What do you have that God can use? - Daily Devotional August 30th 2009

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4, Jeremiah 52, I Corinthians 12-13

What do you have that God can use?

There are so many portions of today's scripture reading that I could comment on that it was hard to choose, so I'll write about two of them.

The first is 1 Kings 4:1-7. One of the prophets had died leaving a widow and two sons. The widow was unable to pay her bills and was going to lose her two sons as slaves to the creditor. She appealed to Elisha. Elisha asked her what she had in the house. Her first answer was "Your servant has nothing there at all." Then she said, "except a little oil." So Elisha told her to gather as many jars as she could, fill them with oil and sell them. She did as Elisha instructed her and there was enough to supply her current need, plus enough to live on.

I think sometimes when the Lord asks us what we have our answer is the same as the widow's. "Nothing." We don't recognize what the Lord has endowed us with or what he can do with what we have. The Lord asked Moses what he had in his hand. Exodus 4:2. All Moses had was a wooden stick but the Lord used it to perform miracles and confound Pharaoh. 2 Peter 1:3 says "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness." Instead of feeling bankrupt, we should ask the Lord to show us what we do have, and what he can do with it.

The widow said she had a little oil. Not much, just a little. There's an old saying, "Little is much if God is in it." In this case it was much because God multiplied it. She filled jar after jar with the oil until there were no more jars. The oil was something she already had in her house. The widow did not have to search outside her house for the answer to her need. What do we have in our "houses;" within ourselves, in our own homes, in our church home? Oil in scripture represents the Holy spirit. Are there abilities and talents that the Lord can anoint with his Holy spirit and use them to bless others and the kingdom of God?

A result of pouring the oil was to save her children from slavery. There are many in slavery to sin today that the Lord wants to rescue. He wants to use what you have to reach out to them. It doesn't have to be something big, flamboyant or elaborate. All he wants is a willing heart to use whatever it is you have. A number of years ago I visited a young lady who had wondered from the Lord. She was newly married, pregnant and not feeling well. While in the little trailer where she was living I noticed that she had dirty dishes sitting in her sink and I washed them for her. I didn't think anything about doing that and in fact forgot all about it. But years later she asked me if I remembered coming and washing her dishes and that it really had touched her. Anyone can wash dishes!! I never thought that by washing dishes I was ministering to her. So, let's ask ourselves what we have that the Lord can use. What do we have in our hand?

Perhaps it's love. I Corinthians 13:4-7. The Message. "Love never gives up. Loves cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always 'me first,' doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end."

If we just put this portion of scripture into practice every day we could touch many lives. Someone has said, people might not remember what you say but they will always remember how you make them feel. Paul said love is the more excellent way. Open yourself to the Lord and see what you have that he will bless and use. Go out and touch someones life by the little things you do.

Tomorrows Bible Reading - 2 Kings 5, Lamentations 1, 1 Corinthians 14

God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman