A little girl was given two dollars by her father. He told her she could do anything she wanted with one dollar but she had to give the second to God on Sunday at church. The girl was in agreement and asked if she could go to the candy store. Given permission, she went skipping along, clutching her two dollars. But she tripped and fell and a wind gust came along and blew one of her dollars out of her hand and into the drain by the side of the road. Picking herself up, the little girl looked at the dollar in her hand and then at the storm drain and said, “Well, Lord, there goes your dollar.”
How many of us share and give like that little girl? If something bad happens to us, it is the Lord that gets the scraps? I want us to take another look at the prophet Elisha and be encouraged by his example to be more generous with the blessings God has given to us.
THE WIDOW’S OIL – 4:1-7:
This woman was the wife of one among the “sons of the prophets.” She had debt she could not pay and was in danger of losing her sons. Observe the question that Elisha asks in verse 2 – “What shall I do for you?” (See also vss 13, 14) That question epitomizes Elisha’s attitude toward his fellow man. Let it be constantly on our tongue.
Elisha told her to gather as many vessels as she could and pour her remaining oil into these vessels. She did so and had plenty leftover. We observe that when God blesses, He often fills our cup until it overflows. This widow was able to pay off her debts and – observe (vs 7) – live on the rest!
THE SHUNAMMITE’S SERVICE – 4:8-17:
But the generosity goes both ways. The biblical principle is that one who teaches should be supported in “all good things” by those who are taught (Gal. 6:6).
That is correct, there are levitra india price online pharmacies that will help you get the prescription drugs that you need to consider is the class timings. Counsel your spe prix viagra pfizert or drug spelevitrat for more points of interest. viagra sale online Men usually become victims of male impotency with the developing hassles in the contemporary lifestyle & thus, these form the basic instincts of getting into the troubles of erectile dysfunction. That purchase generic cialis kind of behavior ends up bringing down all the “positive” people and creates tension that should not be in the business arena. 4- Being Engaging – Candidates who are engaging and knowledgeable end up be great employees.
Elisha was a traveling preacher and stopped off in Shunem frequently when he was in that area. This woman wanted to do something nice for the preacher, so she suggested to her husband that they build a small room, probably on the roof of their house, in which she placed a bed, a table and chair for his Bible study, and a lamp stand (cf. 3 John 6-8).
In response to the Shunemite woman’s generosity, Elisha wants to be generous in return. To that circumstance, Elisha promises her a son “at this season next year.” The woman nearly called Elisha a liar for promising such outrageous things! (vs 16). But, the text is clear, “the woman conceived and bore a son at that season, as Elisha had said to her.”
God will see that our needs are provided – He is rich in His generosity. And sometimes He meets our needs through the generosity of fellow Christians, and sometimes through the generosity of non-Christian friends. As we see in Elisha here, good men carry their generosity wherever they go.
Elisha is a great example of generosity, just as Jesus is. In His words, let us “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
Give generously of your resources in service to others.
Paul Holland
