a little oil

I am doing a study on the lives and ministry of Elijah and Elisha. This week I was reading the story in 2 Kings chapter four,  of Elisha and the widow of a prophet of God...

  "The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my

two boys as his slaves.”

 ² Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

   “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

 ³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

 ⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

   But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

 ⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” 

I wonder how often we feel like this gal? We come to God feeling desperate and overwhelmed. We feel as if we have nothing at all to offer God, or anyone else. We are spent and exhausted. We have the weight of the world on our shoulders, and the reality of our situation starts closing in on us.

As the woman lays out her case to Elisha, he responds with a question that seems deeper than just "Tell me, what you have in your house?"  ..."I have nothing."  Nothing to give, nothing to offer...except this little bit of oil. 

I love LOVE how God uses the very thing that she offers to show himself to her! I love how Elisha tells her to .."dont only ask for a few" ...God is gonna do something big, girl ..you better get ready for it!

She does what Elisha says, but dont you think she wishes later that gotten more empty jars? 

She starts pouring, and pouring and pouring. You can just about see the excitement building as she keeps setting full jars aside, knowing her debt would be taken care of and her babies would not be taken away.  She keeps reaching and reaching, then as the last one is used up..the oil stops pouring.

I have been considering how little she felt she had to offer - how helpless she had felt only a short time before. She offered what she had, and God used it. He took what she had and multiplied it, as only He can, to meet her needs. 

I think that we can take a lesson from this lady ...first, she offered ..what little she felt she had, she offered it. Then, she obeyed, she collected jars, shut the door and starting pouring. Last, she saw God taking her little and making it more than she could imagine. 

You may not feel like you have anything ...but even that little drop of oil at the bottom of a dried up flask can be used by God to show his power in your life! I pray that you offer him what you have, and then are blessed enough to see it fill all the empty vessels in sight!

Emealz Dinner Idea!

In case you missed it..I shared with you this week about a great online resource I have been using the last few weeks!  Learn more about Emealz here!

I wanted to share one of their great recipes with you, to show how simple but YUMMO the menus are!

We LOVED this one!

French Dip Sandwiches

by Emealz

1/2 to 1lb boneless shoulder roast

14 oz can of beef broth

2 oz box onion soup mix, 1 pkt

1/2 loaf bakery French Bread

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Combine beef broth and onion soup mix in crockpot. Add roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours

Remove roast to slice or shred. Slice french bread in half, lengthwise. On one side layer beef, then cheese.  Close sandwich, wrap in foil and place in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. 

Remove and slice. Use broth from the meat as au jus for dipping.

{I was a little pressed for time, so I used a can of condensed  French Onion Soup instead of broth/mix and I also broiled my meat/cheese instead of wrapping in foil...it was AWESOME!}

Honestly, all of the meals on our Emealz menu have been great ..all simple, few ingredients and yummy!

Click on the button to check out Emealz (OH ..and I discovered that I DO get a 25% commission on each referral made ...but I promise I didnt realize that before I decided to share them with you! :) ...and dont forget to use the COUPON code on the side bar for $2 off a subscription!

Anxious for the Right Reasons

We all know what it feels like to be anxious. We know how to worry, fret and over analyze. As women we are wired to do these things by default. In effort to surround ourselves with peace and calm, one of the first things to go is that tendency toward giving over to that default setting.

We should constantly remind our hearts to "cast your cares on him, because he cares for you." {1 Peter 5:7} and of course, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." {Philippians 4:6}

There are times, though, when we feel a degree of anxiety that is based on the good things we are doing for the benefit of God's will.  Have you experienced that kind of anxiety?

When your insides are unsettled because you know you are being challenged to move forward, away from your comfort zone, to a new horizon and new task? How about when you are sensing the need for change, renewal or revising a good thing you are doing for Him? 

I have been feeling that the past couple of weeks for a ministry with my church family ...I am ANXIOUS about the needs and the potential for meeting them!

It was in state of mind on Sunday, when I saw this jumping out at me ..."For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You wont spend the rest of your life chasing your own desires but will be anxious to do the will of God."  1 Peter 4:1b-2

That is a great reason to be anxious!

I pray for you today that you will be anxious for the RIGHT things ..for doing His will, for accomplishing the tasks to which you have been called, to manage your resources well and to be called a worthy servant of His! 

{Welcome, ifellowship friends!}

Project Simplify: Paper Clutter

{okay, I am going to participate in this weeks Project Simplify challenge but I am reposting this to remind myself about a system the does work great for me ..as long as I stay on top of it!}

A huge area of stress and clutter in my house is paper!

I just finished cleaning off my desk ..which was a pile of ridiculousness that I have been putting off for forEVER. I had piles everywhere and only I knew what to do with any of them.

I was forced to resurrect a great system that I used awhile back. I am now remembering how much easier it was than going through a pile of paper clutter for a couple of hours every few months. Like so many things, it is a matter of taking care of the clutter on the front side ..before it becomes clutter.

Having a place to put everything, just like in my house otherwise, is the secret to keeping the clutter down.

I found this file folder holder about a year or so ago at Sam's Club, of all places. They have all sorts of file keepers on sale right now,  so it would be a great to get what you need for this tool.  It came with some really cute file folders (cute makes everything easier). I think I bought the whole thing for $3...it works great for me!

It is in my kitchen, where I bring the mail ...the ROOT OF ALL PAPER CLUTTER!  I have each file folder labeled:  Current Bills, Finances, Current Projects, Receipts, Pending Business and Important Stuff (genius, I know).

As I open my mail, everything goes into one of these places or the trash.  I open it all right at the file folder so I open, file or throw away. No putting the filing off til later.

I have found that this keeps everything I need right at my finger tips when I need it (like, the bills), helps me keep track of small pieces of paper (invitations, receipts, gift certificates, etc.) and important information (like eye prescriptions, drs excuses, etc.). I do still have to file into my larger filing system at some point, but only every couple of months and then it is already sorted and organized.

Another great use of it is keeping track of receipts for tax purposes ..last year was our first year to itemize, so this year I am having to keep a close track on all my receipts. I am filing them straight to this file box so I know exactly where the money receipts are!  I will love myself next April :)

What type of paper clutter system do you use? Does it work for you??!

Less Stressed Dinner: Emealz

Today, I wanted to share something that I have utilized the last couple of weeks that has taken some stress away from both grocery shopping AND making dinner! :)

E-mealz is a great Less Stress tool ...created by moms just like us to help us blend together weekly sales of our favorite grocery stores, a weekly menu (with recipes!)  and a shopping list!  They have a long list of options of different menus and shopping lists including different grocery stores (Publix, Walmart, Kroger, ect.), different size families (2-5 people), different meal preferences ..including a Weight watchers Points Plus plan! 

The recipes included are super simple and way yummy (I will post an example later today!)!

Also, some menus/shopping lists also include online coupon links that can be used on your shopping lists ..on top of the sales that week.

Each week you simply login, print your menu/shopping list and head to the grocery store for great savings and a week of great dinner meals!

This great resource costs $15/3months ...$5/month, $1.25/week. I wrote the gals at E-mealz and let them know that this is PERFECT for LPLS readers! They have offered us a coupon code for $2 off a subscription! 

Click this link and use the coupon code when you order:  SAVINGMONEY

{Disclaimer: aside from the coupon code I am sharing with you, I am not getting any compensation for sharing this resource ..I really do love it}