| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net "A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying , 'Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming t take my two sons to be his slaves.' So Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?' And she said, 'Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.'" -2nd Kings 4:1-2 This woman had lost her husband. Don't know how old the sons were, but they were certainly her future. Without them, she would have no income. There was no Social Security for someone in her situation. She was behind on her rent and who knows what else. She had sold, consumed or pawned everything she owned to get along this far, and now she was at the end of her rope. The creditor was coming to legally take her sons as payment for her debt. As I read this, I think of friends I know who have lost their spouses. They smile, function and participate in life, but they are broken. They grieve in ways and places few can comprehend. Further, they will never "get over it". They will get better, but this void is one that chronically squeezes the very breath out of them. This woman was also on the verge of having her sons taken from her. I am surprised she could even talk. Now (finally), at rock bottom, she approaches the Man of God for help. Why do we do that? I don't mean seek God, but why do we wait till things seem impossible? "Is this you?" asks Philip Marshal in his Bible study entitled = "The Empty Jar Collector". "Oh no" we all respond - "I'm absolutely fine. I'm not poor or in need of anything. Certainly no help from God - at least at this stage of my life". We do this when we don't know God through Savingly believing in His Son Jesus Christ, and we do it as Christians when we seek to do things on our own. In point of fact, when we do call out to God, we often prescribe the remedy to our situation to Him rather than seeking what He would want from us. "The sooner you answer my prayer my way God, the sooner I can get back to status quo." Wonder why God would allow or often cause loss in our lives? because - Nugget: Absent a recognized Need, we won't seek remedy. Nugget: You are what God says you are regardless of how you feel about it. So what does God say about you? "I know your works, that you are neither cold not hot I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.." Rev. 3:15-17. God Doesn't tell us this to make us feel bad about ourselves (though we should), He tells us this to cause us to recognize and acknowledge our need. The Answer is Him and Him alone - Acts 4:12 and John 14:6 You are what God says you are, regardless of how you feel about it. But! "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". John 10:10 Do you recognize your need? Or are you just ducky? Don't wait till it gets That Bad. God bless. |
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