Category: Provision

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Through the Looking Glass

Do you remember being a child and using a magnifying glass for the first time? What was it that you were looking at; a bug, a coin, a hair, a crack in the sidewalk or perhaps a picture? I remember my grandmother had a magnifying glass in the top drawer of her desk. I wasn’t able to use it without permission or supervision. I think the first thing I looked at was a postage stamp. Yes, a purplish pink 4c Lincoln stamp. There was so much detail and I was fascinated.

As I’ve grown older I have used a magnifying glass many times. Looking for maker’s marks on old items, looking for splinters in fingers, examining small print on packages and finding tiny imperfections in things thought to be valuable.

Isn’t it interesting, the more we study something the more we see imperfection.

The same holds true when we look through our magnifying glass into the lives of the people we love or work with. When we’re tired we look through the glass and see “I’m the only one who has to do all the work” or “I just don’t understand why they NEVER or why they CAN’T”. Yes, we magnify the imperfections in others while also magnifying our “sacrifices” and “selflessness”.

I know none of you have ever done this but of course, we all know someone who has. There’s another way we can use the magnifying glass – we can use it to overexaggerate the problem and underestimate our self-worth and abilities. I was thinking about the Israelites when they sent spies into the promised land while they were in the desert. They wanted to know what this land that God had promised was like. So they sent in a reconnaissance team of 12 men who were to come back with a report.

“ Find out if the land is rich or poor, and if there are trees in it or not. Then try to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now this was the gathering time of the first grown grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land… 23 Then they came to the valley of Eshcol. They cut down a branch from there with some grapes on it. And they carried it on a long piece of wood between two men, with some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of much fruit the men of Israel cut down from there.

25 They returned from looking over the land after forty days. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the people of Israel in the desert of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought news to them and to all the people, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They told Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us. It does flow with milk and honey. This is its fruit. 28 But the people who live in the land are strong. The cities have walls and are very large. And we saw the children of Anak there…

30 Then Caleb told the people in front of Moses to be quiet. And he said, “Let us go up at once and take the land. For we are well able to take it in battle.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go against the people. They are too strong for us.” 32 So they brought the people of Israel bad news about the land they had spied out, saying, “The land we have gone to spy out is a land that destroys those who go there to live. All the people we saw in it are very large. 33 We saw the Nephilim there. (The sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim.) We looked like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:20-35 NLV

Do you see that? They talked about the good things they saw, the fertile land, the fruit, the harvest but they focused on the giants. They magnified the strength of the giants but minimalizing their own value. These are a people who had just seen the Lord deliver them from Egypt, had crossed the Red Sea, had food dropped from heaven for them each morning, drank water that had gushed out of a rock and now were looking at grapes so big that it took 2 men to carry a cluster and they were defeated by their perception of the situation.

How many times have we done the same? I’m too young, I’m too old; I’m not educated; I don’t have enough money; I’m just a Mom; I can’t do another thing. The I can’ts defeat us before we even get started. We put the magnifying glass on our shortcomings instead of on the blessings and opportunities and so we look like grasshoppers in our own eyes.

There’s a simple solution to our situation. Move the magnifying glass!

Caleb heard the report and said “let’s go at once and take the land”. He was looking through the glass at the goodness of the land. Let’s take it! We need that same attitude. We have God’s word that has promised us that we can have peace in a storm, strength when we feel weak, joy in place of sorrow and be well supplied for our needs. We are promised wisdom when we are lacking and protection when we are under attack.

Instead of magnifying the problem, change the focus and magnify the solution.

“My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. 3 Give great honor (magnify) to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together. 4 I looked for the Lord, and He answered me. And He took away all my fears.” Psalm 34:2-4 NLV

There was a young girl who could have seen her flaws and inabilities if she had focused on them but instead she chose to “magnify” the Lord. Her name was Mary. The angel came and told her that she was going to have a baby, the son of God. Mary’s heart focused on the promise and not on the problem.

“Then Mary said, “My heart sings (magnifies) with thanks for my Lord. 47 And my spirit is happy in God, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin. 48 The Lord has looked on me, His servant-girl and one who is not important. But from now on all people will honor me. 49 He Who is powerful has done great things for me. His name is holy.” Luke 1:46-49 NLV

Magnify the Lord – magnify His word and the solutions that He provides. When we look through the glass at Jesus we won’t find imperfections or weaknesses. We will see His strength, His abilities and His power.

He will take away all our fears!

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A Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep like a baby…it may seem strange for me to be talking to you about sleep. I know, I’m the one who rises early and doesn’t seem to require a lot of sleep and maybe it’s because I have learned these verses.

“I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.” Psalm 4:8 CEV

I hear so many people talking asking “how’d you sleep last night”. It’s big business – specialized mattresses, memory foam pillows, just the right comforter and if all those fail then there are the sleep aids. We are obsessed with getting a good night’s sleep and rightfully so. Our bodies need rest to reenergize. Our brains need sleep so that we can function with clear headed alertness. Yes, sleep is important and since it is, God has something to say about it.

“It is a waste of time to get up early and stay up late, trying to make a living. The Lord provides for those he loves, even while they are sleeping.” Psalm 127:2 ERV

Many times we lose sleep because we are working so hard that we just don’t have time. Or we get so anxious over what needs to be done to provide for our families that we just have to stay up a few more hours to get this project done. A good work ethic is important. The things we do should be done right and done well. However, we sometimes put more pressure on ourselves than we should. “If I don’t get this done…”

The Lord is the one who provides us with the job/career we have. He is the one who has given us the abilities we possess and ultimately it is the Lord who is our provider. Our jobs may be one avenue of income but God is our source. Lie down at night with a prayer on your lips “Lord, thank you for giving me restful sleep tonight so that I can wake up refreshed in the morning. Ready for another day of honoring you.” You’ll be amazed at how well you sleep.

Roll all the cares and worries of the day over on Him. He has big shoulders and his solutions are better than yours so He can solve the problems that are facing you.

“ Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. 29 Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. 30 For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLV

The Lord desires to carry those things that weigh us down and cause us to worry and in turn to lose sleep. Jesus certainly faced as many stressful and anxious moments as we do but He was able to sleep in the middle of those storms. We should follow His example and handle our storms the same way.

“ A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water. 38 Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.40 He said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:37-40 ERV

I can hear someone saying “Ya, but that was Jesus. I’m not him and I’ve got big problems.” Ok, so let’s look at a guy with big problems, Peter. He’s about to be tried in court and possibly executed; he fell asleep, peaceful sleep.

“One night, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two of the soldiers. More soldiers were guarding the door of the jail. Herod was planning to bring Peter out before the people the next day. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord was standing there, and the room was filled with light. The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry, get up!” The chains fell off Peter’s hands.” Acts 12:6-7 ERV

When I was a young child my sleep was plagued with nightmares. All sorts of monstrous and horrible images filled my dreams. I would wake up frightened many nights. On the worst occasions I remember going in and asking my Mom if I could sleep with them. She would comfort me and take me back to bed and then I would be ok.

After I became a mother I would pray over my little ones as I put them to bed. “you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly” I put the Father in charge of their sleep. It made their nights and mine more restful.

“My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind. 22 They will help you to live a long and beautiful life. 23 You will walk safely and never stumble; 24 you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly.25 So don’t be afraid of sudden disasters or storms that strike those who are evil.” Proverbs 4:21-25 ERV

If you face nights without sleep I encourage you to choose one of the verses above and tell the Lord when you go to bed, “Lord, this is your promise and you don’t lie so I’m depending on what you said for a good night’s sleep”.

You know there are times, few and far between, when my sleep is uneasy or absent and that’s when I go back and remind myself of these verses. Then there are many times, like the other morning, when I get up in the middle of the night to pray. That’s different. But whether it’s sleep or strength I have learned to trust God to provide exactly what I need.

Rest well dear ones. Sleep in peace!

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Living A Life of Health

We can’t leave Psalm 103 just yet. Yesterday we just looked at a couple of the promises that the Lord had for us this. This morning I want us to look again at verse 3.

“He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses.” Psalm 103:3 CEV

I was really amazed the first time I read this verse. As I said yesterday, I knew God would forgive my sins but no one had ever told me that He would heal me from sickness. Having grown up in Sunday School I had heard the stories of people Jesus had healed in the Bible. There were some lepers, lame men, some who were blind, a woman with a bleeding problem, a couple people who had died and been raised to life again and then scores who had various sicknesses and diseases.

I believed that Jesus did miracles but I had no confidence that He would heal me. There you have it – So as I heard people start to teach about healing and say that God wanted me well I was skeptical. I had the mindset that maybe God would and maybe He wouldn’t but when I read this verse there was no getting around the word ALL.

“Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses. 24 The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all those who were sick. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some had demons inside them, some suffered from seizures, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed them all.” Matthew 4:23-24 CEV

There it was again – ALL.

“From there, Jesus went along Lake Galilee. Then he climbed a hill and sat down. 30 Large crowds came and brought many people who were crippled or blind or lame or unable to talk. They placed them, and many others, in front of Jesus, and he healed them all. 31 Everyone was amazed at what they saw and heard. People who had never spoken could now speak. The lame were healed, the crippled could walk, and the blind were able to see. Everyone was praising the God of Israel.” Matthew 15:29-31 CEV

I was beginning to see this “all” in a new light but my mind was telling me that this was for the Bible days when Jesus was in his physical body and physically touching people. Jesus wasn’t physically in front of me, could I be healed like this?

“My son, listen to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them leave your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.” Proverbs 4:20-22 NLV

By listening to and reading God’s word I had learned about forgiveness. I learned about healing the same way, it came from God’s word. Jesus never turned anyone away who came to Him for healing. In fact He sent his disciples out as his representatives with a command to heal. It was all part of what He came to do – forgiveness, healing and peace of mind.

“When you go, tell them this: ‘God’s kingdom is now very near.’ 8 Heal the sick. Bring the dead back to life. Heal the people who have leprosy. And force demons out of people. I give you these powers freely, so help others freely.” Matthew 10:7-8 ERV

As I studied I found that the Lord had provided both forgiveness and healing. It was His will for me.

“The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. 5 But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain. 6 We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on him.” Isaiah 53:4-6 CEV

There are so many more verses that I could give on healing and it being God’s will for us but I won’t list them now. I hope that you will begin to see that you can go to the Father when you body is weakened by sickness and disease and receive healing just like you receive forgiveness. I began trusting the Lord for healing over 40 years ago. I started out small – praying over a headache, a toothache, the sniffles. Through the years I have seen my body healed, my children, my husband, friends and strangers. Health has become a way of life.

Yes, I have physical health issues from time to time. Yes, I go to the doctor for their help when needed. Doctors aren’t evil – medicine isn’t bad but I pray first. I get the Lord working on my healing before I trust it to anyone else. And then I don’t just trust Him for healing, I trust Him for health. It’s great to be healed from some sickness or disease but it’s even better not to be sick in the first place.

There is so much to share and I’m limited by the length of a blog but I told you I would share with you the verses that I have written on my cards. These are some of those verses. I will close with a prayer that the Apostle John prayed. It is my prayer for you…

“My dear friend, I know that you are doing well spiritually. So I pray that everything else is going well with you and that you are enjoying good health.” III John 2 ERV

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What’s Better Than a Mama Grizzly

I’m sure by now most of you have heard the term Mama Grizzly. It’s been used around quite a bit in the last few years. Of course the meaning can be construed to fit a number of situations and refers to taking a strong defensive stand.

I want you to look at it this morning in light of our relationship with the Father. When Jesus was on this earth he faced constant criticism from the religious leaders and rulers of his day. His own family didn’t understand Him. People followed him out of selfish motives; they wanted to see the next miracle and have a free meal.

No one other than Jesus has ever lived a perfect life. He was pure, even when angry he was righteous. He looked at people and was moved with great love. He championed the weak, healed the sick, brought comfort to those with broken hearts and restored relationship to those who had been outcast. He even forgave the ones responsible for his death. He came with a single purpose – defeat the power of sin, providing a perfect sacrifice for our forgiveness and restoration to God.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

When things looked the darkest and hope was almost gone, God stepped in with the ultimate victory.

“We have seen and heard everything He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And yet they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. 40 God raised Him to life on the third day and made Him to be seen.” Acts 10:39-40 NLV

When we accept what Jesus has done for us personally is when we truly become God’s child and can call him Father.

“He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name.” John 1:12 NLV

Once we are in God’s family he defends us, we can be confident of that.

“If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right.” Romans 8:31-33 CEV

God, our Father, makes it his personal business to provide for our well being and our defense. He will not, WILL NOT, leave us to struggle through things on our own. It’s his promise!

“’The mountains may disappear, and the hills may become dust, but my faithful love will never leave you. I will make peace with you, and it will never end.’ The Lord who loves you said this.” Isaiah 54:10 ERV

Our loving Father is the one who kept Noah safe in the ark; gave David victory over Goliath; delivered Daniel safely out of the lion’s den; and sent an angel to release Paul from prison. He protects and provides for “his kids”. He’s much better than a “Mama Grizzly”.

One last verse.

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.” 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” Psalm 91:1-4 ERV

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If You’ve Ever Been in Need – This is a Must Read!

Years back when I began writing verses on index cards and really began to trust God to keep His promises, I needed to know that God loved me. I knew that He loved the whole world; I knew that Jesus died for me but I needed to know that God loved me enough to think about me each day, to be concerned with what was going on in my family and I needed to know that He truly wanted my life to be good.

Maybe you’re not there but I was. I was desperate to experience God’s love every day!

We were in a real hard place financially. Not sure how many of you have ever been there but it’s not good. We were working hard, trying to make ends meet but we were falling short, way short, every month. We had two pre-teen kids and a new baby. We lived in AZ where our monthly summertime utility bill was more than our house payment. And we knew that the Bible said God would supply all our needs but we definitely weren’t experiencing it.

One day, in the midst of all this, our son came, looked in the refrigerator and it was empty. Not much more than the condiments in the refrigerator door. He looked at me and say very matter of fact-ly, “Mom, you need to go grocery shopping. We’re about out of everything.” He closed the fridge and headed back outside to play.

With that, I walked into the other room where I wouldn’t be seen, sat down on the floor and began to weep! I was devastated. My son was right, we needed groceries but I knew that we had no money and no way to buy any. I cried out to the Lord. “Lord, you HAVE to do SOMETHING. I need to have food for my kids.” Dave and I had learned to fast but the kids needed food.

And then I heard in my heart, “Kristi, come to me with the same confidence that Koy came to you. You don’t need to complain or cry or be worried about any of it. I’m your Dad, just ask confidently, like your son did, and watch me provide.” I was stunned! I had been going to God like some undeserving beggar and He wanted me to ask like a child, making a request to my Father.

“Because you are the sons of God, He has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The Spirit cries, “Father!” 7 So now you are no longer a servant who is owned by someone. You are a son. If you are a son, then you will receive what God has promised through Christ.” Galatians 4:6-7 NLV

It was then those verses I used a few days ago came flooding back into my memory.

“Do not worry. Do not keep saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ 32 The people who do not know God are looking for all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. 33 First of all, look for the holy nation of God. Be right with Him. All these other things will be given to you also.” Matthew 6:31-33 NLV

And these:

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” (spoken by Jesus) John 10:10 CEV

“Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLV

Yes, I know I used these verses in the last few days but you see, if you’re going to live victoriously in God’s word the verses have to be the first thing that come to mind. You need to be confident that God won’t lie and that He will keep his promises! If not, worry will overwhelm and fear will prevail.

I’ve heard it said that you won’t truly learn a foreign language until you are no longer translating your conversation in your head. It has to roll out without thinking about it. That’s the way it is with learning God’s language, His word, it has to be so ingrained that it’s the first thing we think of in any given situation. And if not the first, then it needs to take precedence over that first thought. The Apostle Paul calls it a renewed mind.

“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2 CEV

Now back to that conversation in my kitchen. My son didn’t tell me all that he had done to “deserve” me going to the grocery store and buying him some food. He didn’t say, “Mom, I’ve cleaned my room, been nice to my sisters, I helped Dad in the yard so would you please, pretty please, go to the store and buy some groceries”. No he was just confident that if he told me we needed to fill the fridge I would do something about it.

So as I sat there I gave the Lord my grocery list. I told Him everything we needed. We could use some bread, eggs, milk, meat, veggies, butter, coffee, cereal. And then I said, “Lord, I don’t know how you’re going to get this but I know you’ll come by it honestly. Thank you for providing.” And I got up, went back to the kitchen and finished the dishes.

The next day shortly after breakfast there was a knock on our door. Friends who lived over 30 miles away had come for a visit. “We’re just in the neighborhood” is what they said. Then our friend told Dave he had something in the car he needed help with. His wife and I sat in the kitchen and began to visit. The next thing I knew, they were coming through the door with bags of groceries. Everything that was on my list and more! Even now as I’m telling you this my eyes are filling with tears!

God is good – God is faithful – God can be trusted!

I would love to tell you that was the end of our financial struggles but it wasn’t. It has been a lifetime of trusting God to provide. Sometimes worry has gotten the upper hand, sometimes we have tried to “fix” it ourselves and only made matters worse. But every time we have returned to confidently trusting in the Lord and His promises He has provided.

Is it important to get God’s word in your heart? Absolutely! Is God’s word true? Unequivocally!

Now you have a little more insight into who I am and why I trust God – He loves me and He has provided for my family!

You can trust Him too!

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No GPS or Voicemail

Have you ever gotten stuck in one of those phone trees – you know the ones, press 1 for billing, press 2 to change your address, press 3 for something else, press 5 for none of the above. They never give you the number to press to get a live person to talk too and then when you’ve been holding for 20-30 minutes you errantly get disconnected and have to call back and start the process over. Has to be one of the most frustrating things ever!

Or what about the GPS that you are depending on to help you navigate an unknown city. Turn here, turn there, recalculating, recalculating, recalculating!

The two verses that we are looking at this morning come from the book of Jeremiah. This book is a history of the Israelites being carried off as prisoners of the king of Babylon, their repentance while in captivity and their return to their Promised Land of Israel.

So what’s that got to with us? All Scripture is truly a letter to us from God. We can learn from what others did wrong to avoid the same pitfalls and failures that they experienced. As we look at these two verses this morning we will see that no matter how far the people of Israel went in their rebellion to God he was always reaching out to them in love.

“0 After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for seventy years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. 11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:10-13 CEV

We can learn from the Israelites. God always had a plan for them to be a great nation, His people. He had promised to protect, provide and give them victory but they became distracted and disobedient when they began to worship the false gods of the nations around them. They forgot and then ignored the plan that God had set for them.

Do you remember the very first of the 10 commandments?

“Do not worship any god except me. 4 Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. 5 Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. 6 But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.” Exodus 20:3-4 CEV

God’s command to worship only Him was a command for their own good and protection. He knew that if they followed other gods if would be detrimental and He didn’t want to see His people destroyed or depraved as other nations were. But God didn’t want puppets serving Him; He wanted them to serve Him out of love and not because they had no choice. God gave them a free will – the right to choose. Theirs was a bad choice and it led to their captivity.

We have a choice too. It’s important that we make the right ones, when we do we live this life that Lord reminded the people about. It is a life with a future filled with hope and blessing, a future of success and not suffering. God was reminding the Israelites and us that His plan for us is good and if we ask for help He is there to answer.

We don’t need a GPS to follow the plan God has for us we just need to call out to Him and he will direct our path.

“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:3 NLV

When we call out to God we don’t have to go through press 1 for this, press 5 for that and we never get stuck on hold or go to voicemail. We are instantly connected to our loving, heavenly Father. He is always there and will provide the help we need. (Remember yesterday’s verse)

Rest assured God is always there and waiting for us to call.

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How Generous are You?

How generous are you? Think about it for a minute, this morning’s devotional will possibly challenge and stretch you a bit. Generosity and trust go hand in hand.

Some people are stingy and miserly because they are afraid they won’t have enough for themselves. Others react that way because they feel everything they have is a result of “their” own hard work and sweat and so they have no desire to share.

But a truly generous person realizes that everything they have is a blessing from the Lord and that they can trust God to provide ALL their needs. When the Lord instructs us to give He provides!

I was really challenged by the story of Elijah and the widow woman of Zarepath this morning. Oh, I’ve read it many times – many times but this morning I was challenged.

“There was no rain, so after a while the stream became dry. 8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.”

10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. He went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” 11 As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.”

12 The woman answered, “I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”

13 Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”

15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. 16 The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.”
I Kings 17:7-16 ERV

There had been a drought in the land. Food was scarce and people were starving. Elijah was a servant of God and He was used to listening for the Lord’s voice and obeying it. However, we have a widowed woman in a town who is down to her very last morsel of food and she probably isn’t accustomed to the Lord speaking to her too often. And she is presented with a life and death challenge.

This preacher walks into town and requests her last bit of food. “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me.” Really? That’s pretty bold!!

Don’t forget verse 9. God had already commanded the woman to take care of Elijah. Now she has a choice – obey God and feed the prophet or make her bread, feed her son and starve. I’m sure she struggled a bit in making her decision. Maybe her struggle came when the Lord first spoke to her or maybe it was when she was confronted by the prophet. A mother who has already seen her husband die and now she knows the life of her son is in danger – her instinct is to protect her child.

She chooses to obey God! Struggle over – victory comes.

What are you struggling with today? Has the Lord asked you to be a blessing to someone – maybe even a stranger? Be obedient, follow the Lord’s instruction, His provision is always enough!

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Welcoming Rains

Yesterday morning I was emailing a friend and telling her about the rains we had the night before. Telling her how the whole area was greening up and everything seemed to be refreshed and welcoming to the rains.

As I was keyboarding the message I looked out my front window and saw a beautiful bird sitting on the top of the gate with a big, fat worm hanging from his beak. What a great image! Starting the day refreshed and full.

How do birds know they like worms? How do some know that they only like seeds? And then there are the little hummingbirds who come by the dozens to drink from my feeders…how do they know?

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. 29 But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 30 If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

31 “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:25-33 ERV

The sun isn’t even up yet but the birds are singing. They are anticipating the goodness of the day! Shouldn’t we start our day the same – with a song?

Thank you Father for providing ALL I need. I want Your plan to be my plan today. I trust You!

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