets that lived in the time of Israel’s return to Jerusalem due to Babylonian exile. His book is used to encourage the Jewish people to rebuild the house of the Lord.

This book, chapter one specifically, is a reminder to always put God first. When the Jewish people returned from exile, they focused on what they could build for themselves.

They dwelled in paneled housing while the house of the Lord was in ruins.

Like any time when the Lord’s covenant is not kept, the people were cursed, this time with a drought. Haggai 1:11 says, “..’I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.’”

The people were working, building, and earning—but nothing satisfied. This wasn’t a lack of effort. It was a lack of alignment.

They were focused on building their own lives while neglecting what mattered most.

This is the danger for us as well. In our fitness journey, it’s easy to chase progress—strength, discipline, results—while losing sight of why we’re doing it.

It is better to ask, “where can I get stronger in order to serve you, Lord?” than to ask “Lord, will you help me get stronger so I can be more fulfilled?”

If God isn’t first, nothing else will satisfy—no matter how much progress we make.

Workout

Below is the workout for the day.

ONE thing to consider when completing this workout:

1. We’ve made it to max week! For our main lift, we will warmup then do a set of 3, a set of 2, then our singles. In the workout I put 3 singles, purely as a suggestion. This is max day! Have fun and add weight until you can’t get it!

Pull-Up

1 set of 3 reps

1 set of 2 reps

3+ sets of 1 rep

Cable Seated Row (Hammer-Grip)

4 sets of 8 reps

DB Incline Bicep Curl

4 sets of 8 reps

Cable Face Pull

4 sets of 8 reps