Chapter 6:
Last Supper
She had gotten the dishes
out. She had cleaned the house already. The meal was almost complete. She lit
the candles on the table where her and her only son were about to consume their
meal. Not just any meal, this was to be their last meal. Reminiscent of Jesus’
last supper with His disciples, she too was preparing for death. The coffers
were empty, the pantry was bare, their 401k had run out and all that was left
was a little oil and grain to make a cake of morbidity. It was going to be the
last taste of earthly things….until...until a man appeared at the door. Not
just any man, but a prophet of Yahweh. And just like most men, he was hungry.
“A way to man’s heart is through his stomach” they say, the “they” being men,
I’m sure. Here was a hungry man on a mission for God and he asked for this
widow’s last meal. Being that she was a widow was even more proof that the
woman was poor as it was usually one’s husband who provided for the household,
very rare to have a dual-income family in that time. This prophet, Elijah, was
demanding their last meal be his meal.
Has God asked something of
you lately? Something that is a sacrifice? Above and beyond? Maybe a charitable
gift or offering where you were using that last $200 in your Wells Fargo
account to pay the electric bill or buy groceries and pray that it would last
you until the 15th of the month? Did God ask that you give that in
addition to what you had already given to your church?
I have a friend who has been
out of work for 4 months. He has a pretty nice single life; 2400 square foot
house, 2 cars, freedom of time and several nice things. He had a built up a
fine lifestyle in his good income earning era, yet hit a rough spot in the last
year. I feel for my friend, but I also know that he is trying to maintain a
lifestyle that isn’t sustainable without any cash flow. Therefore, I challenged
him to put his house for sale, give away a portion of his possessions or sell
them and give the money to his church. Not just any possessions but the ones
that were actually worth something to him and then see what happens. In my
experience, I have learned that you cannot out give God and often times He is looking
for us not only to give Him lip service when giving all our worries and
problems to Him, but He is wanting our full commitment. He doesn’t want us to
simply get our toes wet, but jump into the pool of His abundance head first.
But in order to have that type of abandon, we must shed those things that
hinder us from experiencing the abundance He has available. Those things could
be physical possessions such as houses, boats, cars, clothes, CDs, furniture,
etc... Those things could be habits and addictions that keep us from
experiencing God’s best. Those things could be un-forgiveness, doubt, worry or
fear. “Let us cast off all that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles so
that we may run the race with perseverance.” Paul is calling us to run light.
The Olympics were just on and what a spectacle to see all these amazing
athletes compete in so many great events. 100 m Sprint, 200m Butterfly, Beach
Volleyball, 4X400 relay…so many athletes, so much talent! Have you ever noticed
how little a sprinter wears? They have thin, body tight leotards or shorts and
a tank top. Their shoes are super light too! The reason? As you might expect,
to make them run faster and finish the race quicker than anyone else. The same
is true in our daily lives, but too many times we hold on to the past, we hold
on to our stuff, we hold on to our broken relationships, we hold on to hurt, we
hold on to bad news, we hold on to everything but God. And all that holding
entangles us so much so that we cannot run the race with perseverance but fall
short time and time again and get disqualified because we didn’t cross the
finish line. Sometimes it’s so hard to hold things with an open hand, because
we are so used to clinging to our possessions or relationships so tightly. The
Bible says “The world and all that’s in it will pass away but the word of the
God shall never pass away.” We must hold things in our palms... with open
hands. Stuff will never satisfy but leave us empty and burdened. God doesn’t
want us to be burdened.
When we give God our
stuff, He uses it for His Glory and then replaces what He used with abundance.
If you read the rest of the story, the widow’s oil never ran out and kept
filling up every jar, pot, pan, Tupperware and vase in the house. God took her
gift and multiplied it, many times over. The fact is that later on, her son did
die but guess who helped raise him to life, Elijah.
Has God brought an Elijah
into your life? Someone you can help and bless? You can be the instrument of
God’s work, if you allow sacrifice to enter your daily motif. Nothing is
impossible for those who believe in the supernatural work of God. It may not be
a prophet who needs a meal, but a minister that needs encouragement, a pastor
who needs prayer, a social worker who needs resources, a college student who
needs supplies…..and this brings me to a personal story. Right before I went
off to my freshman year at Baylor University, a sweet woman from my church,
Dea, who I believe to be an amazing woman of faith, took care of a poor
minister’s son. Out of the blue, Dea told me that she would pick me up one day
and take me shopping for my college school supplies. We went aisle by aisle and
picked out the necessary things needed. Honestly, I didn’t know all that I
needed but she had a son and daughter start college a few years before so she
was able to provide guidance. I think the total was $170 something dollars,
nothing crazy, but that little amount did so much to show me the love of God
and the love of His people. He is looking for men and women like Dea, who love
Him and who are led by Him. I pray that we all can learn these women of faith,
from the widow who gave her last meal to a woman who gave her lasting
impression.
