Many years ago our family made a journey from Spirit Lake Idaho to Providence RI. Our two girls at the time were 27 months and 6 months. We spent a few days with Darryl's grandparents in Youngstown, OH, and then early one morning resumed our journey toward Providence. I had played with the girls, sang with them, told them stories, fed them snacks and finally around 10:30 a.m. they fell asleep. I picked up my Bible and read II Corinthians 12: 15, 5 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Those scriptures seem to stand out in bold--was I willing to be spent for the Lord?
About the same time, Darryl began to make the dreaded "uh oh" sounds--which means something in the car isn't working as it should. I did not want him to pull over for the girls would wake up and we would have to start all over again (sympathy sounds from all you moms, right?) Anyway, the problem seemed to be that our VW van was working great going up hills, but cutting out when we were going down hills. This seems as backwards to you as it was to us, I am sure. Finally we came to a rest area in Pennsylvania. Darryl reluctantly headed for the exit.
Pennsylvanian rest stops come with attendants. These attendants are there to make sure people do not stay over their allotted few hours. As soon as we stopped and Darryl went to the back of our van to open the engine compartment the attendant was by his side. "You know you can't stay here long". "Do you want me to call someone?" "Do you know how to fix it?" "Do you know what's wrong?" "You know you can't stay here long"…..
Darryl simply told him, "No, I don't know what is wrong. I am not a mechanic, but I am going to pray." The fellow was even more agitated at that statement. Darryl kept looking and checking things, with the attendant hovering by muttering, "You know you can't stay here long". The girls and I went to the rest room, praying.
Darryl kept praying as well, and the Lord showed him what was wrong and how to fix it (a part had worked its way lose, landing on a rubber lip; it should have fallen off and gotten lost!) He replaced the part into the opening and the car was fixed. The gentlemen was relieved and was reluctantly amazed that it was fixed. Darryl testified to him how the Lord knows how to help us and gave him a gospel tract, sharing with him the plan of salvation. The fellow shook his head as we drove off.
The Holy Spirit quietly spoke to me "I will gladly spend and be spent for you."
I began to appreciate God's authority to spend me any way He wanted to (even at the expense of disturbing the sleep of babies!)
This past November I had the privilege to speak at a Ladies Retreat, held in Ludlow, VT. The theme they chose was "women who love…", with the emphasis on reaching their community for Jesus. As I mulled this topic around in my spirit during our trip to England, God began to bring this scripture back to my mind along with the phrase "A coin in God's pocket".
A coin does not make the choice where it is spent. It doesn't decide to go for groceries, rent or gas. It simply is available to be used by it's owners discretion. Most of the time a coin by itself doesn't purchase much, but when gathered with other coins it is limitless. God desires to join us with the rest of his body to accomplish a greater task than we can by ourselves.
I began to ponder how does a coin become more valuable? Gold is refined and purified through the fire, so as our lives are brought through tests and
circumstances, we too, become more valuable for God's use. Our testimony is enlarged and our faith is increased and God has more opportunities to use us to bring him glory.
"So be truly glad!* There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." I Peter 1: 6-7 New Living Translation
Wouldn't it be a delight to be God's pocket change? To allow Him to use us to bring delight and blessing into someone else's life? To spend us and our possessions to bring glory to His name? We read stories of great saints who have allowed the Lord to use them for His purposes.
Corrie Ten Boom's family used their home as a "hiding place" for Jewish refugees which led her to be interned in a Nazi concentration camp.
Mary Slessor let God spend her as a missionary to the interior of Africa.
Henrietta Mears developed a closely graded Sunday school curriculum to provide comprehensive Bible survey for children and teens--this led the founding of Gospel Light Publishing Company. All from her prayer to be used by the Lord and her willingness to teach a high school Sunday school class!
Fanny Crosby, blind from 6 weeks of age because of mistreatment by a man claiming to be a physician let God spend her gift of writing--she wrote over 9000 hymns, many we still sing today. These hymns speak of His glory, His majesty and grace. She could have been bitter, but she let the Lord purify her so she could be spent for His glory. How awesome, how challenging!
Sister Christian, what would be written about you and your life? How has God been spending you?
What gifts, talents or callings has the Lord laid into your life? How will He choose to spend you? We won't really know all he is purchasing through our lives until we get to heaven. We must trust Him.
I want to encourage each of you to allow the Holy Spirit to spend you as He sees fit. Some of you are stay at home moms who are being spent in the wonderful process of raising children who love the Lord and will grow up to be pillars in His kingdom. Some of you are involved in ministries that take you far and wide--others work alongside their spouse or church body to further His kingdom, but whatever or wherever you are called--please allow him to spend you as he will.
Letting go of the "right" to tell Him how we are to be spent is liberating to our soul. Our spirit will thrive and our body will also prosper. It is an exciting life, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you.
"Dear Lord, please help me to trust that you are spending me for your glory. Help me to be willing to lay down my life and my understanding for your greater glory".
Written by: Martha Rodman