god of little or GOD OF MUCH

Elisha said, “I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Nothing,” she said. “Well, I do have a little oil.” (2 Kings 4:2)

A widow woman facing a debt she cannot repay. She is worried that she will lose her two sons - simply because they would become the "means" of repaying her debt as they would be forced to become the slaves to the debtor if she could not repay the debt. Her husband has been a prophet - a godly man. I imagine she wonders why this catastrophe is upon her since she likely has lived a "set apart" lifestyle for a good many years. She comes to Elisha - one of the major prophets of the Old Testament - seeking his help. She implores him to consider her plight. In response, he begins to wonder what he might be able to do to assist. In those days, prophets were rarely wealthy men or women - they lived by the standards of the day, occupying their time with the normal pursuits of the day such as farming, tending the animals, working with clay or wood. I think Elisha may have seen the situation as an opportunity - while the woman was seeing it as an impossibility. He asks what she has - she declares what she doesn't have! Isn't that just like us? We are so quick to discount what we possess because we see it as insignificant in comparison to the "demands" being made. Why do we gravitate to the "little" instead of seeing the "much" in our circumstances, talents, or abilities? I think there is something we might all need a little reminding about - we serve the God of "MUCH" not the god of "little".

The woman was instructed to collect every available bottle, jar and pot from the town. She goes about collecting these, stacking them up in her home, until every last "empty" one is in her possession. Now, this may not seem like much at first, but do you see something occurring in this activity on her part? She is not sure "what" will happen, she just knows if she brings everything which has been declared "empty" into the presence of God, the "empties" are right where they need to be! We often don't bring our "empties" to God's presence - because we see them as "empty" - something which contains nothing of importance. Let's realize without an "empty", God has nothing to "fill"! So, the next time you tell yourself you are just an "empty" in some regard, you are really saying to God, "I have a little space you can fill up!" In bringing these empty jars to Elisha, the little she had was becoming so much more than she needed to satisfy the debt owed by her husband. In fact, she was able to live on what's left over. God not only filled the "empties" with enough to provide for today's need, he filled enough "empties" to provide for the future needs, as well. The thing is, when we are willing to give our "little" into his care, taking steps to bring what has been emptied out into his presence, we find he fills beyond our capacity to contain!

I often hear people saying stuff like "Oh, I never could do that" or "I just don't have what it takes". The truth be told, neither did the ones God consistently called and used for his purposes throughout all of time. The thing each 'used' vessel has in common is more than the emptiness that needs to be filled - they also brought the "little" they had into the presence of God and in turn, he filled to overflowing. The empty parts of each of us are exactly what God needs. It is in the emptying we become ready to be filled. My hope for you today - you will stop telling yourself the "little" you have is not enough in God's hands. For it is in the bringing of the "little" into his presence where we see the impossibilities become possibilities. Just sayin!

Much and Many - hocking their wares

Exercising good judgment as evidence by our conduct is an outflow of listening well to wisdom's call.  Learning to speak when in makes sense and then remain prudently silent when it does not is also an outcome of having learned the lessons of wisdom.  Knowing when to keep quiet and when to speak up is difficult, isn't it?  Realizing when action is the course desired, but also when inaction is the best means of attack is also an art.  There is a fine balance which must be learned and it is learned by paying attention and listening carefully - we become "readers" of the signs, so to speak.  I think God gives us the ability to "read" the circumstances, know when it is the right moment to move, and holds us back with some check in our inner man when the time is not right - but these "skills" are learned at his feet, not simply by trial and error.  When we do err, if we bring those things back to him, he is quite willing to help us learn where the action went wrong, or what was said which probably should have been left unsaid.  At that point, the learning "effort" belongs to us.  Somethings just never get "learned" because we hear, but then don't commit them into our practical, everyday life - we don't allow them to affect our "practice".

Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make; he’s aware of every step you take.  The shadow of your sin will overtake you; you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.  Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.  (Proverbs 5:21-23 MSG)

In this fifty chapter of Proverbs, we are reminding of the enticing effects of immorality.  This is more than a chapter about remaining faithful to your husband or wife.  It is instruction into knowing exactly where your heart is directing its affections, what you really are seeking, and that what is "available" is not always the "wisest" choice for our lives.  What we discover is the effects of being "unfaithful" - choices of the heart which "stray" from the commitment of relationship once made will result in shame and grief.  

It doesn't matter whether we are speaking about the relationship of marriage, that of a close friendship, or most importantly of the relationship we have with our Savior.  Get pulled away by enticing talk or appearances - reap the consequences of shame, guilt and grief.  God doesn't emphasize the importance of remaining "pure" in heart - committed to only one - because he likes to "limit" us.  He knows the anguish and disgrace of giving to anyone else what has been dedicated to another - especially him!

The main aim of the chapter is to remind us of the importance of being captivated by one, not the lust of Many or Much.  Many and Much are close companions in this journey we make each day.  We are constantly faced with the lure of Much and the fantasy of Many.  Much attempts to snag us by playing into our desires for competition and attention.  Many pulls us in with the stroking of our pride and the disguise of the adequacy of "popularity". We probably find ourselves surrounded with the many enticements of Many and Much, not because we have the need for either, but because Many and Much appeal to some "unfulfilled" desire we have -  a desire we have not learned to control or given much attention toward understanding in our lives.  

Captivation is the ability to attract and hold the attention and interest of the other.  What captivates your heart today?  What is playing on your interests? What is capturing your attention?  These are the questions asked by the proverb - for what attracts our attention, holding it for even short periods of time, will eventually peak our interests - and interests aroused will soon require some investment on our parts.  We are "fascinated" by the things Much and Many put out there as displays to lure us in.  If you understand anything about "advertising", you know the "hook" has to be there to get someone to pay attention to the billboard, commercial, or the like.  No hook - no attention.  No attention - no sale!

Much plays on our affections, promising something we don't possess without the numerous activities and things Much offers for our "satisfaction".  Many promises to build up our ego by the "status" Many promises once you have amassed all it has to offer.  Much and Many are not limitless, though.  Their "satisfaction" and "status" are not without end.  There is but one relationship which produces unending satisfaction and status unmatched by anything in this world - the relationship of One.  

Some may find the first several chapters of Proverbs a little hard to get hold of because there is all this talk about prostitutes.  If we put all things in perspective, realizing the enticement and luring effects of those who "hock their wares", so to speak, we can see these chapters as practical illustrations of the effects of a divided heart.  A heart which vacillates and cannot "get a fix" on any one thing as its means of satisfaction will be "lured into" the traps of Much and Many - hocking their wares for us to spend ourselves in pursuing. The "hook" of their appeal is in their "advertising" - but what they don't tell you is in their "fine print".  It is most often the "fine print" we fail to read - so God gives us some insight into the "hidden agenda" of Much and Many.

Much and Many appeals to the majority - the Captivation of One appeals to only a few.  What about you?  Who has your heart?  You may have been "hooked" by the advertising and fine print of Much or Many, feeling their is no way out of the obligation you are under to one or the other.  Yet, if you know even one truth about our Lord Jesus it is this:  He isn't "bound" by their "contracts"!  Neither are you!  You may break free of the hold of Much and Many at any time - by stepping into the embrace of One.  Just sayin!