Being obedient to God maybe the key to your blessings.
As I am reading 1 Kings, I came across the story of "The Widow at Zarephath".
(Read: 1 Kings 17: 8-24)
God instructed Elijah to go live in the village of Zarephath.
Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you."
Elijah obeyed God and went to Zarephath.
Upon arriving at the village, Elijah saw the widow. He asked her for a cup of the water and a bite of bread.
But she said,
"I swear by the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die."
But Elijah said to her,
"Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!"
She obeyed and did what Elijah said.
There was always flour and olive oil left in the containers just as God promised through Elijah.
Obedience begin with Elijah obeying God when instructed to go to the village of Zarephath.
This obedience led to the encounter between Elijah and the Widow.
Elijah obeyed God because he fully trusted in the Lord's commands.
Elijah trusted in God to provide.
This radical obedience transferred over to the widow.
This was the key to the blessing the widow needed.
She needed food and received an overflow of food from God.
Sometimes YOUR obedience is tied to someone's blessing!
Some time later the woman's son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. Then she said to Elijah, "O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?"
But Elijah replied, "Give me your son."
Elijah carried the boy upstairs and cried out to God.
And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, please let this child's life return to him." The Lord heard Elijah's prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!
God gave the widow another blessing.
Elijah's and the widow's obedience was the key to TWO blessings.
Your radical obedience may show others that they can fully trust God and surrender to his plans, no matter the circumstances.
Your OBEDIENCE may definitely be the key to yours and others BLESSINGS!