Poured Out

Poured out typically means something is empty, spent, depleted, used up or done.  Sometimes when we are at this place in our lives, it is when we feel our weakest.  Could it be this is a time when God can step in and show Himself the strongest?  For me, sometimes I get so caught up in my own misery I deny God the chance to use this opportunity to do a mighty work through me.  Philippians 4:13 "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."  On a small scale, I can remember several times when I was teaching young girls Sunday School and God stepped in.  Some days it was a challenge to teach because perhaps I was arguing with someone I loved, found out some news that broke my heart, or just didn't seem to be at peace.  It was at these times, God would step in and do a much greater work through my words than I could have ever accomplished. 

The apostle Paul speaks about being poured out as a drink offering in Philippians 2:17 "But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you." There are two lessons when it comes to being poured out.  The first one is to accept it when you feel poured out.  Remind yourself things might not be exactly as you would have it, but God calls us to focus on something greater than ourselves.  He calls us to pour our energies and efforts out into the lives of others for Him no matter what our circumstances might be.  And a beautiful healing takes place as we begin to do this for Him and take the focus off of ourselves.  I believe I have shared this story before, but one day I was done, spent and didn't know what to do.  I found myself in the parking lot of my church crying.  Then it hit me.  It was Thursday evening,  Church on the Street is on Thursdays.  I waited on everyone to gather and I jumped on a bus and went to downtown Atlanta and fed the homeless.  Guess what, my heart was healed. 

Finally, the ultimate pouring out is seen in our Lord on the cross.  Charles Spurgeon writes in reference to the sacrifice of Christ. "I am poured out like water. He was utterly spent, like water poured upon the earth; his heart failed him, and had no more firmness in it than running water, and his whole being was made a sacrifice, like a libation poured out before the Lord. He had long been a fountain of tears; in Gethsemane his heart welled over in sweat, and on the cross he gushed forth with blood; he poured out his strength and spirit, so that he was reduced to the most feeble and exhausted state."

We may not understand why we are to be poured out ourselves, however the Lord knows far more than we.  His ways are perfect and always right.  We just have to trust and obey.  Let's accept the challenge of being poured out as a drink offering in this world.  2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."