Today in the Word for May 12-18
Today in The Word
Tuesday May 12, 2020
Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Are there lessons we can learn from a biblical mom? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. A story about Elijah can be found in I Kings 17:7-9:
“…there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.””
The drought was caused by the continual wicked idolatry of Queen Jezebel, who was a princess of the Sidonian king and had become married to the Jewish king Ahab. What is remarkable is that God sends Elijah, not to an upstanding Jewish family, but to a Sidonian woman in a Sidonian town.
God sometimes uses insiders to accomplish his purposes, but this story shows that God likes to use outsiders. This woman is Sidonian from Phoenicia—like wicked Jezebel. The Bible contains story after story about outsiders used by God. There was Ruth from Moab, and Rahab from Jericho—Israel’s enemies. There was the woman at the well from despised Samaria that was even shunned by Samaritans!
Do you often feel like an outsider? God may be particularly interested in using you! He likes doing that.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Wednesday May 13, 2020
God is very powerful, capable of doing as he wishes, but he has an interesting character. Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. In the story of Elijah, God has brought a drought to the people of Israel for their nation-wide idolatry. God has been providing food to Elijah by sending it directly to him by ravens. However, I Kings 17:9 reads:
“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.””
God can provide directly, but he likes using people. In fact, for most of the incidents in the Bible, God uses people to accomplish his will. In this story, God is working through the prophet Elijah, and at the same time he is working through a single mom to be a help to the prophet. They are both being directed by the Lord. They will both be changed through their actions of obeying the Lord. They will mutually play a part in the plans of God.
God likes using people. Maybe he would like to accomplish part of his plans through you?
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly. Join our Wednesday adult Bible Study at 6:30 for more of the Word.
Today in the Word
Thursday May 14, 2020
Do you sometimes think you are the wrong person for God to ask to be a help to others? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. God prompts Elijah to ask a single mom for food in the midst of a drought. She answers him in I Kings 17:12:
“…I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.”
She is explaining to the prophet that she is the wrong person to help with food. She and her son are getting ready for their last meal. They cannot offer help. They need help. Yet over and over we see a similar pattern in scripture. God sometimes uses people of considerable means. But more often than not, his call for people to help is a stretch to their faith. They are afraid like Gideon, but asked to be a warrior. They are ostracized like the woman at the well, but are asked to be a witness to their town. They are afraid to talk, like Moses and yet are asked to challenge pharaoh of Egypt.
God likes to stretch our faith through responding to his call. Is he asking you to stretch?
And that is the Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Friday May 15, 2020
How does faith work? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Elijah asks a single mom during a drought to feed him lunch. She answers him in I Kings 17:12-13:
“” …I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son””
Elijah says ‘first make me lunch, and then make yours’. Yet she has just explained that there is only enough for two, not three! He did not say make your lunch and then make mine from the surplus. What we can learn is that faith acts first, and then God’s answer follows. Faith gives of the first of what she has and trusts God for what will be next. God is promising, “and then make something.” But he is asking for a step of faith. “First make.”
Faith acts first, and looks for God’s answer second.
And that’s the Word. You can enjoy more of the Word this Sunday at 10:45 at Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Monday May 18, 2020
When we are asked to step out in faith, how should we respond? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. A single mom is being challenged by Elijah to provide him lunch in the middle of a famine. I Kings 17:12-13 continues her story:
“” …I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have…””
She points out what she doesn’t have, and Elijah tells her to act with what she does have. Faith is to use what we’ve got, not complain about what we don’t. When Jesus challenges his disciples to feed a crowd of 5,000, Mark 6:37-38 reads:
“…that would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves to you have?” he asked. “Go and see.””
Not what you don’t have. What you do have. That is faith.
And that’s The Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.