What does it mean to spend yourself?
When our Family DTS Outreach team was exploring how to serve the community in the east end of Richmond, there was one person we knew we needed to call: Ms. Chetta. Ms. Chetta has been giving of herself for years on behalf of others in ways most avoid; she’s done so not as part of a ministry or for a paycheck, but because God has called and equipped her to “love her neighbor.”
Over the years Ms. Chetta’s car would be filled with care bags, food, and other resources, ready to hand out with a smile, conversation, and prayer to any who may be in a hard space. Other times her car would be filled with people, providing rides to the doctor or funerals, or to a lively time at Community Bible Study. She has often opened her home, changed her plans, and taken financial hits as God invited her.
She frequently spends herself on behalf of others, something we are all invited to in Isaiah 58:
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and 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. (v.6,7,9,10)
Generally, we barely scratch the surface of this, doing the basic actions without the personal depth. We may donate food, clothes, and resources, but this passage invites us to something beyond generic charity. In this is not a call to give of your excess, but to “spend yourselves.”
This is no small ask. This is not the type of ministry that guarantees clarity or fruit, and it is rarely quick or easy. It is not uncommon for one to know how God has called them, and have other believers question or oppose them. A person can easily become drained, frustrated, or even hopeless as they spend, spend, spend themselves. It can truly feel like they are not merely spending money or time, but their very selves! Why should we take on something that could cost so much and yield so little?
Quite simple, because scripture tells us to.
Isaiah 58 is one of many passages that call for this type of lifestyle. Jesus made it clear in life and word that his brand of “love” takes this form. This is not simply an “anti-self” situation where we value others more than ourselves, but an important way to embody that life is bigger than “self”, but the Body unified. It is not about needs being met, but people being restored together:
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
hen you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I…“…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.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” (v.8,9a,10b-12)
This is bigger than food and clothing: this is an invitation to bring “Heaven on Earth”.
When we “spend ourselves”, we are not simply making someone’s day better, we are making way for the Kingdom of God in the here-and-now. As it stands, we are prone to fall into the reality of verses 2-5, where we may seek God, but ultimately prioritize ourselves over others (and Him.) Isaiah 58 invites us to circumvent our default human logic by doing something foolish — dying to self, loving when it is hard, persevering when things seem futile — which reveals an eternal reality beyond us.
And it is beyond us. Ms. Chetta will tell you; the invitation she accepts daily is both simple and profoundly hard. Her humanity feels the weight of a call that overwhelms her personal strength and desire, and any time she is operating in, from, or for herself, burnout is standing at the door. Too often we answer that door and find bitterness or hopelessness flooding in; it can seem there is nothing left but to give up and turn inward.
However, Ms. Chetta knows Jesus stands at the door and knocks as well (Revelation 3:20.) She know she needs him desperately, and has experienced reaching the end of herself only for Jesus to carry her much farther than she asked or imagined.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
God calls us to “spend ourselves” knowing it is too high a price for us to pay, because He knows He is ultimately the one who pays it. Our here-and-now obedience to “Love God and Love Others” is not by our capacity, desire, or plans, but is rather us accepting and swiping God’s divine debit card.
Do not get me wrong, obeying Isaiah 58 can make you feel weary and burdened; but if we are honest about God’s Word, there is no other option. Praise God for people like Ms. Chetta and others who have demonstrated a long commitment to “spending themselves” on behalf of others, showing we can too. And praise God for people like you who can –and should — affirm and encourage them. God may be positioning you to strengthen them today; do not miss the opportunity to be used by Jesus to give them rest and restoration.
God is speaking Isaiah 58 to you; when the call to “spend yourself” seems to big an ask, remember Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
