More than Enough?

2 Kings 4:1-7

A Ministers wife was widowed with 2 sons. The widow was left with a debt that she could not see how she could pay. Her husband's creditor was threatening her with taking her 2 sons as indentured servants to pay the debt. So she cried out to Elisha. Elisha asked her what she had in her home, and she replied that she had just a pot of oil. Elisha directs her to borrow as many vessels as she can, from her neighbors and to fill these vessels with the oil from her pot. Having filled all the vessels, Elisha then directs her to sell the oil, pay the creditor, and live on the balance of the earnings.

While this text contains many lessons, in the midst of this miracle is an important lesson of why many of us are missing our blessings. God has given each of us more than enough. When Elisha asked the women what she had in her house, it really didn't matter that it was a pot of oil. The pot of oil was not a magic pot. God will work with each of us with just what we have, in our house. God accepts us just as we are, but are we willing to bring to God, just what we have? The widow didn't think much of the pot of oil, but as time would prove, it would be more than enough. What do you have in your house that the Lord could use?

This is a lesson of faith in action, obedience. Obedience unlocked the blessing that God poured out for the widow. When directed to go and borrow, she didn't complain about who might be willing to let her borrow a vessel. Nor did she question Elisha as to why she would need so many vessels, since she only had one pot of oil. She didn't mumble, grumble or complain, about why Elisha, didn't just give her the money she needed to pay the debt.

Our biggest problem is that we have to be able to see it, understand it, rationalize it, and comprehend it, before we perform it. Godly Obedience is very different from rational obedience. Rational obedience recognizes the reasonable expectation of benefit, and performs the requested action because of the reasonable expectation of gain. This is not really obedience, Godly obedience operates by faith. Faith in God recognizes that what I am unable to perceive really doesn't matter, because I have faith that " is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrew 11:1). Godly Obedience submits fully to the authority of God and His ways. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

Also take note that the widow did not require the entire plan before performing the first task. She did not ask Elisha what she would need to do after filling all the bottles. Nor did she decide after filling them to take matters into her own hands. The widow returned to Elisha for further instructions. How often do we get a task from God and fail to check in after we've completed the next step? We have to maintain our communication with God on a routine basis to be sure we are proceeding in a Godly direction. Don't take Godly inspiration and revelation and mix it with your own imagination. This can result in a dangerous combination. Be sure that all your steps are ordered by the Lord.

God gives us more than enough, but that doesn't mean you won't need friends and neighbors so be a good and faithful friend or neighbor. God gives us more than enough, but it doesn't mean that you won't have to lend or to borrow or to sell what God has loaned to you, so be a good steward over God's property. The widow and her sons may have thought that their father and her husband had left them with nothing, but they had the best inheritance that any of us can leave our family, FAITH. Got Faith? Get some Godly Faith and pass on your faith in God; it will be more than enough. Money, property, and wealth will waste and decay. However, Faith in God will endure, and no matter what, when times get rough, Faith will bring you through, but remember to put Faith into action requires Godly Obedience.

Do you have more than enough Faith? God has given each of us the measure of faith that we require. (Romans 12:3) It's not how much, or how big, that matters, it's how we exercise our faith. Put your faith into action through Godly obedience, and watch the miracle that God will work in your life. Faith must be pure, and when exercised in obedience to God, it accomplishes all things (Mat 17:20, Phil 4:13) . If you have Jesus, what you have is more than enough .

Jesus is coming again...

J.W.O.S. Spread the Word.

Rev. Brian K. Shobe