2 K. 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
*It doesn’t matter what you have...you have something...God has given every man the measure of faith (Ro.12:3) (the = definite article - not just any faith, but a particular faith from God.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
*She had to fulfill a requirement, no matter how uncomfortable it made her fill. Surely, some would ask why she needed empty vessels & she would have to tell them about her embarrassing circumstances & or declare her faith in the word in the prophet's word.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
*She didn’t pour out what was hers alone, but what God took of hers & blessed & multiplied.
She didn’t pour into what was hers, but what belonged to someone else, then she was satisfied.
As long as she was pouring out into someone else’s vessel, she had enough for herself. Serving God has to involve other people If she had borrowed more, she would have received more.
God showed her what he could do with emptiness. The more we empty ourselves, the more he fills us with valuable things.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. *She paid her debt, rescued her sons, & had blessings leftover.
*We ‘think’ faith...but we don’t always ‘act’ by faith ...
Paul speaks of relying on God >
2 Cor 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; (we have plenty in God & we are capable in God)
►John has been beheaded & Jesus is headed to a desert place & a multitude are following him...
Matt 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to themultitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
*Here again, Jesus has shown that his grace is sufficient. He takes what we think is worthless or 'not enough' & uses it for his glory. He shows the disciples here that they have a responsibility to care for others as he cares for them.
It’s not until we give that we receive.
Sometimes we’re quicker to give to friends & acquaintances because it makes us look good...but we mustn’t take our family for granted or overlook them that can’t give to us in return. God's blessings upon us are much greater than any return from one another.
Matt 25:37...Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
1 Pet 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
*Every example we have of Christ involves some kind of interaction with others...showing love in some way. If we say that we abide in Christ then we should be examples of his love. >
1 John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
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