November 8, 2009

2009 11 08

A Little Goes a Long Way

1 Kings 17:8-16

Psalm 146
Mark 12:38-44

Have you ever wished that you had something more?  Actually, I’m sure that we have all felt that way at one time or another.  Looking at your checkbook when you go to pay your bills, you may wish that you had more money.   If you are a businessman, you might like to have more business.  Maybe running late to work or to church this morning, you might have wished that you had more time. 

I have those thoughts and dreams myself.  If I only had a million dollars…WOW!  I imagine all I could do with a million dollars.  Get some things for the church.  Restock the local food banks.  Support missionaries overseas, and church planters here in the U.S.  And if I I have anything left over…I might even get myself a new pair of Sunday shoes!  The list goes on and one and on.  If I just had more…

For the record, I do not consider this coveting.  It is just one of those fleeting thoughts that comes and goes.  If we stop and think about it, most of us here really do have what we need.  We may need to be more thrifty with our money, wiser in our business dealings, and more efficient with in using our time…but we usually have enough.

But what happens when someone wants to take it away?  We get defensive.  Most of us have people depending on us. I only have so much money.  I can only give so much of my time.  Take a moment to reflect on the story given to us in 1 Kings this morning. 

⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to him: ⁹ "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."

I’ll give you a little background here.  Israel is in pretty bad shape.  Ahab is king, and he is NOT a very good one.  If you are the king of Israel, you are not only a leader of the people, but you are also to be the highest possible example of faith in God.  After all, it because of the Lord God that Israel exists at all.  The life of the King of Israel is supposed to be the model of faith and faithfulness to God.  Let’s just say that Ahab failed miserably in that category.

^{1 Kings 16:32} He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.

Ouch!  Seriously, this is really bad.  Because as the king leads, the people are to follow.  In Israel, there are to be NO OTHER GODS.  There are to be NO FALSE IDOLS.  Exodus 20 covers this in no uncertain terms.  If people were worshipping other Gods or false idols, they were to have been brought before the king for judgment and the idols were to be destroyed. 

But not Ahab.  He actually built a temple to Baal, and set up an altar to worship him.  Then he had an Asherah pole built.  It is very likely, that the people of Israel were beginning to follow Ahab’s lead. 

So the Lord sent Elijah to King Ahab…^17:1 "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

OK,  now I know that this planting season has been very tough on farmers near and far.  It has been a little wet at times and a little dry at others.  But can you imagine no rain for years?  And it was even worse than that in our passage.  No rain or even dew.   As time passed, there were no crops.  There were no olives, no grapes, no fruits, no grain…no food

God provided for Elijah for a while, then sent him to Zarephath, “I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."  A widow?  Widows were generally pretty low on the social scene.  They generally could not work to support themselves and care for their families.  If they had been left any money, it would go fairly quickly.  To be a widow of that era, would be a life of extreme poverty.

¹⁰ So (Elijah) went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

Water?  It had not rained for some time.  Wells would likely be drying up.  We don’t know what or where her supply of water was, but she does not refuse Elijah.  In keeping with the customs of hospitality, she goes to get him a drink.  Then he goes beyond.  He asks for a piece of bread.

¹² "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread-- only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it-- and die."

This widow, with all her resources literally dried up, is making a final meal for her and her son.  There is no hope of them getting any more food, and she is resigned to her fate.  She and her son will die of hunger.  And Elijah asks for some bread.

¹³ Elijah said to her, "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. ¹⁴ For 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.'"

What can she do?  Can she literally take the last bite of food from her son’s mouth and give it to a stranger?  What difference will it make when the stranger dies of hunger as well?  He said that God will prevent the flour and oil from running out, but is this for real?  At this point, is God even real to her?  Even the king has given up on God to worship other gods.  Why should she care what God says?  The choice is hers to make.

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

When times are good are fortunes run high, we see no reason why we should not give to God and help others.  But when times are tough, we face the temptation to hold back…to keep what is rightfully ours.  The problem is that nothing we have is rightfully ours to keep.  It is only ours to give and use for God. 

Jesus warns us about this in Mark 12:38-44.  Jesus has no problem with the teachers of the law.  They have a task and a responsibility to carry out.  However, they have grown rich from their positions.  They have become men of power, position, and prestige.  Therein lies Jesus’ relationship with them.  The teachers of the law were meant to serve and teach others, but somewhere somehow, they fell in love with the game.  They fell in love with how important they had become and how full their pockets were.  Jesus warned the disciples about them. ⁴⁰ They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

By contrast, Jesus takes note of a poor widow.  As the people were entering the temple and placing their money into the treasury, we imagine the rich throwing large bags of coins…gold and silver.  Amounts that would probably make us drool even today.  But the widow placed two small, simple copper coins in the collection…a fraction of a penny.  But Jesus knew the true value of her gift. 

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

It’s not the quantity of the offering that matters, it is the quality of the heart giving it that truly touches the Lord’s heart.  So often we miss out on this point.  We feel that our prayers, our time, our effort, and our offerings are so small.  They are seemingly insignificant to the gifts of others, and we want to hold them back.  Nonsense. 

One person living, acting, moving, and giving in faith can change the world.  Rich or poor, young or old, married, single, or widow, we all have much to give.  Today, we are more than one person, gathered as one body.  Imagine what we can do together when we are willing to give everything to God and do all the he asks of us.  It is not easy.  It rarely ever is.   But the Apostle Paul knew the secret for success in this world.

^{Phil 4:11} I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do everything through him (through Christ) who gives me strength.

What is God asking of you this morning?  What does he require of you to give up, give away, or surrender altogether from what he has given you?  Give all that you have and all that you are to God, and you will not be disappointed in this world or the next.