Sufficient for Each Day
We need to trust God for daily provision and accept His grace freely, rather than trying to hoard it for future use.
Theodore Epp emphasizes the importance of relying on God's daily provision, as illustrated by Elijah's experience and the widow of Zarephath. Despite the dire circumstances, both demonstrated faith in God's ability to meet their needs one day at a time. Epp draws parallels to the necessity of daily grace, highlighting that we cannot stockpile God's grace for future use but must seek it anew each day. Just as the widow and Elijah received sustenance daily, believers are encouraged to approach God each morning for their spiritual nourishment. The sermon reminds us that God's grace is sufficient for each day, reinforcing the prayer for our daily bread.
Text
1 Kings 17:8-16
Because Elijah was a man like us, he undoubtedly wondered what God had in store for him when he saw the brook beginning to dry up.
Since he was trusting in God, however, he believed and help arrived. God did not send a sudden squall of rain for that immediate neighborhood, nor did he provide some supernatural source of water in that place. Instead, Elijah was to arise, go to Zarephath and dwell there. Only at Zarephath would a widow provide food for him.
Few of us have faced the extremity this widow experienced. It seemed as though each day she might face starvation; yet each day by faith she trusted God to meet her need. The result was that she and her house "did eat many days" (1 Kings 17:15). God supplied not a year at a time but a day at a time.
This is what we need with regard to God's grace. We do not need a great stockpile of it for future use but a daily appropriation of it, which God supplies freely. The manna was gathered daily, not in the evening but in the morning, and each one gathered for himself. So must we accept grace from God. We cannot hoard today's grace for tomorrow or call on yesterday's grace for today. We cannot gather enough on a Sunday to last a whole week. We need to have daily contact with God, particularly in the morning.
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).
Sermon Outline
- God's Provision
- The Widow's Faith
- Our Need for Daily Grace
- We need a daily appropriation of God's grace
- We cannot hoard today's grace for tomorrow
Key Quotes
“God supplied not a year at a time but a day at a time.” — Theodore Epp
“We need to have daily contact with God, particularly in the morning.” — Theodore Epp
“Give us this day our daily bread” — Theodore Epp
Application Points
- You should have daily contact with God, particularly in the morning, to accept His grace freely.
- You should trust God for daily provision and not try to hoard His grace for future use.
- You should accept God's grace daily and not try to live off yesterday's grace.