Gifts and Talents

          Elijah was staying at the house of a widow and her son. She had a little flour and oil (olive oil) to make something to eat. Elijah told her to make some bread for him first. Then afterward to make some for herself and her son. Elijah said that the flour and the oil would not be used up. She and her household ate for many days. (1 Kings 17:13)

      A women told Elisha, that her husband was a godly man, and had died. And the creditor had come to take her two sons to be his slaves. Elisha asked what she had in her house. She said she had nothing in the house but a jar of oil (olive oil). Elisha told her to gather as many empty jars as she could, and to shut her door. Then pour it into all those vessels. She poured the oil into many vessels. Elisha then told her to sell the oil and pay her creditor. (2 Kings 4:1)

      When Jesus had entered Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” Jesus did not want to offend them, He told Peter “to go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you”. (Matthew 17:24)

      Many people think that their source is the company that they work for. That may be true, if you are not a Christian. But the followers of Jesus, we are not dependent on the people of this world to supply our needs. Our God is in control of our finances. He is the One who takes care of us.

      In approximately 80% of most churches, the people do not pay their tithes. God said we are under a curse. Some people give an excuse that we are under ‘Grace’ and not the law. That tithes was in the Old Testament. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, He Fulfilled the Law. His standards are higher than the Law. He requires more that what the Law did.

      God gives us everything we have. He gave us life, He gave us a savior. He provides our needs. He is our source in everything we have or do. You did not get that job yourself, God gave it to you. When you were fired from that job, He gave you a better job. He sends his Angels, to watch over us, in everything we do. He gives us a spouse and kids. He gives us gifts and talents to do the things we do, and when we get older and can not do the things we used to do, He gives us new gifts and talents. We do not give as much credit to Him as we should. We do not realize how much God provides for us. He is our source for everything we have and do.

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      New King James Version
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'
32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

      New King James Version
Isaiah 45:2 `I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5 ¶ I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.'