1 Kings 17:13-14
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.”
All too often we think of sacrificial giving in terms of foregoing the purchase of some little bauble and giving the money for the work of the Lord. We somehow have the idea that our money is our money and we can do with it as we please. In a way that is true, but the consequences of doing with our money as we wish is dangerous.
I have always been awed by the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. You may recall that there was a terrible drought in the land that God had sent as a punishment of the godless King Ahab, and his wife, Jezebel. I am sure that many had died of starvation and the widow in this passage was near death.
We are told earlier that the Lord had told her that the prophet was coming and she should be prepared for him. I have no idea how long that had been, but there was barely enough flour and oil to make that last meal for herself and her son—then they faced death by starvation. Was it really God who told her to provide when she had nothing.
Incredibly, Elijah told the widow to prepare a small loaf for him FIRST, then make the meal for her and her son. In faith believing, she obeyed and brought Elijah his small meal. We must realize that this was no small gift. It was her ultimate act of sacrificial giving.
Above all else we need to inquire of the Lord what He wants us to give and how we are to do it. An obedient spirit is what the Lord is seeking. It is not the amount you possess, but your willingness to give it all that matters to God. Are you a sacrificial giver?
Blessings dear hearts. Give obediently to the Lord and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil