There’s Oil in Your House

Scripture Reading

2 Kings 4:1-7 (NRSVUE)

Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” He said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels—and not just a few. Then go in, shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.”  So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” But he said to her, “There are no more.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest.”

Introductory Remarks:

Life is designed to flow. Love, ideas, opportunities, creativity, resources and good are meant to move to us, through us and from us. Yet too often we put our good on pause because of fear, disappointment, perceived lack, or because we are waiting for something more to appear. The widow in 2 Kings 4 discovered that her breakthrough did not begin with something new arriving, but with recognizing and using what was already in her house. Better Living invites us to take our good off pause and get back into the flow — recognizing what we have, preparing for greater possibilities, putting our good into circulation, and wisely stewarding all that flows through us.

Major Points of the Lesson:

1. FIND THE FLOW — Crisis Can Reveal Opportunity.

2. GO WITH THE FLOW — Follow Divine Direction.

3. PREPARE FOR THE FLOW — Create Capacity for More.

4. KEEP THE FLOW — Keep Moving and Keep Pouring.

5. STEADY THE FLOW — Wisely Steward What Flows to You.

Quote: 

“The whole of God-substance is present in its entirety at every point in space and time. You can never be separated from it.”
— Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics

ASSIGNMENT:

GET YOUR JARS READY

This week, identify:

1. MY OIL
What do I already have that I have been undervaluing?

2. MY EMPTY JARS
Where is there a need, opportunity or person into whom I can pour?

3. MY CLOSED DOOR
What external voice, appearance, fear or distraction needs less of my attention?

4. MY POUR
What can I begin giving, creating, sharing or doing immediately?

5. MY STEWARDSHIP
If greater resources flow to me, what must I do differently to manage them wisely?

Then do something.

Make the call.

Send the proposal.

Start the project.

Offer the service.

Share the idea.

Use the gift.

Create the opportunity.

Give.

Pour.

Because Better Living invites FLOW, not PAUSE.