“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.””
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4:1-2, 4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I am on the road, I really miss my home church. I go to churches wherever I am traveling, but it’s just not the same. Fortunately, our church has an app and all of our sermons are posted on it. They come out on Tuesday so I have to wait a couple of days. But they are always worth the wait.

I spent a lay-low day yesterday icing my knee. I want it to get better quickly so I didn’t really do anything but read and catch up with my sermons. Pastor Justin preached from 2 Kings a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share with you what I learned from his message.

In 1 Kings 4:1-7, a widow cries out to Elisha and tells him her husband died leaving her in debt with two sons to care for. Elisha asked her what she had in her house and she replied nothing but a small vial of olive oil. Elisha instructs her to go to her neighbors all around and get as many empty vessels as she could. Her sons went all over the neighborhood bringing her vessel after vessel. When she had the vessels, Elisha instructed her to go in the house and shut the door, take the vial of oil and pour it into the vessels, setting them aside as each one was filled. When she had finished filling all the vessels, she asked her sons for another and they told her there were no more. And the oil stopped flowing. Elisha instructed her to go sell the oil to pay off her debts and keep the remaining money for herself and her sons.

Pastor Justin tells us in the message, we are like these vessels. We need to come to God to be filled. But so many of us come to Him already full. Full of worry and anxiety. Full of addictions. Full of “self fulfillment”. There is still a little room around all the pieces for oil, but we can’t get our full portion from God until we come to Him empty…as empty as the vessels the widow filled with the miraculous flow.

God will fill us to the brim with all we need, but it isn’t His intent for us to fill up then walk away and say, “Ok, I got my portion. I’m full…I don’t need you anymore.” He fills US full so we may pour God’s love out on OTHERS. It’s a never ending process. We get filled up so we can get empty so we can get filled up…over and over and over.

This world needs all the love it can get. I truly try not to get wrapped up in the news and at the same time be an informed, concerned, responsible citizen. It isn’t easy. I just have to remember to dump the rocks out of my vessel and get filled with the full portion of what God has for me. I have to close my ears to the whispers of the enemy when he tells me lies. I have to lean in, close, to hear the intimate whispers of the Holy Spirit who speaks life into my heart. Then, and only then, can I get filled with the good stuff…the God stuff. ❤️