Isaiah 58 -- "Independence From Sin" Day

God left no doubt that He didn’t like what His people were doing.  Even their efforts to be religious had selfish motives, my Bible’s sidebar said.

This chapter has God telling them – and us – exactly what they weren’t doing right, why that was the case, and the things they could be doing with the right motivations, to honor Him.

He scolds them (and us) for doing these things on “worship” days:

·         Being solely concerned about what pleases ourselves

·         Arguing and fighting with other believers

·         Simply bowing our heads like plants, rather than meaning it

·         Showing sadness for appearances only

·         Making trouble for others

·         Using cruel words

·         Pointing fingers at other believers

He wants these types of things done instead:

·         Freeing those unfairly imprisoned (including those we imprison emotionally by our scorn or disdain)

·         Sharing food with the hungry

·         Giving homeless people a place to stay

·         Sharing our clothing with those who need them

·         Helping our own family members rather than depending on non-relatives to do so

·         Feeding the hungry (must be important since He mentioned it twice!)

·         Taking care of the needs of the troubled

·         Honoring the Sabbath with our attitudes

God then tells us that we aren’t doing this just to score points.  He loves our obedience, and He mentions what He’ll do when we obey:

·         He will make “our light” shine like the dawn

·         Our wounds will quickly heal (both physical and emotional wounds)

·         He will walk before us

·         His glory will protect us from behind as well (what we can’t see coming)

·         When we call out to Him, He will say, “Here I am!”

·         He will always lead us

·         He will satisfy our needs in dry lands

·         He’ll give strength to our bones

·         We’ll resemble a well-watered garden

·         We’ll rebuild and repair, and be known for doing so

·         We’ll find joy in the Lord

·         He’ll carry us to the high places above the earth

·         He’ll let us eat the crops of the Promised Land

The sidebar in my Bible, from Loving God by Charles Colson, says we often expect God to do the sin conquering for us.  But there’s a problem with thinking that way.  “The Christian life begins with obedience, depends on obedience, and results in obedience.  We can’t escape it … Really loving God means living out His commands no matter what the cost.”

Father, I came to this very realization yesterday.  I was wanting You to do all the work.  I didn’t want to be responsible for obeying You.  Thanks for Your incredible timing in pointing that out to me this morning!  You knew I needed to hear it!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford