1 Kings 17:8-16 -
"Then the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah) saying, "Arise, Go to Zarephath which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold I have commanded a widow there to provide for you," So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Please get me a little water in a jar, so that I might drink." As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in a bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold I am gathering sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die," Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear, go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and your son. Thus says the Lord God of Israel. 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall your jar of oil be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the Earth.' " So she went and did according to the word of elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted, nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
WOW!!! What a story of faith, hope, and provision! Like I have said before... Hospitality is not simply serving others... it is also the opening up your heart to what God has in stroe for you. The Scriptures here tell us that God commanded a widow to provide for him and when Elijah gets there it does not seem like she really has an open heart to the idea of giving up ALL she has to him. God may have commanded her, but she was still reluctant to give her ALL... HER EVERYTHING... HER LIFE. It is not until she decides to trust and give her ALL to this stranger that we see the miracle unfold of provision.
I truly believe God wants to give us all stories like this in our lives.... HE deeply longs for His glory and power to shine through to this world, but it will not happen until we as follwers of Jesus open up our ALL and give everything we are and all that we own over to His control. This means surendering everything even in the face of losing your life and the life of those you hold dear. Being a follower of Jesus is far more than just a prayer or an idea of trusting.... it is opening up your heart and giving EVERYTHING... I MEAN EVERYTHING OVER TO HIS CONTROL.
Luke 9:23-27 - "And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save His life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He come in all His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."
Let me encourage you to open up your life COMPLETELY to God's control and watch as HE begins to build an amazing palace out of your cottage!!
