Hi! Elizabeth
Your Thread here reminded me of something which I read while upgrading the TLJ Site. It is titled "We Have Everything!"
It's in keeping with your saying: "This comes with a promise tht He will take care of our needs, ... food, ... clothing."
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We Have Everything
By Wijgert Gooijer
At first glance this sounds slightly exaggerated. People tend to be annoyed and sceptical when they hear a disciple of the Kingdom say a thing like this. Yet throughout the centuries it has been the testimony of the believers. As early as Genesis 33.11 we read that Jacob approached his brother Esau with a gift of cattle. At first Esau refused, saying: 'I have so much'. Jacob replied: 'I have everything'. In his famous 23rd Psalm David confessed: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want'. And in the New Testament the apostle Paul wrote that we have fulness of life in Him, (Col 2.10).
In all these testimonies it is not so much a matter of natural blessings, for all to see, but of the unseen treasures which have become our most valued possessions. That is why, in a seemingly contradictory appraisal, it can be said of a servant of God that he has nothing, and yet possesses everything, (2Cor 6.10).
How is this possible? An old story in 2Kings 4 provides the glorious answer. The widow who approached Elisha the prophet for help was in a tight spot indeed. Her husband had died, and all he left was a whopping big debt which she was unable to pay. However, the moment she contacted the prophet, she proved to have what it takes in the line of faith. The first thing she said was not that she missed her husband so badly. Any self pity she may have had was of secondary importance. She didn't tell Elisha that her husband had left a debt; he had, she said, feared the Lord. Well, that's a positive statement at least. The fact that the prophet of Israel was accessible to her, and her problem, showed him to be a real servant of the living God. This will always be the case in true. servants of God. They have lots of time for the individual, especially for the despised and oppressed individual.
Jesus, the Son of God, was able to give several hours of His time to instruct the woman at the well, a citizen of Samaria without any influence or standing whatsoever. He didn't think this a waste of time. He kept concentrating on the single person. He wasn't carried away when thousands started to follow Him. The attention of the masses did not turn our Lord into a platform orator who does nothing but preachify. He was truly human and had a warm interest in the individual. The danger for preachers and evangelists is, that their service for God is possible only from behind a battery of microphones. They have no time or attention for the individual and his problems, and questions. They prefer to send him on to somebody else. Sometimes they even go so far as to say that personal counselling does not form part of their ministry. That, however, is self-deceit. Every true servant of God will be a good counsellor in the first place. Attention for and counselling of the individual cannot be pushed to the background in any duty or ministry in the Kingdom of God. He who does this, has strayed from the way of truth and serves God in a manner which was foreign to the prophets and apostles. It will show in the fellowship between individuals if a person is fit for the platform. Any clown, compere, salesman, politician, actor or demagogue will be all right on the platform. But their value as human beings does not show on the stage, but in man to man contact. A man of God is a person with lots of interest in his fellow men. Under no circumstances will he try to get away from this responsibility.
Good Pastoral Care:
It is typical for the attacks of the evil one on the children of God that he always takes along with him a number of his comrades. The widow's husband had hardly been buried when the creditor knocked on the door. The troubles and worries began to pile up. This is satan's way of wearing out the children of God, but praise the Lord who made a public display of the powers of darkness. We know their intentions and tactics! When the widow told the man of God about her worries, the prophet proved to be no magician or Santa Claus who conjures up ready-for-use answers out of his hat. The religious masses like to make a man of God into a kind of conjurer who is able to produce anything they ask him for.
Elisha, in his answer to the widow, stressed the grace of God which has appeared to train us, (Titus 2:12). He did not call up a shower of silver dollars, but acted as any good pastor would act: he asked her what she had in her house. This is sound pastoral counsel in our days.
Elisha's example might well serve as a correction of the hasty layings on of hands whenever somebody has a problem. The ministry of the laying on of hands and rebuking or casting out demons is one of the glorious treasures of God's people. But we have to understand its limits: we can't 'minister' each other into heaven. It sometimes seems as if laying on of hands and discernment of spirits is given more importance than faith. If this is the case, we have gone beyond the limits. Outside faith the laying on of hands is a gesture without meaning. This is the reason why Elisha began by asking what she had in her house.
The house is the place from which victory and abundance start. All who call for help with the words: "I've lost everything", first have to change to an attitude of faith. The widow answered that she had nothing but a small jar of oil. She showed to be well aware of what she had. She might have said: "1 happen to have a small jar of oil, but apart from that I have nothing". This would have been a statement of unbelief.
In the same way a brother or sister might say: "I am a child of God and baptized in the Holy Spirit, but apart from that I have nothing ...". This is unbelief and unfaithful neglect of the gifts of God. A believer may find himself in a situation where he has lots of troubles and a whole list of worries, but his conclusion will always be: "And yet I am a child of God!"
That which follows the word 'yet' is decisive, not that which precedes it. At first glance this seems a mere matter of syntax, but actually the whole meaning is different. The widow believed. She said to the prophet: "Your maidservant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil". Here the words of Jesus were fulfilled: "For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away", (Matt 13:12).
When a child of God has problems and becomes impressed by their size to the extent of neglecting his inheritance, and acts as if the Baptism in the Spirit does not amount to much, he finally will lose everything. Of course Jesus' words are about believers, for how can things be taken away from those who have nothing? You cannot get blood out of a stone. In these words the Lord addressed those who received God's grace, yet live as if they are poor beggars. Brothers and sisters who find their objections more important than God's grace are in danger of having received God's grace in vain, (2Cor 6:1). It is remarkable how in all her worries the small jar of oil evidently had such great value for the widow. She did not forget that she had it at home. It may seem unimpressive, but the believer does not despise the day of small things, (Zech 4:10).
Plenty of Oil:
The widow's attitude of faith gave Elisha a chance to continue with her. Her little possessions proved to be a beginning of abundance. The prophet told her to go and borrow empty vessels of all the neighbors'. "Go outside', he told her pointedly. When he was building the ark on dry land, Noah had every opportunity to have himself mocked and ridiculed. The same applied to the widow, and to all believers, at that. While she and her sons carried the empty vessels from the neighbors to their own house, many people in the village must have thought she had gone mad. Or probably they pitied her. "When her husband died, she seemed to stand up to the strain, but now, look at her, she's cracked". The widow knew better. She had the courage to be a spectacle to the world.
The things which then started to happen took place behind closed doors. "Shut the door upon yourself", Elisha said, for what was going to happen was no unbeliever's business. The miracle of the never-ending flow of oil could easily have deteriorated into a stunt to publicize the work of the great man of God. "Let's get the newspapers and TV', many people would say nowadays. After all this is to the glory of God". Elisha did not share this view. "Shut the door", he said. Inside, the Lord shows us His glory. He does not intend it to be a means of propaganda. God does not need a miracle to make Himself acceptable.
Once the widow started pouring, she never stopped. No quick glances to see how many containers had been filled already. She kept the final purpose in mind: everything has to be filled. This is a beautiful image of the inclination of heart we, God's co-workers, should have. When you are ploughing, it is useless to look back to see what has already been done. Once we start doing this, the evil one will easily be able to get a finger in the pie. On the upward way we need not take a look in the mirror to see how tall we have already grown in the Kingdom of God. By doing this some fall into a snare of the evil one; this one because he is quite satisfied with the progress he made; that one because he thinks he made no progress at all and starts having feelings of guilt and inferiority. Paul said about this that he does not judge himself, (1Cor 4:3). He kept his attention focused on the final purpose.
To Be In Christ:
The oil in the widow's jar is an image of the power and glory of the Holy Spirit which the believers have received. A life in the Kingdom of God without the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is just as impossible as life without oil in Israel of old. Oil was used to anoint priests and kings. Without oil temple service and royal dignity were impossible. Oil also served as currency: for the timber he received, king Solomon paid king Hiram of Tyre a huge quantity of oil. Oil was also used in dressing wounds. That is why the Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. Oil was used in baking bread and cakes. And there was oil in the lamps to be able to see at night. Without oil, life would come to a stop. If in our days therefore people think that the work of the Holy Spirit is for evangelization only, or for the development of undeveloped countries, or for guidance when reading God's Word, they certainly limit the Spirit of God. All vessels have to be filled.
We too should keep in mind that which Elisha said to the widow: "And not too few". We received the Holy Spirit that all parts of our life should be completely governed by Him. 'Being in Jesus Christ' means having received His Spirit and living by that Spirit. For Christians who live this way the Word of God has great promises.
In Philippians 4:19 Paul said: "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus". He could have said, quite superficially and placidly: "God will provide". But the Lord can only 'provide in glory'. He is capable of supplying every need, without any exception. God can only 'supply in glory' because He does so 'according to his riches', that means, according to the fulness that is in Him. Paul added: 'in Christ Jesus', that is, in faith.
He who lives in faith has everything. In great tribulations, in heavy battles, when the problems seem to overwhelm us, the victory always starts with a positive answer of faith to the question: "Tell me, what have you in the house?" If we refuse to leave this example, we will have abundant life, being conquerors in all circumstances.
