I was cleaning the papers out of my Bible and found several “giving” envelopes. I put them in there a few weeks ago. My plan was to put a bill in one at each service. I was thinking of giving one dollar bills and five dollar bills.

I opened my wallet – no ones or fives! The only options were a ten or a twenty. I decided to wait until noon to see if David had an offering. (Don’t put me on a pedestal. I always fall off.)

All morning God worked on my heart. I have no trouble giving but would there be enough left over? I’m just like the widow with 2 sons in 2 Kings 4.

2 Kings 4:2, “…’What do you have in your house?’ ‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘Well, I do have a little oil.’ ” The Message

God meets our needs using what we already have on hand. There are seeds all around us. They can’t grow unless we plant them.

2 Kings 4:7, “…Go sell the oil and make good on your debts. Live, both you and your sons, on what’s left.” The Message

That’s the crux of the problem. Will there be enough left over? We like to keep a cushion in our checking account and some bills in our wallet. It keeps us comfortable. But God is constantly pulling us out of our comfort zones.

“We…pushed through our discomfort zones….My brother and I both knew that if we stopped, we’d freeze to death before morning. On the other hand, if we depleted our resources, we’d be unable to continue….we don’t always work smart….we need to pace ourselves because it allows us the time to prioritize our values and what is important to us.” FBI Agent LaRae Quy – 6 Ways to Get Through Adversity

When we live only in our comfort zones, we are not prepared to face adversity. In fact, it surprises us when adversity comes! But sooner or later adversity comes and more than once.

Funny. I have no problem coming home from the mall with an empty wallet. It’s easy to deplete my resources there! I rarely pace myself there and come home exhausted.

God reminded me how he multiplies our resources later in 2 Kings 4. The man from Baal Shalishah brought 20 loaves of bread to Elisha. He told his servant to feed the 100 men who were there. Elisha’s servant said there wasn’t enough.

2 Kings 4:43, 44, “…Elisha said, ‘Just go ahead and do it. God says there’s enough.’ (44) And sure enough, there was. He passed around what he had – they not only ate, but had leftovers.” The Message

Looking into my wallet again, God reminded me of Isaac. He planted seeds during a famine and reaped 100 fold. He didn’t double his seed, he harvested 100 times more, (see Genesis 26:12-33). I just have to decide – do I want to grow $1,000 or $2,000?

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