God's Ways » HARVEST MINISTRY

God's Ways
A prophetic insight on the principle of giving and receiving.

One gives and another receives. In receiving, an action is taken to accept what is offered. The action of receiving is demonstrated by giving and confirms agreement with and into what is offered. For example, when receiving God's gift of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is expected that you give lordship over your life to Jesus, because if you hold to your life, you will lose your life. (John 12:25) To receive is an act that does not oppose free will, but rather is in agreement with the will. The act of receiving in accordance with God's Word aligns a divine release. Jesus said, "He that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew 10:40-42).

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38). In His time and way, God chooses to reward. The act of receiving in conjunction with giving assures divine reward, which is not commensurate with human wisdom. God's rewards are everlasting, divinely purposed, and are proportional to kingdom values.

God has commanded a fig tree to die and a mule to talk. (Matthew 21:19 and Numbers 22:28) Those affected by God's commands are under His authority and they may not be fully aware of God's plan until He decides to reveal it. Such an example of God's authority with man is found in the gospel of John. "And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, 'Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.' And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:49-52). God commanded Caiaphas to speak His prophetic words, and God's plan was made known. As God commands, His order is set and His word proceeds.

"And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 'Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.' So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, 'Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.' And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, 'Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.' And she said, 'As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.' And Elijah said unto her, 'Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.' And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah" (I Kings 17:8-16). By God's command, a drought-stricken woman, knowingly or unknowingly, received Elijah. By giving her remaining food first, the act of receiving was in agreement with the foretold words of God, and a divine release was realized. The woman not only received a daily reward of food, but also the means to sustain Elijah and her son until God's appointed time for rain.

"And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was not breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, 'What have I to do with thee, O man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?' And he said unto her, 'Give me thy son.' And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, 'O Lord my God, hast Thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?' And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, 'O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's soul come into him again.' And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, 'See, thy son liveth.' And the woman said to Elijah, 'Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the work of the Lord in thy mouth is truth'" (I Kings 17:17-24). Even though God's order was set in place, and He was divinely supplying food, the woman did not fully believe. By God's command, she was moved to accept God's message with only a mustard seed of faith. When her son died, the messenger interceded with God for the boy's life, and God restored his soul to him. The miracles followed the speaking of God's words, then the woman believed, and God was glorified.

The rewards given by God's choosing are not limited to the present human need. In accordance with God's order and His Word, God's will is performed and the thing is done. His kingdom does come as a result of first doing things God's way. His ways are higher than man's ways, and God's ways are not limited to heaven, but the consequence of doing God's will here on earth is His ultimate reward--life everlasting.

God saved the life of the woman who at first did not fully believe in His words through His messenger. Her life in Him began with a mustard seed of faith. God listened to a righteous man's prayers, and His power was manifest on earth for all to see. Just as God influenced the heart of this woman, so He can move the heart of any person with only a mustard seed of faith. God's principle truth here is that He performs His word as man steps out in faith.