Revelations VI

by Proverbs 31 Woman

Sell the Oil and Give!

“She went and told the man of God, and he said,

"Go, sell the oil and pay your debts.
You and your sons can live on what is left."
2 Kings 4:17

Bible Passage: 2 Kings 4: 1-7

Real Life:
Through the years, I have this weakness for hoarding things. I have accumulated quite a treasure in clothes, shoes, household gadgets, and bolts of cloth materials for my quilts that would probably sum up to more than a thousand yards, among others!. Most often, I would buy on credit which would set me off quickly to some rigid income-generating activities to pay off my debts. Obviously, the motive was for the wrong reasons. Since I quit working, my husband and I had no other means but to live on a very tight budget. Needless to say, there was not any extra to support myself and my “wants”.

On the other hand, my husband is the complete opposite, thank God! He is gifted with a generous heart even if it meant giving our last food to feed the hungry. Sometimes I wonder if it hadn’t been for his giving heart and faith in God, maybe my family would probably not experience miracles of provision from the Lord. I prayed and asked God to give me a heart like my husband’s so I could also give freely with a cheerful heart. Often, my hubby reminds me to weed out my closet and give my old things to the less fortunate. One day, I did. In fact, I was able to yield four extra large boxes of old clothes, and two large boxes full of shoes and used curtains and sheets, all from one closet! Regrettably, I found myself labeling prices on them thinking I could earn a handsome return if I so decide to sell at a rummage sale.

I was reading the book of 2 Kings while I continued on heeding God’s instructions. The passage talked about a widow who became the recipient of another’s wealth. But the riches she received came from the hand of God. The woman had known great heartache. She had lost her husband, who was of the men from the “company of the prophets.” Soon she would lose her sons as well, since they were about to become slaves. It was not a happy prospect, and the prophet Elisha, who knew her husband’s devotion to the Lord, wanted to help this desperate widow. When he learned that she had nothing in her house but a small flask of oil, he told her to collect from her neighbors as many empty jars as she could—leaving the number of jars, and the size of her faith, up to her. The woman was to shut herself and her sons inside the house and pour from her flask until all of the jars were full. Nobody else was to see or know about the miracle. Nobody needed to know about it, except Elisha. The woman did as Elisha instructed, and had enough oil to pay her debts and live off the rest. We read that God’s prophets were not only messengers of His judgment, but instruments of His miraculous provision for His people.

Then, He led me to the following verses:

Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).

The Lord has promised to answer when we lay our needs before him. Jesus also promised, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25: 35-40)

From the verses, I knew I only had three ways to raise money: pray, obey and give.

I prayed and decided to obey God and desired the kind of faith of the widow. But surely, it didn’t come overnight. I had to go through the process of pain to let go of what I considered “precious things”. It took me a while to give out my old clothes, shoes, and house things to the poor and to friends without having to sell them at rummage sales. I also made myself more available for the Lord’s work. I gave it all and do you know what? It felt really good! I was freed of the bondage of materialism (spirit of mammon). The more I gave of my time and resources, the more was given back to me! My prayer was answered!

To this day, I still wonder how we can ever live the best way possible with just a meager income. But I know one thing. God provides (and even much more) and will always do!

And yes, miracles do happen! I see them everyday.

Prayer:
How wonderful it is to know that my needs are supplied before I even receive them. I thank you, dearest Lord! You are indeed my Jehovah Jireh, my God that provides! Father, You told us in Your Word, that if we would seek first Your Kingdom and all of Your righteousness, all of this will be added unto us. In your Word, You said that if we delight ourselves in You, You would give us the desires of our hearts. Father, I pray that may I always be reminded to always seek You and Your righteousness first and foremost in my life and find my delight in You and as I do so, I thank You for supplying all of my needs according to Your riches and glory through Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

"Make peace with the awareness that
you can't have everything you need.
Contentment comes when our
essential needs are met."
Sarah Ban Breathnach

Poem written:
Everyday, I see Your glory (October 27, 2007)

Related article:
Just Give