Running Out?

"And she went and did..." 1 Kings 17:15

Enjoy reading 1 Kings 17: 1-16

Widowed. Alone. Destitute. Starving. Victim of drought. Ready to die. These words describe the widow of Zeraphath. (Her name isn't even mentioned in this account). She came from a nation who did not follow the God of Israel. She had no hope. She was ready to prepare her (and her son's) last meal. She was running out. If that wasn't bad enough, there was company at the door.

Enter Elijah the prophet. A man she didn't know (although apparently she knew him by reputation) comes asking for water and food during her difficult time. If anyone was a candidate for a hand out, it was her - not Elijah. This prophet of God didn't come with a bag of groceries. He came with a promise and instruction from his God... a promise of abundant food supply... if she gave what little she had. Elijah didn't focus on what was. He focused on what God said. This woman who did not know God had the same opportunity. I can imagine that she took a good long look at the last bit of oil and flour she had left. She could've had an attitude toward him... she could've allowed fear to paralyze her...but she went and did as Elijah asked.

Somehow, this woman acted in faith. Her fear of running out vanished in her faith of running over. She believed what God said. She had to take action, however. Faith is acting out what one believes. "She went and did". She gave. God met her running out with running over.

Are you in a running out situation? Running out of hope? Time? Patience? Money? First you must choose whether fear or faith will move you. Be encouraged- faith is what moves God. Listen for His instruction. Give what little bit you have left to God- use it for Him. He will respond to your faith. This nameless woman had her need met up to the brim and then some.

God will do the same for you- and He knows your name.

For extra encouragement read Matthew 15, Mark 8, Luke 9 and John 6 to see what Jesus did with a little boy's 2-piece fish dinner.

Scrapbooking Part 2

"...they were written for our instruction." 1 Corinthians 10:11

This verse couldn't be any clearer. What was journaled through Israel's history in the books of Chronicles is there for us to learn from. As we open the scrapbook of Israel's history, there is no denying- it is what it is. Israel made the choice as to how their history would be journaled and it cannot be changed. Fortunately, God can teach us through other's mistakes, and Israel has a mess of them for us to learn from, all recorded in permanent ink.

The nice thing about scrapooking? We do have a choice what we want to picture and journal. Usually, it's the good stuff. Birthdays, family reunions, milestone events, etc. we can leave out the ugly if we choose. I know I don't choose to scrapbook the uglier sides of my life. However, just like Israel, we have it all- the good, the bad and the ugly. And no matter what we choose to omit in an actual scrapbook, the ugly parts of our lives can still be a haunting reality. God sees the pages we've laid out in our spiritual scrapbook.

The best thing about our spiritual scrapbook? God's got an eraser! If there's an ugly picture (sin) we want omitted, He'll omit if for us! The eraser is (the blood of) Jesus- who died for this very reason-to take our sins away! He washes, forgives and forgets our sin. God no longer sees the picture(s) of guilt in our life. He tears it out and tapes over with a new picture. There may be consequences, and even some wreckage to deal with, but God will help us through, if we keep moving forward, believing and trusting in Him. Think about your own journey with God, if you will. What's in your scrapbook? Pages of obedience? Pages where you trusted God? Pages of anger? Peace? Pages of fear? Pages of quitting? What is being journaled for you? What pictures do you want?

Israel had continued difficulty in moving forward. They kept choosing to go back, not trusting what God told them and thus getting stranded in sin. God was always there, however, longing for them to choose what was best for them. There is so much to learn from their failures (and their successes). We have the same freedom to choose, as they did...what will I choose...what will you choose for your life's journal?