Spend Yourself

I just finished my lesson for our Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself. I listened to the message Beth Moore had for us this week and it really struck a chord in me. She ended the message with a passage from Isaiah 58:6-11. I have included it here from The Message Bible. I love the way the message puts some of this. It says:

What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.


The whole message was on the idea that "goodness does." The characteristic of goodness is not just a passive personality trait but it is an action; goodness does. The passage above basically says, we are to spend ourselves on others. There are some things that will happen if we get our eyes off ourselves and on other people. First it says, if we help those around us, including our families, that the lights will turn on and our lives will turn around at once. That is a for sure thing. I don't know how many times that I have been so absorbed in my own stuff that I didn't see those around me who were in need but when I stopped long enough to reach out to them things in my life turned around. Maybe it is because God helped to put things back in perspective, but I know I felt much better after helping someone else. Another thing it says is that your prayers will be answered. I don't want to hinder what God is doing but sometimes I think I miss what God is doing because I am so inward focused. It goes on to say if we quit sinning, blaming and gossiping, if we will be generous and give out of what we have and give of ourselves to others, our lives will begin to glow in the darkness. And don't you know the darkness in this world could use more of us beginning to glow! The next three benefits are great. God will show us where to go, give us full life in the emptiest places (do you have any empty places?) and strengthen us with firm muscles and strong bones. I can't imagine that any of us couldn't use some of those things but it seems a little backwards to the world's way of thinking. We need to spend ourselves and give to others in order to receive these things. Verse 11 is great! It says, "You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry." I think we all have seen the difference between a well-watered garden and one that isn't watered well. What's the difference? Fruit!!!! It is the same in our lives. There will be fruit when we spend ourselves for others.

Tonight at church I saw this very thing. We had baptisms and a gal named Mary was baptized. I sat there crying through the whole thing because it was such a miracle. God used someone else, pouring themselves out, spending themselves, for Mary and God brought forth fruit. I don't know if you have ever witnessed God transforming a life right before your eyes but I saw that with Mary and God chose to use Amber to produce the fruit. It cost Amber. There were long nights on the phone; there were tears; there were times when Amber just didn't know how to help but she was faithful to what God had called her to and now she is able to see the fruit. I was able to witness this from a distance and was there praying for Mary along the way. To watch her be baptized tonight and see the joy of the Lord all over her face was nothing short of amazing. I'll bet if you asked Amber if spending herself was worth it, she wouldn't hesitate to say yes! It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. Are you feeling kind of depressed or just feeling bored with life? Maybe you are too inward focused. God says if we will look outside of ourselves and risk helping someone else, He will turn our lives around. I don't know about you, but I can easily get too inward focused. So in the days and weeks to come, I am looking for ways to spend myself on others.