Isaiah 48:17 (NKJV): Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go."
Notice the word 'profit' here. It is 'yaal' in Hebrew, which means 'to ascend, to be valuable, to be useful, to be benefited, set forward, have profit, be profitable'. Wow! And because you've been redeemed, God wants you to 'yaal' as well!
You know what it means here? He wants to teach you to 'ascend' in your career, business, ministry, etc. He wants to teach you to 'be valuable' in what you do or who you are in your organization! As the redeemed of the Lord, you are meant to 'yaal'! So, if you are working in an organization, He teaches you to 'go up' (ascend) the 'success ladder'. And if you are a team player in your organization, He teaches you to be the MVP (Most Valuable Player)! And He'll lead you by the way you should go!
And today, this is for you to receive as a believer! And as He teaches and leads you to 'yaal', others will somehow take notice or ask the secret of your success, and that's when the name of the Lord is glorified! Because "Jesus has redeemed me!", and because "Jesus taught me and led me so!" Amen!
The way to 'ascend' is to 'profit' others. In Matthew 10:8, notice the phrase 'freely you have received, freely you give'. Here, Jesus was talking to His disciples in the context of His enabling & spiritual gifts (i.e. "and as you go, preach...", "heal the sick", "cleanse the lepers", "raise the dead", "cast out demons"). The disciples were asked to use freely all that He has imparted and given them! Not withholding, but freely give! When I was a schoolboy, a teacher used to say this: "The secret of happiness is to bring happiness to others". Later on, I learned the acronym of the word 'JOY', 'Jesus, others, yourself', in that sequence. To have real joy is to be Jesus-conscious, fixing your eyes on Him and all that He's done for you on the cross, and as you behold Him more and more (& knowing how much He loves you), this will in turn flow out to others.
One example of 'selflessness' I read was about one of Kathryn Kuhlman's healing meetings. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, she began asking the 'less sick' to start praying for the 'more sick', and when the crowd began 'looking away from their own needs' and start praying for others' needs, healings and miracles began taking place all over! Even those who prayed for others got healed themselves! Praise the Lord!
Paul put it aptly when he wrote about spiritual gifts, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all" (1 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV). 'For the profit of all' here is even clearer in KJV version, i.e. 'to profit all', and this word 'to profit' in Greek is 'sumphero', which means 'to contribute, to bring advantage to others, to bring profit to others'. Notice it's never meant 'to judge or condemn' others! Notice also it is 'to bring advantage to others', not 'taking advantage of others'!
People of God, you 'profit' (yaal) by 'profiting' others. The Lord will definitely know how to promote you in due season, for 'promotion doesn't come from the east, west, or south' (Psalm 75:6), but it comes from the Lord. Leave this part to Him.
So, whatever spiritual gift, talent, etc you have received freely from the Lord, let it flow out to bless others. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 is a list of spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Certain gifts may be expressed more frequently through you, but it is He who distributes to each one individual as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). You may even have operated some of these without realizing it in the past! Your blessing others can also be in the area of your acquired knowledge, wisdom, skills, talents, finance, or any other resources you have. All in all, the Lord will definitely teach you to 'yaal'! Amen!
