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??Introduction：Listen! Do you hear someone crying？" The prophet Elisha did! Perhaps the poor woman met him as Elisha was traveling. The woman was the wife of one of the sons of the prophets whom Elisha would have known.
??Body：She began to tell him her sad story. "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know my husband feared the Lord; and now the creditor has come and says that since I can't pay our debts, he's going to take my two sons to be his servants."
??The widow was saying, "We've always tried to put God first in our life, but now look what has happened!" Not only is her husband dead, but the widow was about to lose her two sons as well. Yes, things looked bad, but do you remember God's promise in our Bible verse for today？??Main Teaching：Matthew 6：33 says, "But seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, put God first in your life! He then promises to supply all your need. Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness means our heart and mind and life are busy serving the Lord and pleasing Him in all our ways. We are always thinking of what God wants us to be doing, not what we want. God then promises if we take care of His business, He will take care of us!
??Link：But right now, it didn't look as if God were taking care of the widow and her two sons, did it？??Elisha said to the widow, "What do you want me to do for you？Tell me, what do you have in your house？" She answered sadly, "I have nothing in my house, nothing except a pot of oil." Perhaps Elisha's face lit up as she said, "A pot of oil."
??He told her, "Go, borrow from your neighbors every pot, jar, bottle, any kinds of empty vessel you can borrow. And when you bring them into your house, shut the door and have just you and your two sons inside. Then pour your pot of oil into those vessels, and set aside those that are full."
??Gospel：How did Elisha know what to do？Our all wise and wonderful God had shown Elisha exactly what to do. God already knew the widow's problem, and He already had a marvelous plan to care for her needs! He loved that precious mother and her two sons, and God loves YOU! As your wise and wonderful Creator, God also has a marvelous plan for your life. The first big step in finding God's plan for your life is to come to Him with your sin problem. We are all born with a sin nature that makes us think and say and do things that are displeasing to God. Because of that sin nature, every day without even realizing it, you do something that displeases God. It is sin that keeps us separated from God and until we deal with the problem of our sin, we can never find His plan for our life. In His great love for you, God provided the answer for your sin problem when He sent His perfect Son Jesus into the world. " ...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; " I Timothy 1：15 tells us. You have heard how the Lord Jesus died on the cross, giving His blood and His life to pay for your sins. He came alive again the 3rd day and now the Lord Jesus is back in Heaven. Believing on the Lord Jesus and letting Him save you from sin is the first big step in God's marvelous plan for you!
??Using that one pot of oil was part of God's marvelous plan for this poor widow and her two sons. The widow and her sons went to work right away! Let's pretend we are some of the neighbors! Do you hear a knock at the door？"Hello, my mom wants to know if we can borrow as many empty jars, bottles, pots, or vessels as you have？We'll be sure to return them when we are finished!"
??All over the neighborhood the boys ran, bringing back to their home all sizes of containers! Do you think the neighbors might have been wondering what was happening？When the boys finished, the widow remembered what Elisha had said, and she shut the door with only her and her two sons inside. She held the pot of oil and the boys kept busy bringing empty vessels. For you see, God was doing a miracle inside that house! As that pot of oil was being poured out, vessel after vessel was filled and set aside! The mother said, "Hurry, bring me another vessel." But her son said, "There's not another empty vessel!" Then God's Word says, "And the oil stopped." God had wonderfully supplied her need!
??What do you think the widow did next？II Kings 4：7 says, "Then she came and told the man of God." Link：She could have decided herself what she should do next.
??Main Teaching：But the widow wanted to know what God wanted her to do. She was in the habit of putting God first in her life. If you know the Lord Jesus, put God first in your life! He promises then to supply all your need! Maybe your need is a place to live, or money to buy food and clothes. Perhaps you need help with your school work, or help with getting along with your family. Can you say your Bible verse to yourself right now？If you are seeking first the kingdom of God, that means you are continually thinking "What does God want me to be doing？" Here are some questions you can ask yourself：1)Where does God want me to be on Sunday？2)What does God want me to do with the time, talents, and treasures He has given me？3) How can I use them to help others know about Jesus' 4)What does God want me to do with my life？??Link：God says He will supply all your need if you make it a habit to put God first in your life, as the widow did! Rather than deciding on her own what to do with that oil, the widow went straight to Elisha. Elisha said, "Go now and sell the oil. Pay off your debts and you will still have enough left to take care of you and your sons."
??The widow's sadness now was turned to joy! As she left Elisha that day, she was probably praising the Lord for supplying all her need! She and her sons could see that God had kept His promise!
??God still keeps His promises today! God does not change and His Word does not change. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, will you this week put God first in your life？He promises then to supply all your need! The times and the ways God supplies your need may not be what you expect, but God is much wiser in His plans and purpose than we are. Determine that you will use your talents, time and treasures to serve the Lord. Pray and ask Him to guide you in serving Him. Then be sure to thank the Lord as you see Him meeting your needs.
??If you have never believed on the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you have a very important choice to make. God's marvelous plan for you begins the moment you admit you are a sinner and believe on the Lord Jesus, asking Him to come in and save you from sin. But it is you who must choose to come to the Lord Jesus. Will you go right now to "How to Be a Child of God" and learn how today you can begin God's marvelous plan for your life？
