#25 - Kyle Thompson // Godly Companionship is SACRIFICIAL

Godly companionship is sacrificial , and we're going to do that by looking at something that happened in the life of one of my favorite people in the Bible , and that's the prophet Elijah .

I absolutely love Elijah and that shouldn't be a surprise , considering that I named my second born son after him and I think I'm drawn to Elijah because he was a prophet during a time of wicked and depraved darkness in Israel , At my ministry , Undaunted Life .

We're in existence to equip men to push back darkness , and even a cursory study of the life of Elijah reveals a man that was willing and able to push back darkness wherever he saw it .

There are many popular historical occurrences in the life of Elijah , like him proclaiming a drought in 1 Kings 17 , and his prayer that ushered in the end of the drought in 1 Kings 18 , his rather hilarious confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 , him fleeing from Jezebel in 1 Kings 19 , where God essentially told him like look , dude , have a steak

, have a nap and chill out , and him also being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire and a whirlwind in 2 Kings 2 . But today I want to focus in on a story where Elijah wasn't really the main character , where he wasn't really the point , and that's the story of the widow of Zarephath that we see recorded in 1 Kings 17 , verses 8 through 16 .

This is right after he predicts a drought in Israel , a drought that ended up lasting more than three years . I'll read that here . Then the word of the Lord came to him Arise , go to Zarephath , which belongs to Sidon , and dwell there . Behold , I have commanded a widow there to feed you .

So he arose and went to Zarephath , and when he came to the gate of the city , behold , a widow was there gathering sticks , and he called to her and said Bring me a little water and a vessel that I may drink . And as she was going to bring it , he called to her and said Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand .

And she said as the Lord , your God , lives , I have nothing baked , only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug . And now I am gathering a couple of sticks , that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son , that we may eat it and die .

And Elijah said to her Do not fear , Go and do as you have said , but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me and afterward make something for yourself and your son .

For thus says the Lord , the God of Israel , the jar of flour shall not be spent and the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth . And she went and did as Elijah said , and she and he and her household ate for many days .

The jar of flour was not spent , neither did the jug of oil become empty , according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah . So let's dig into this story .

First of all , the Faith Life Study Bible points out that we can surmise from the language used here that it is very likely that this woman is newly widowed , because she could be recognized by her mourning garment .

Also , when she says that she is preparing a meal for her and her son , that we may eat it and die , she's not being figurative here , guys , she's being literal , it seems like , because of the recent death of her husband , that she is unable to procure future meals for her and her household .

So she thinks that this is the last meal that she and her son will eat before they starve to death . She thinks that this is the last meal that she and her son will eat before they starve to death . I mean , this is pretty bleak . Obviously . Now , normally Elijah's request would not fall outside of the expectations of customary hospitable behavior .

But they aren't living in normal times right here . They're in the middle of a severe drought and famine . So Elijah's request for her to go and you know , make him a little cake . You know his request of this woman is extreme , given the circumstances , because she is experiencing an existential crisis . But in verse 13 , we see Elijah reassure her do not fear .

And then we see her response in verse 15 , and she went and did as Elijah said . Now a lot of different points can be made here about this story . You know , Elijah acted in authority by telling this woman that she would receive a blessing . The widow acted in faith by doing exactly what Elijah told her to do .

But here's the main point that I don't want us to miss this woman chose to sacrifice for the benefit of others without assurance of any favors or benefits in return . Don't miss that .

I mean , it's huge , because in our experiences and for some of you , this is going to be like me holding up a mirror we will only sacrifice for someone if we think we might get something that we want in return . You know , we'll help a guy load up a U-Haul because we know that we're going to be moving soon too and we're going to want his help , right .

You know , we'll give a sale to a coworker and , you know , seem like the hero , but we've already got a bigger deal lined up in the pipeline , right . But what about the times where there is literally no possible benefit to you ? Do you default to doing what is best for someone else ?

Better yet , do you follow the prompting of God when it does not make sense on your score sheet ? For most of us , me included , a lot of times we don't , and we may be surrounded by guys like that too .

So here's what I want you to think about today Do you have men in your life that are willing to sacrifice for you when they don't stand to benefit from it ? Keep that in mind as we march towards tomorrow .