Meeting Faith With Deeds

Faith. It’s one of the hardest things that we have to face. It’s so much easier to just give up than it is to keep going. Today I want us to take a look at faith in action by reading:

2 Kings 4:2 "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."

Her husband had died. There was no way to pay off her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.

"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.

"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."
Elisha then told her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might have. "Ask for as many as you can," he told her.

When the jars were collected, he told her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left" (2 Kings 4:7b).

God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow didn’t think that she had the resources to meet her needs, but God said she had more than enough resources. She didn’t see the one jar of oil as a resource. It didn’t become a resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith was mixed with the practical step of going into the marketplace to sell what she had in order to receive her needed income. In fact, there was so much income she was able to pay her debts and live on the money that came from the sale.

We often forget that God works through commerce to provide for our needs. It’s wrong to place total trust in commerce without faith in God. God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God honors.

Do you have a problem that’s confusing to you? Do you see no way of meeting your need? God may have already given you the skills and talents to meet your need. However, He may be waiting for you to mix them with faith. Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. Be willing to take the next step.

Praying for more faith daily
Pastor Mike

Cure For Lateness

Bob had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work.
After a few weeks of this, his boss was mad and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it.
So Bob went to his doctor, who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed. He got a great night's sleep and actually beat the alarm in the morning. After a leisurely breakfast, he cheerfully drove to work.
"Boss," he said, "The pill my doctor subscribed me actually worked!"
"That's all fine," said the boss, "But where were you yesterday?"