Consider The Source

Consider the Source 5/13/03

1 Kings 17:1-16

(Read 17:1-7)

Have you ever heard something and you had some doubt about it and you said, “Consider the source”? In other words, the source was not a reliable one.

Today we read about the prophet Elijah and God’s judgment on Ahab and the children of Israel. No rain, no dew, no water. You see King Ahab according to 16:33 did more to provoke God to anger more than any of the previous other Kings. He was a wicked King and worshipped Baal and built altars to this god. So God’s judgment was to cause a drought, but He provided for Elijah by giving him some room service. The ravens would give him two square meals a day and he would drink from the brook.

So here we have the source. While everyone else was starving due to the drought, Elijah was having room service. But we read in verse 7 that after a while the brook dried up. His source dried up. But was the brook really the source or was God the source?

Today I want to look at a few examples of someone thinking that their source dried up and what to do about it.

Finances

My Dad shared with me once about the time that the church he was pastor at just went out and signed a big note to have the funds to build the new church. At the time they had a well to do (millionaire) business owner faithfully attending and tithing to the church. The day after the note was signed; this person had a falling out with someone and left the church. Dad was concerned because he was counting on this person to provide a majority of the repayment of the loan. Dad felt like the brook had dried up per say. Consider the source.

Who owns the all the money? Haggai 2:8 tells us that God owns all the silver and gold. Who owns all the possessions? Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 50:10 tells us God owns it all. It says that He owns the cattle on the 1000 hills. You see He is the source. It’s all His.

Now don’t leave here and go to the store and when you get to the cashier say, put this on God’s account. That will not work. You might be thinking that if God owns it all they why is He so stingy with me. You never promised that He would give us everything, just what we need. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Needs and wants are two different things.

How many people could God give a million dollars to and them still stay close to Him? Not very many. It was asked to someone that if God gave them 5 million dollars if they would give Him back $50,000. Their reply was sure. Then they said good, now start by giving $5,000 of the $50,000 He gives you now.

God does not need our money. He needs our faithfulness.

I can tell you from experience that God never tells you to do something that He doesn’t provide the source to do it. Example (Haiti trip)

I was asked during the time of the man in Poca winning the lottery if someone in our church won the lottery if I would accept any money. Didn’t take me very long to give my answer. Sure I would. God used the ravens to carry the food to Elijah and the raven is considered a very dirty bird. So why can’t God use money that was won in a lottery to further His Kingdom? As long as the money was not dirty like coming from a bank robbery or something of that nature, then welcome.

So back to the story; millionaire leaves church; Dad is worried about paying the note. Who is the source? Was it the millionaire or was it God?

Dad goes to the post office a few weeks later. In the mail there was a check for an amount that was greater than would have been expected for a whole year from the millionaire, from a complete stranger who faithfully gave to the church even after the completion of the building. Consider the source.

Your Joy and Happiness

I can remember when I first started dating my wife Hope. She was practically engaged to another guy who was much younger than I was and had a full head of hair. Hope was confused about what to do. Which one was right for her? So she simply told both of us she wanted some time. It was like my brook had dried up. I had lost Hope, literally.