![]()
Title: Spending and Being Spent
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:15
Paul writes something that sounds foolish to our ears. "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls." He's talking to the Corinthians, a church that gave him more headaches than joy. They questioned his authority, compared him to false teachers, and tolerated sin that made him furious. Yet here he is, ready to empty his pockets and drain his life for them. This is not natural love. This is the love Christ puts in His servants.
The apostle uses two strong words. First, "spend." That's his money, his time, his energy. He's writing this while collecting an offering for poor believers in Jerusalem. Paul knows what it's like to be broke for the sake of the gospel. Second, "be spent." That's his very life. He's already been beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. He knows more pain is coming. But he's willing to be used up completely if it means these believers grow in Christ.
This blows up our modern idea of ministry. We think pastors should be professionals who give just enough to keep the paycheck coming. We measure success by how much we get, not how much we give. But Paul says real spiritual leadership looks like exhaustion. It looks like a man who can't give anymore, yet finds more to give. It looks like Jesus, who had nowhere to lay His head and died with nothing to His name.
Paul adds a strange phrase: "though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." He's talking about the Corinthians' cold hearts. They return his love with suspicion. They measure his words by what they can get from him. This is what broken ministers face. The more you pour out, the more some people take advantage. The more you care, the more you get hurt. But Paul refuses to protect himself. He refuses to love less just because they love poorly.
This verse exposes our selfish hearts. We calculate what church can do for us. We evaluate sermons by how they make us feel. We serve until it gets uncomfortable, then we back away. But Christ calls us to something different. He calls us to spend ourselves for others, even when they don't appreciate it. Even when they criticize us. Even when they never say thank you. This is how Christ loved us when we were His enemies.
You might not be a pastor, but this calling is for every Christian. Parents spend themselves for children who roll their eyes. Spouses serve husbands or wives who barely notice. Church members help believers who never return the favor. This is normal Christianity. This is how Christ builds His church. Not through people protecting their time and energy, but through people who gladly spend and are spent.
Prayer: Lord, we confess our selfish hearts that calculate what we can keep. Make us like Paul, willing to be spent for others. Make us like Christ, who gave everything for people who hated Him. Teach us to love without keeping score. Amen.
