Faithful In Times of Adversity. Part [7] 09/13/2025 (Morning thought)

1st Kings 18:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

The question comes home forcibly to us: Does the Lord expect folks to still be faithful in tithes and offerings when they are on their last leg of existence or does He give us a pass, until better can be done? In other words, let’s say the widow woman had to choose between feeding her son, and returning her tithe and offerings, what do you think God would expect her to do in such a life and death situation?

As we study the narrative, let us put ourselves in her shoes, and let us observe the principles of putting God, and the interests of His kingdom, first, for this is what faithfulness, in times of extreme adversity, demonstrates…… 1st Kings 17: 8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

At this time water was so scarce that even Ahab the king had to lay aside his kingly robes, and go looking for water, just like everybody else. It was humble pie in the extreme, because the people and beasts were dying, left right, and center. Thus, it is a very grim request Elijah is making, and the widow will have to make some difficult choices in this first round of testing. Would she put God first in the person of Elijah, or would she seek to provide for her son and herself first?

1st Kings 18:12 And she said, As the Lord thy God lives, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

Faithful In Times of Adversity. Part [6] 09/13/2025 (Evening thought)

Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

It’s important for us to understand that the tensile strength of the Christian’s faith is tested and certified mostly in times of adversity. In former days of wine and roses when things were going very smoothly, your faith might not have been ruggedly tested. But as adversity looms on the horizon, and as the new abnormal is taking hold, we may find ourselves having to regroup, and do things differently, so as to be faithful in returning that which is due, through the financial covenants made to God.

An example of what is being spoken of took place in the days of Elijah, when, on account of the king and queen leading the people deep into idolatry, famine with all of its accompanying difficulties, shook the faith of some to the core. The situation on the ground got so bad that persons were forced to adopt a bare-bones approach to life, in which the nonessentials had to be stripped away, and instead, survival mode set in.

The Christian living in our day will have to learn to eat some humble pie where necessary, for come what may, the tithe and offering which acknowledge God as The Giver and Sustainer of all, must remain intact, even if persons may go into survival mode. This is what took place with the widow woman of Shunem, who was on her last meal, with nothing to expect for the future. Indeed, she was between a rock and a hard place, for she had her son to take care of, and with unemployment at record levels, it seems as if there was no recourse for her.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!