So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”  3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 2 Kings 4:2-6 NKJV

Jesus taught a universal principle, “Give and it shall be given unto you . . .” (Luke 6:38). This precept works with the issue of forgiveness and any other form of giving. But what is your motivation for giving? Is it giving in faith and obedience to glorify God? There is a tendency to give to those you know because they gave to you first, with an expectation, that they would return the favor. In such case, are you doing it for the joy of giving or just to get a favor in return? Check your motives when you give because if you give with the wrong motive, you are still a “beggar.”

In our text, the widow woman was a desperate beggar until the prophet Elisha gave to her what he had: a word of wisdom inspired by the spirit of God. The beggarly widow was transformed into a “believer” when she acted in obedience and faith to the word of the Lord by giving what she had, i.e., a jar of oil. She borrowed vessels, shut her door, and poured out what she had into empty vessels, and her little became much. When there was not another vessel, the flow of oil ceased. The widow discovered that when you give what you have, God’s provision is as large as your faith and willingness to obey. Don’t limit God’s blessing by a lack of faith and obedience (Eph. 3:20).

Never be afraid to give what you have. If you are reluctant to give what you have, how can God trust you with true riches? (Luke 16:11). “Shut the door and pour” and you’ll discover that it won’t long be before you have faith to say to the lame, “rise up and walk”!