"empty vessels; do not gather just a few"

Great story.  I'll share what I take from this story after you read it.

2 Kings 4:1-7(NKJV)

1A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

2So 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.”

3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 

4And 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.”

5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 

6Now 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. 

7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Scripture tells us that once we accept Jesus and are part of the family of God, that God wants to bless us.  I think this story gives us a clue as to how that happens.

We all have things to contribute to spreading God's Word.  One of the most important things we have is our time.  But whatever it is that each of us has to offer, I believe that it is through being willing to use those gifts in the service of God that God blesses us.

As the story says "“Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few.  ".  Each of those empty vessels is a time when you have responded to God's call.  Whether it be an answer to a need for money, for volunteers, for time or whatever, each time we answer we open another empty vessel through which God can pour out additional blessings on us.

And notice that Scripture tells us to get a lot of empty pots, not just a few.  Why?  Because once the empty pots were gone, the blessings dried up.  What's that tell us? 

Be generous towards God in all that you have and do!