Spend yourselves

‘If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.’
(Isaiah 58:10-11, NIV)

Ever since I began working for MAF I have had this passage in my mind. For me it sums up so well what God is doing through our organisation. It’s more than just a beautiful piece of Scripture, it feels like a mission statement from God Himself.

In these verses we get a glimpse into the very heart of God. Isaiah 58 is a wake-up call. It reminds us that true worship isn’t found in rituals or routines, but in justice, compassion, and self-giving love.

The verses before this section make it clear that God doesn’t just want lip service or a people who ‘look like’ they’re doing the right thing. God’s priorities are clear and, as His people, they should be ours too.

There are many times in life when I have wondered what my purpose is and where I should use my skills. Isaiah 58 gives us a clear mandate for our lives, and it’s actually incredibly simple.

Clamouring for attention

I’m most challenged by the verse, ‘If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed.’

There are many things in this world which clamour for our attention, and many things that try to take priority in our lives. We can get caught up in material things and can often be lured into thinking that success is everything.

But God shows us a different way. He says that if you lose your life, you’ll actually find it. He says that our wholeness is actually connected to the way we treat others.

How can it be that our ability to flourish relates to how we treat the poor and oppressed? Proverbs 11:25 reminds us that, ‘The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed’ (NLT).

When we lift our eyes from ourselves and look to others, we become rejuvenated. We will also find our needs met by a gracious and all-sufficient Father.

In giving, we receive

‘If you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed’ is such a countercultural invitation. It challenges the pursuit of self and success and instead calls us to a life of sacrificial love.

The promise that follows, ‘then your light will rise in the darkness… the LORD will guide you always… You will be like a well-watered garden’ reminds us that, in giving, we receive. In serving, we are renewed.

I recently did an online personality type inventory to understand myself better and shed light on areas for growth.

It showed that although I like to do things for other people, doing so can also become prideful, and that at times I may be in danger of helping people in order to look good. (I didn’t enjoy reading that part of my character summary!)

Its suggestion for character growth was to ensure that I regularly practised helping and blessing people anonymously without telling others what I had done.

It reminded me of Matthew 6:3-4, ‘But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you’ (NLT).

An audience of one

It can be a challenge to only live for an audience of one — the One who knows our deepest motives and desires. May the Holy Spirit help us to carry out His mission in the world with the right heart in the right way, in order that He might have all the glory.

Of course, because He is such a good Father, we find that — as a by-product — we’ll end up blessed in the process.

Response

• Take a moment to consider some of your motives for serving Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to align your heart with His own.
• Choose to do an act of kindness this week that no-one will know about.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to give you an opportunity to be a source of refreshment to somebody else this week.