Are You a Go-Giver?
Recently I was reading the account of Elijah’s interaction with the widow at Zarephath from 1st Kings chapter 17. As I read, it impressed me how Elijah was able to bring hope to a despondent woman who was ready to give up and die. It caused me to reflect upon being that same type of influence in the lives of others.
God commissioned Elijah to be fed by this woman as he prepares to powerfully defeat the prophets of Baal and to glorify God as the source of that power (see chapter 18). Elijah was able to turn that encounter into an opportunity to teach about God’s grace and to give her hope.
Elijah has asked the woman for a morsel of bread. Read with me her response from verse 12, “I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
She had given up hope. She was ready to lay down and die. Psychologists tell us that self-preservation is one of the strongest drives a person has, that we will do almost anything to achieve it and yet, this woman was ready to die and let her son die. Surprisingly however, when her son becomes ill and dies, she lashes out at Elijah and blames him.
Elijah’s response is “Do not fear.” He then put action behind his words and exercised the power of God to stretch those meager food supplies to feed her household many days and to bring life back into the child to revive him. The widow, who was ready to die, now expresses hope for the future, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in you mouth is truth.
Have you ever encountered a similar situation but failed to give hope?
In the foreward to DavidH. McKinley’s book The Life You Were Born To Give, Zig Ziglar said this, “Go-getters continually strive to achieve more and to accumulate more, but they are often not content with their lives, no matter how much ‘stuff’ they have…. The most joyful people were the volunteers who encourage, teach, love and train the residents to take what God has given them and use it for His glory.”
Thanks for reading with me. Please be a positive influence in someone’s life today!
–Randy Sexton