The Widow’s Mite

On May 1, 2023   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Kings 17: 8 – 16

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in you hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’”

This is not the story you expected when you saw the title, but you will see that this woman, like the widow in Luke 12: 44, gave all she had, the very last of her provision. The widow woman of Zarephath was in the midst of a drought and a famine. She was in hard economic times, not unlike many of us today. When the economy is bad, like it was in Zarephath, people need to hear from God.

The story actually begins with God telling Elijah to go to Zarephath because He had appointed a widow there to provide for him. When Elijah arrived in Zarephath, he found that his “provider” was so broke and destitute that she was gathering sticks to make a fire so that she could use the last handful of flour and the last bit of oil to make a bread cake for her and her son to share. Her after dinner plan was for them to lay down and die. She was done. She had no more money and no prospects. As far as she was concerned it was all over. This is to whom God sent Elijah for sustenance. Now how was the widow supposed to care for Elijah when she couldn’t even care for the needs of herself and her son? God knew that this woman needed a miracle. That is why He sent his prophet and a prophetic word to her.

I want you to notice the first thing that Elijah said to the woman when she told him she had neither meal nor oil. He said, “Do not fear.” Fear is the first thing that has to be dealt with in hard times of any kind. Often, when an angel would visit someone, the first thing the angel would say is, “Fear not.” We’ve got to get that fear out of our environment so that faith has an opportunity to work. Faith and Fear are opposites so you can’t have a faith environment where there is rampant fear. So, fear was the first thing Elijah had to deal with in order to get this woman’s miracle to her. How was she going to walk in faith and make a cake for Elijah as long as she was gripped by fear? She would have been unable. But faith took hold in her, and she did as Elijah said. And she received her miracle. Her flour bowl was constantly full as well as her jar of oil. She was, therefore, able to support Elijah as well as feed herself and her son.

The first step to your financial breakthrough is to rid yourself and your household of fear. Don’t mind what the economists and broadcast media tell you. Use the newspaper as kindling if you must. Those sources are going to be sources of fear, not faith. And where do you find faith? “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10: 17). You’ve got to hear God and what He says about your situation. God’s word has got to be your final authority like it was for the widow woman rather than what the media says or the way things look. Facts are situational. They can change today and no longer be the fact at all.

Second, don’t be afraid to give. Do you see that the widow’s own miracle was in her seed. God sent Elijah to her so that He could give her a miracle. She sowed the last of her flour and oil into the Kingdom of God by feeding it to God’s prophet and God made her flour bowl and oil vat bottomless. That was some well invested flour and oil!

Listen because God is calling out to his kids. God may be speaking to you right now. He wants you to be free of financial care. He desires to have your cup runneth over. Take some time to listen to God and then hearken to the voice of the Lord.

Back to Top

My God 

On November 28, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philippians 4: 18

But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied.

Philippians 4: 19 is a well known scripture, but I am amazed at how few people seem to know verse 18. They both talk about God’s supply but from two different postures. First let’s look at verse 19: “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul, in writing to the church at Philippi, taught that the God of Paul would meet the needs of the Philippians because of the gifts they had sown into Paul’s life and ministry. He said to them, “Because you have met my needs, my God will meet your needs.” This is a very basic principle of how God’s kingdom operates. When you give into a ministry, God is obligated to you. God called Paul into ministry and then the people Paul ministered to took care of meeting his needs. That obligated God to take care of their needs. That is why Paul said, “MY God shall . . ..” His God promised to bless everyone who blessed him (Genesis 12: 3).

That is the first level of God meeting your needs and it is the most basic. As you minister to the needs of the ministers, God causes your seed to multiply back to you. After we have mastered this level, then we move onto glory land. That is where Paul was. He had moved off of verse 19 and onto verse 18, “I am amply supplied.” See, Paul knew who his source was, and he knew that he could always rely on God to meet his need. You won’t move onto verse 18 until you have mastered 19 though. I would like to see the entire body of Christ over into verse 18 where it is no longer my God who will meet your need but rather your God. Isn’t that great? And God is going to more than supply your need. You will have everything in full, an abundance, and be amply supplied. You will have more than enough. Then you will have more blessings which you can sow into other people’s lives and ministries you can support. Giving will be such a way of life for you that you will barely even notice that you are doing it. You will be blessed and a blessing. May it be.

Back to Top

First Things First

On May 9, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 6: 33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

In my Bible, this statement is in red. How does that affect you? In reality, the entire Bible is Jesus speaking to us, but still, there is something impactful about knowing Jesus taught this. Of course, Jesus was talking about seeking God’s kingdom. Provision is in the Father. Jesus was saying that we shouldn’t need to think about food and clothing or any of the other necessities of life. God knows we need those things. Jesus was trying to show people that their task is to seek the Father and the Father will provide. Can you honestly believe that with your heart?

Perhaps you have trusted God for something and not received it. What did that do to your ability to trust Him? Sure, you love Him, but do you trust Him to provide for you? Do you believe He will? If we are honest with one another, we can say that many Christians, many of our contemporaries do not actually put their faith in God’s provision. We have been taught to work for a living, not believe for a living. The mere reading of that statement confounds the mind. What else would we do but work for a living? We know no other way to approach life. Further, it is hard to rely on what we cannot see and touch and what we cannot affect with our own effort, because we have learned to rely on ourselves. This verse requires a different approach, and it is challenging.

None the less, one can see how this verse could be one of the most important scriptures in the New Testament. It is the basis for learning how to live as we ought. It is fundamental. That is to say, it is this scripture which forms the foundation of our Life in Christ theology.

This verse could, and probably should, be the first verse on any list of verses. Whether we need healing, have a bill that needs paying, a relationship issue or something else, this is the place to begin. Seek first, it says. Start here. When we begin with seeking the Father, He then leads us to other verses and to resources we need for our situation.

I cannot find the words to make this verse stand out in volume and magnitude to the degree it should. The beginning of all things is to seek the Father. God wants to be our provider. He is the source of all good things. We must invite Him though. If we will seek Him first, then He will show us the way and give us what we need.

This, literally, could be a weeklong teaching but we are not going to indulge ourselves to that extent. Here are some of the questions that still need consideration. What does it mean to seek God’s righteousness? In short, it means His way of doing things, but there is a whole book chapter there, so please ponder this further. Second, how does one seek God and His kingdom? Are they the same thing? Let me give you a small tidbit on this. First, it is not the same for all people. The question underlying this one is how do you connect with God personally? It necessarily requires slowing down your physiology and your mind so you can hear Him. After that it might involve praise, prayer, Bible study, simply reading the Bible, word studies and more. Some people sing, others even dance. My way is reading my Bible and praying, but that does not mean other forms are not valid or that my way is the only way to seek God. If you don’t yet know how you best connect with Him, then that is the first question I would seek Him about. Ask Him. Just get alone and speak right out loud. “Father, what is the best method for me to seek you? What is the best way for me to find you?” Then, listen. One of the best tools for capturing what you hear is paper and pen. Simply write down what God’s response is. Then look back at it later. If He shows you scripture, make sure to write down the citation so you can go back to it.

Seek the Lord, His kingdom and His methods. Seek His ways first. This is the number one best piece of advice I can give you regardless of the situation you face. He has the answer. He has the way. He has means to an end that you cannot even fathom and that might, frankly, surprise you. This one verse is a doorway to the blessing of God. Seek Him in all things and be blessed.

Back to Top

Runneth Over

On March 3, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 23: 5 – 6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.

Many of you have considered the 23rd Psalm in depth so I don’t want to retrace the same thoughts. None the less, this psalm is popular for good reason. It is packed with good news about our standing with God. I mean, how confident in God’s protection and provision must one be to sit down and have dinner in the midst of enemies?

I really wish, today, to focus on poverty. You can define and categorize poverty as fits your situation. When David wrote about the cup overflowing that means overflowing with friends, finances, health, etc. So, where do you need overflowing provision? It is right here in this psalm.

The language about the overflowing cup stood out to me but so did the idea that goodness and faithfulness are to follow us every day of our lives, every day! How can we be impoverished with those two following along with us daily? The reason these two parts stand out to me is because much of the church likes to enshrine poverty. We even pretend that Jesus was broke which just isn’t true. His garments were so fine that the soldiers gambled over them. You don’t do that over rags. But also, if Father God treated David so magnanimously, would He really let Jesus go around broke and destitute? I mean, really? David’s cup overflowed but Jesus was broke? I don’t buy it.

Sometimes we, church people, put such a high value on poverty that we say we are suffering for Christ or make up other such excuses. It is hard to bless God’s kids when you’re busy being broke. And Lord forbid we actually cause the cups of our pastors to overflow.

I think we need a shake-up from the neck up. We need to revise our thinking and revamp our vision of Christianity. We need to change our image of who God is and what He wants for us. He isn’t destitute so why should His kids be? Cups running over in every area of life, that is a vision I can sink my faith into.

Back to Top

Shepherd

On March 2, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 23: 1 – 4

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Yesterday in our discussion of Psalm 138 I mentioned that I was reminded of Psalm 23 so I thought we should have a look at it. Many of you know this psalm from the King James Bible which is poetic and lovely, but it is good for us to look at a variety of versions. This is the New American Standard.

So, I want to use your imagination again today. Picture yourself as a little lamb with Jesus as your shepherd. The first thing represented is provision. The Lord provides for you. You have everything you need. Then we see him leading you to a place of comfort and peace. Here you can lie down and not worry. The pastures are green, ripe with nutritious food and a comfortable place to sleep. There is a bubbling brook there with sweet, clear water, no raging rivers to ford, just a pleasant sound to lull you into peaceful slumber. Of course, this is restorative. He wants you to lie down and rest your mind and body. He is standing guard so that you do not have to worry. Be at peace and rest.

Jesus has a stake in all this. Not only does he love you. Not only did the Father give him charge over you but also, his name is at stake. He leads you in right paths to protect and bless you but if he didn’t, his name would be smeared, his lordship tarnished. He has a duty to lead in right paths. If you stumble and fall off the edge of a narrow trail, his name is besmirched. So, he keeps his little ones from harm.

Lastly, and this reflects back to yesterday, we can be in the midst of trouble, in the very valley of death and yet have no fear. We think of the rod as a disciplinary tool. Jesus thinks of it as a protection tool. The staff and rod show their first use when a ravenous wolf appears. You may be threatened by the wolf but then you see the shepherd’s crook flash from the corner of your eye and the wolf scurry for cover. He also uses his rod and staff to guide you so that you are kept to the safe path. Remember, he is leading us all to fertile fields with creeks of refreshing water. If you stray from the correct path, you will not arrive at Eden. Therefore, Jesus uses his staff to guide you, keeping you on the fruitful path. The path is narrow which leads to the land of plenty, so he is vigilant to guide you with the rod and staff so that you do not stray and find yourself in a thicket.

So much of what Jesus does in our lives is directly spoken to by this psalm. He is obligated, by God Himself, to guide us, to lead us in the way we should go. His rod and staff comfort us because our confidence is boosted and worry eradicated as we perceive the protective guard rails he establishes for us. The moment we begin to wander in the wrong direction he nudges us back in the right direction. He is constantly trying to direct us. Only stupid sheep ignore their shepherd. Ignoring his voice leads to being lost, lonely and without provision. Seek him, yes, but seek also his instruction and guidance. Daily listen to his direction for you.

I hope you were able to enjoy your visual journey as a lamb. Perhaps you added your own images.  It is a good visualization to play with. As you wander, visually, with Jesus, you see the care with which he guards his beloved.

Back to Top

Done and Done

On July 3, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

1 Corinthians 2: 9

Just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

The part of this verse which really grabbed me was that God has already prepared things for us. The verse does not say that once we pray, God will prepare these things which are beyond what eye has seen and ear has heard. It says that He already has prepared all these things for us. That is a pretty big revelation. This substance, these things which God has already prepared for us is beyond what has ever entered our hearts. That is the second part of the revelation, that God has already created things for you that you currently don’t even know you want.

Ephesians 3: 20 says that God is able to do for us beyond all we can think or ask. Before we have even dreamed up the next idea or want, He has already created and stocked it for us. He has already prepared things which are beyond our ability to dream or think. So, ten years ago, for instance, or 20 years ago, God prepared the things that you want and need today. I hope this is a revelation which is sinking in. Take it a step further though.

He has already prepared things for you which no human eye has ever seen, which no human ear has ever heard and which no human heart or mind has ever conceived. There will come a day when an idea, concept or dream will drop into your mind. That idea will require resources. That dream will be an expansion of your former thoughts. Where does it come from? Perhaps God is the source of these ideas and dreams and before they are ever perceived, God is already at work providing the means by which they can and will be realized.

If God has already stocked the storehouse, if He has already prepared the resources, then the only question is, how do you requisition the materials. I believe the answer begins right here. We must first apprehend this simple appreciation of God’s provision. We need to allow this revelation to take root in our hearts so that we know and believe that all we need has already been prepared. This is the beginning of living those dreams.

God has great plans for your tomorrow and your today. He is giving you hopes and ambitions and He has already laid aside the substance of those dreams so that you make walk in success and enjoy all the good things He has prepared for you.

Will knowing this verse change your prayer life? Will it alter the conversation you have with God? Will your prayer ask God to provide when the Bible is telling us He already has or will your begin to look more for distribution than manufacturing? Tomorrow can look very different today because now you know He has already provided.

Back to Top

My Plan

On May 30, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 29: 11

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

God had a plan for us from the beginning. Before He created us He made a plan for our success and well-being. I intend to use this week’s devotions to show the plan He had for us and how it has unfolded with time.

It really begins before the Garden of Eden when He conceived us and the earth. He made us an ideal place to live, learn and grow. That was only the beginning, of course, but all through time He had a plan for our welfare, a plan that was not for calamity. By His own admission, it was a plan designed to give us a future and to bathe us in hope continually. Never were we to feel hopeless, mired down in tragedy and misfortune. His plan was for perfect peace, “Shalom” in the Hebrew, which is the all encompassing fullness of everything being as it should be. Shalom is rendered welfare in the New American Standard because the word peace doesn’t incorporate the fullness of meaning, and in fact, paragraphs of text cannot fully convey the complete provision, health, wellness and blessing which is included in the word “Shalom”.

It is a pinnacle word for us though, one which is at the very peak of expression because it describes the plan God had for us. His plan was for a perfect environment provisioned with everything we need and want. More than anything, His plan had us walking hand in hand with Him daily so that we would never have a want in our hearts. We should have never experienced one moment of loneliness, isolation or one unfulfilled second. His plan met all of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs and desires. His plan for us was heaven, heaven here on earth, a safe place where we could bask in His radiance and skip around like hinds on the heights.

The plan became corrupted, but stay tuned as we venture forward, looking deeper into God’s plan for us. Through this brief, but exciting journey, you will come to know, in your heart, where your life with Him is meant to reside today.

Back to Top