THERE IS A REWARD FOR GIVING YOUR ONLY

1 kings 17:7-16

7 Now after a time the stream became dry, because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 Up! go now to Zarephath, in Zidon, and make your living-place there; I have given orders to a widow woman there to see that you have food. 10 So he got up and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the door of the town, he saw a widow woman getting sticks together; and crying out to her he said, Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink? 11 And when she was going to get it, he said to her, And get me with it a small bit of bread. 12 Then she said, By the life of the Lord your God, I have nothing but a little meal in my store, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death. 13 And Elijah said to her, Have no fear; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: The store of meal will not come to an end, and the bottle will never be without oil, till the day when the Lord sends rain on the earth. 15 So she went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her family had food for a long time. 16 The store of meal did not come to an end, and the bottle was never without oil, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Elijah.(BBE )

The online dictionary defines only as;
1.Nothing more besides;solely. 2.Alone of its kind.
3.Except.

The reward for giving your only is abundance.What you give is actually multiplied.
In the scripture above we read of an uncommon event between Elijah and the woman of Zarephath and how God miraculously sustained him.Elijah was sent by God to the woman of zarephath so he can be sustained,at the time when the brook died up.The drying up of the brook was a signal of change,a change for the better.A change from provision to sustainance.

Finally when Elijah got to Zarephath,his first interaction was with the widow.The widow who was commanded by God to be the sustainer of Elijah.Though she seemed unaware of her responsibility,because it was not explicitly spelt out to her,it was as though God had already purposed in her heart to provide for Elijah's needs.

Interestingly when Elijah met this widow,she was picking sticks to prepare her last meal so she and her son would eat and die.

Perhaps Elijah thought that God was taking him to a rich widow,one who was able to sustain him with her riches.However the woman's presence at the gate was divine.She was purposed to meet Elijah howbeit she seemed unaware.

Amazingly the woman who was to be the sustainer of the man of God needed to be sustained herself.He asked for water and a piece of bread from a woman who was going to prepare her last meal with just a handful of flour and a little oil.Her last meal prior her death was dependant on these ingredients yet she had to sacrifice her immediate needs and that of her son to sustain the man of God.

We live in an era where giving has become extremely difficult.We are only excited about giving when we have enough. When we have enough to give ,we are cheerful to do so.This is not wrong.It becomes wrong when we do so only when we have enough.God expects us to give at all times,in the time of lack and abundance.The most effective giving is one that is from the heart of the person who has little.Sometimes the little we have is a seed to be sown.You must be able to sacrifice the present advantage to obtain the future benefits.

The only thing the woman had was flour and little oil.And now she was going to have sacrifice that for Elijah.It was her only. We all have the only,the only car,the only house,the only money etc.It is very difficult to give your only.Normally it is what we so cherish.Even though it is small it becomes a treasure.The reward for giving your only is abundance.After the  woman had sacrifised her immediate needs to provide for Elijah,God gave her abundance.

God also demonstrated this when he sent his only son Jesus to come and die for our sins.By this act God was able to redeem mankind from sin.Those who believe in his only son are saved.John 3:16.

Also in Gen 22.We see Abraham who stood the test of time by almost  sacrificing his son, if it were not for the timely intervention of God he could have sacrificed Isaac .Because he was willing in his heart to give his only son ,God rewarded him with abundance.He later became the father of all nations.God actually multiplied his descendants.

Today, let us endeavor to always give God our only possessions if the need be.It doesnt matter how little it may be.If only it comes from an expectant heart He will multiply and increase it.