1 Kings 17:12-15

So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a [a]jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.
1 Kings 17:12-15

True sacrifice is always out of survival, never out of surplus. We have a tendency to say, “Lord, if You bless me, then I’ll give. If You bless us, then we’ll move out.” That’s exactly backwards. You give first, then the blessing is released.

The Father is determined to make us men and women of faith. And He’ll put us in situation after situation where faith must be exercised. It takes no faith to give out of surplus. It takes tremendous faith to give out of survival – when you just don’t have it – whether it’s time, finances, or love.

The widow believed. She stepped out in faith, and God blessed. Her needs were met. The Lord will not be a debtor to any man. If you are giving, sharing, and sacrificing, He will never be in your debt. He’ll more than make it up.

Pastor William Del Casale