1 + 1 = ∞

I remember sitting next to a friend at church a few weeks ago, and during the message she nudged me to look at something she wrote in her notepad. It said "1 + 1 = ∞". I gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and whispered, "It's God's math." I smiled back. At the time I didn't give it any more thought.

But I remembered it today. I've been reading about God's provision in 1 and 2 Kings this past week. It is amazing how He can use the little that we have to provide for us abundantly if we have faith in Him. During a time when there was no rain, and hence no water and no food, God provided for a widow and her son with only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. The widow was faithful in making food for Elijah the prophet even though she only had enough flour for one more meal, because she believed Elijah when he told her that God said, "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land." Because of her faith, there was food every day for Elijah and the widow's family. Likewise, another widow needed to pay off her husband's debts and went to Elisha the prophet for help. Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? What do you have in your house?" She said, "Nothing except a little oil." Elisha then tells the widow to go and ask all her neighbors for empty jars, go home and pour oil into all the jars. She did as Elisha said and from the little oil and the faith that she had in God's word, the Lord gave her enough oil to fill all the empty jars, so that she could sell the oil to pay the debts and live on what's left.

God never wants us to focus on what we lack or what we don't have. He wants us to be faithful with whatever we DO have, as little as it may be. He wants to provide for us, to give us the things we need and to bless us abundantly. Not because we deserve it, but because He loves us. Not because of something we did, but because of who we are - His children. I heard someone say one time, "Heirs of a great inheritance receive the inheritance because of who they are, it's their privilege and right as a member of the family." Likewise, we are God's children and therefore, we have the privilege to receive His inheritance. He has already given us the best gift in all of eternity - His son - and yet, He is still giving every second of every day. Last year, this man (a complete stranger) prophesied over me and one of the things he said to me was that I should keep giving because I can never out give God.

This past week at church, the message was on giving. Our motivation for giving should not be 'to get', but our giving should be out of love and gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all. Even if we tried for the rest of our lives, we couldn't out give God. I was talking to my sister this past weekend and we were discussing how amazing it is that the more we give to God, the more God seems to give to us. It really is like 1 + 1 = ∞!

Looking back on my life, I know that God has always provided for me, even in the first 20 years of my life when I didn't know Him. When I quit my job in August of last year, I knew I was leaving a very 'cushy' situation financially, but I felt that it was what He was telling me to do. The Lord has provided for me and blessed me beyond understanding these past 9 months (whoa, I just counted 9 months)! I have not 'lacked' anything. He prepared and paved the way for me - every single step. When I was in Arizona, I was given a part-time job as a server where I gained a fun experience and made a few extra dollars that I wasn't expecting to make. I wasn't even looking for a job! In December, I got a bonus from my previous job for working part of the year, which I was expecting, but given the state of the market, I shouldn't have been too surprised if it didn't happen. When I came back to NJ in January, I grabbed lunch with a former boss just to say hello and she offered me a part-time consulting job! Again, I wasn't looking and didn't even ask for it. When I attended a wedding in January, the pastor mentioned that people interested in going on the missions trip to China should attend a meeting. I was just visiting that church on that day, and it's not even in my state. But I wrote in my vision for 2008 that I was going on a missions trip, I just didn't know when or where or how or with whom. It's been on my heart to go for years - and I really wanted to go to China. At the end of 2007, I went and got my Chinese visa even though I had no set plans to go to China. So when I heard about this opportunity, I prayed about it and took the steps to figure out if I could go with them. It turns out that I could, and God willing, I will be joining them at the end of the month!

God has allowed me to experience so much these past 9 months, sometimes I am so thankful and overjoyed that I start to think there might be something wrong with me! LOL. Like, is it normal to be this happy?! To conclude this post on God's math and His divine provisions, I was looking at my financial situation today versus the day I quit my job. Even with 9 months of being away from full-time employment, with the traveling, buying a car, paying the bills, giving, etc., financially it looks as if the last 9 months didn't happen. I'm in the same financial state as I was in when I quit. It's like, I 'gave' this time to God in faith. In turn, God was faithful in giving me a stronger relationship with Him, travel experiences, time for relaxation and family. As if that's not enough, He blesses me financially and gave me 9 months of 'freedom' from a job 'for free' just because He loves me. Does this add up logically? Probably not. God is faithful. He is awesome. His math is better than mine. Who am I to argue with Him?

1 + 1 = ∞ ...... I can never out give God.