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Day 5
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 gives rain on the land.'" – She
went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for
Elijah and for the woman and her family.
(1 Kings
17:14-15)
“Pastor,
I’m an old widow. I don’t even know how I’m going to pay
the electric bill when the company raises the rates. I
don’t have any money for adding on to school.”
Already
many months ago I heard those words. And I was
sympathetic. The dear Lord gives a different set of
finances to different people—and even to the same people during different
phases of their lives.
So, how did
I reply? I said, “Well, maybe your support of this
project will be for you to pray very fervently for it.
And pray for the Holy Spirit to reach the hearts of people who are younger
than you, so that they do what you did when you were younger, and learn
better to give to their Savior.”
But the
above passage suggests what I added: “Maybe you’ll find you’ll be able to
gather together a small gift every so often. And your
Savior will smile, because He looks at your heart.”
After all,
the widow of Zarephath had much less than any of us.
Nevertheless (albeit with a specific and special promise from God), she
ended up giving more than she had at the beginning. It’s
encouragement, I suppose, that the dear Lord won’t ever let us contribute
ourselves to death either!
Not that
the Lord put the same restriction upon Himself…. The
Lord Jesus did contribute Himself to death, He gave His absolute all with no
supply left on hand, He spent every cell of His body: first of all, obeying
His Father in our place, and secondly, laying down His life in our place.
So, despite
debt from college, despite new mouths to feed, despite responsibilities for
growing children, or despite a decrease in income, each of us can still
boldly give to Him.
Questions to Consider
1)
What special
responsibility does your generation have for our project?
2)
How will you
encourage (grand)parents & (grand)children to participate?
3)
Do you know
any poor fellow members in whose place you could do extra?
Prayer
Heavenly
Father: I adore You for providing for me all that I need—and even much more.
Change my heart, so that I provide to You all that You desire.
Amen.
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