1 Kings 17:11 (NKJV) 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
As Elijah spoke to this particular widow, this was her giving moment right here. If she chose to obey God, she would be saved from the dire situation she was facing.
The woman had just enough food left for her and her son to eat a final meal, then they were going to die.
Then, along comes a man of God; a prophet named Elijah.
Elijah was asking her to make him a meal before making one for herself and her son.
She had to decide what she should do.
I can only imagine, with her child to think of, what a decision this would be to have to make.
Well, she chose to listen and do what the prophet asked. In return, God made provision for her.
1 Kings 17:14 (NKJV) 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’
She sowed the remainder of what she had, and she did it with the right heart.
The seed she gave went into good ground. And she and her son were taken care of.
Boy, how quickly things can change when we obey.
We know that giving is a very touchy subject for some people. Many people would rather not discuss it.
But the reason we choose to teach on this sensitive topic is because we know it can help people immensely once they understand it.
We teach on it because it’s God’s truth, and it works.
We have seen God move in so many ways when we have obeyed Him in this area.
When giving is done from the heart, it is powerful!
We have literally seen God come through many times on our behalf, or on the behalf of others, because of our giving of one thing or another.
Sometimes It’s money. Other times it’s labor or spending time with someone.
Sometimes it is giving up food for a period of time (fasting), etc. It’s whatever God is asking of us at that particular moment in time.
Oh, the joys of giving! The blessings of the Lord that come from planting our seed in God-given fertile ground.
Sometimes we are not sure if we should give to certain things. When this happens, we may feel torn and undecided.
One day, while listening to someone’s situation, they began crying and saying they couldn’t do it alone. They needed financial help.
Their emotional plea began to move me, and I was willing to give anything I could to help them at that moment.
But when I pulled myself together, I asked God, “do you want me to give to this cause?”.
I thought for sure He would tell me “yes”, and then give me an amount.
But to my surprise He said, “no”. Just like that. No.
I found out later they got more than what they needed within a very short time.
God knew. And I’m glad I listened.
Giving is something we need to take seriously.
When God says, “give”, we need to obey.
When God says, “no, not for this”, no matter how much it is pulling or tugging on our emotions, we need to obey and follow God’s lead.
We can’t let our emotions cause us to act in such a way that it overrides what God is saying to do.
Ask Him for guidance or reassurance, and then follow.
Giving is powerful and makes a difference if we give to what, who and where we are supposed to. Amen.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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