Him! First and Foremost!
Verse for Today: Thursday, December 01, 2011
1 Kings 17:13 – Elijah said to (the widow): “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son”.
Our faith is often tested when we are at the brink of the ultimate. When we think that there is no way forward and that we are at our wit’s end, God tests us to see if we think that He is greater than our problems in our lives and hearts. Often we are afraid to go forward, thinking that there is no future for us. This fear causes us to give up hope and faith and behave as if our Heavenly Father will not do what He has promised. So He comes first to drive our fears away and to challenge us to put our faith in Him to look after our future. This is easier said than done in our lives because in the place of this poor widow, we would probably have not done any better. Even when the Lord Jesus is with them, His disciples were a prey to fear and anxiety. So the Lord had to drive their fears away and helped them to cast their care on Him. When the fears are driven out of us, God would ask us to do what we should have done normally in life. But there is a greater step of faith that He demands from us that we first honor Him with our belongings. It doesn’t matter whether we have plenty out of which to give Him and His cause. Whether it is much or little, if we honor the Lord with what we have, He will honor us with what He has. He demands that we first give Him part of our meager meals. He demands this not because He doesn’t have any thing, for He can always ask some raven to bring food for His servant. But instead of giving the raven credit for feeding His servant forever, He wants to give the privilege to a poor widow. He wants to teach the widow that if she seeks after Him and His cause first, He will meet her needs according to His riches and glory. He gave the woman the faith to trust Him to meet her needs and use her to meet the needs of His servant even when she had nothing. It might sound unreasonable to expect this widow to share part of her near nothingness with God’s servant, but faith works beyond reason.
Dear friend, are you in a situation today where you do not have any light as to how to go forward because of lack of means to meet your needs? Perhaps all you have is enough money for one more meal and there is nothing left for the future. You are probably bewildered because the economic situation is bad and the job situation is worse. When you are gripped with fear and anxiety about your future, your Lord will sometimes come to test your faith. He asks you whether you trust the Lord or your bank balance and job to provide for you. He comes to ask us to exercise our faith in the Lord and His promises to meet our needs. He expects us to be bold to trust the ever-faithful Lord and His mighty power in all circumstances. Rain, snow, sunny whether, earthquake, flood, hills, valleys, desert, day or night, our Lord is with us. He wants us to grow in our faith. He still asks us to make Him first priority in our lives and honor Him with our lives and earthly means which He has provided for us any way. He wants us to seek His business first and foremost and honor Him with all that we have. In turn, He will sustain us during famine or rainy season. Whether we have steady or sporadic income, our Lord will meet our needs in a miraculous way. But we must first and foremost give Him and His cause paramount place in our lives. Today let us take the challenges of our situations and be confident in the Lord and with the provisions our Lord has promised to give us. Today let the Lord be paramount in our hearts and lives.
Matthew 6:33 – But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be give to you as well.
Thought for Today
When we honor the Lord with our little, He will honor and strengthen us with His plenty.
Verse for Today: Thursday, December 01, 2011
1 Kings 17:13 – Elijah said to (the widow): “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son”.
Our faith is often tested when we are at the brink of the ultimate. When we think that there is no way forward and that we are at our wit’s end, God tests us to see if we think that He is greater than our problems in our lives and hearts. Often we are afraid to go forward, thinking that there is no future for us. This fear causes us to give up hope and faith and behave as if our Heavenly Father will not do what He has promised. So He comes first to drive our fears away and to challenge us to put our faith in Him to look after our future. This is easier said than done in our lives because in the place of this poor widow, we would probably have not done any better. Even when the Lord Jesus is with them, His disciples were a prey to fear and anxiety. So the Lord had to drive their fears away and helped them to cast their care on Him. When the fears are driven out of us, God would ask us to do what we should have done normally in life. But there is a greater step of faith that He demands from us that we first honor Him with our belongings. It doesn’t matter whether we have plenty out of which to give Him and His cause. Whether it is much or little, if we honor the Lord with what we have, He will honor us with what He has. He demands that we first give Him part of our meager meals. He demands this not because He doesn’t have any thing, for He can always ask some raven to bring food for His servant. But instead of giving the raven credit for feeding His servant forever, He wants to give the privilege to a poor widow. He wants to teach the widow that if she seeks after Him and His cause first, He will meet her needs according to His riches and glory. He gave the woman the faith to trust Him to meet her needs and use her to meet the needs of His servant even when she had nothing. It might sound unreasonable to expect this widow to share part of her near nothingness with God’s servant, but faith works beyond reason.
Dear friend, are you in a situation today where you do not have any light as to how to go forward because of lack of means to meet your needs? Perhaps all you have is enough money for one more meal and there is nothing left for the future. You are probably bewildered because the economic situation is bad and the job situation is worse. When you are gripped with fear and anxiety about your future, your Lord will sometimes come to test your faith. He asks you whether you trust the Lord or your bank balance and job to provide for you. He comes to ask us to exercise our faith in the Lord and His promises to meet our needs. He expects us to be bold to trust the ever-faithful Lord and His mighty power in all circumstances. Rain, snow, sunny whether, earthquake, flood, hills, valleys, desert, day or night, our Lord is with us. He wants us to grow in our faith. He still asks us to make Him first priority in our lives and honor Him with our lives and earthly means which He has provided for us any way. He wants us to seek His business first and foremost and honor Him with all that we have. In turn, He will sustain us during famine or rainy season. Whether we have steady or sporadic income, our Lord will meet our needs in a miraculous way. But we must first and foremost give Him and His cause paramount place in our lives. Today let us take the challenges of our situations and be confident in the Lord and with the provisions our Lord has promised to give us. Today let the Lord be paramount in our hearts and lives.
Matthew 6:33 – But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be give to you as well.
Thought for Today
When we honor the Lord with our little, He will honor and strengthen us with His plenty.
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