Read Isaiah 58:1-9Isaiah 58:1-9
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
True Religion
58
1 Shout the message!
Don't hold back.
Say to my people Israel:
You've sinned! You've turned
against the Lord.
2 Day after day, you worship him
and seem eager to learn
his teachings.
You act like a nation
that wants to do right
by obeying his laws.
You ask him about justice,
and say you enjoy
worshiping the Lord.
3 You wonder why the Lord
pays no attention
when you go without eating
and act humble.
But on those same days
that you give up eating,
you think only of yourselves r you think ... yourselves: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and abuse your workers.
4 You even get angry
and ready to fight.
No wonder God won't listen
to your prayers!
5 Do you think the Lord
wants you to give up eating
and to act as humble
as a bent-over bush?
Or to dress in sackcloth
and sit in ashes?
Is this really what he wants
on a day of worship?
6 I'll tell you
what it really means
to worship the Lord.
Remove the chains of prisoners
who are chained unjustly.
Free those who are abused!
7 . Share your food with everyone
who is hungry;
share your home
with the poor and homeless.
Give clothes to those in need;
don't turn away your relatives.
8 Then your light will shine
like the dawning sun,
and you
will quickly be healed.
Your honesty s honesty: Or “honest leader.” will protect you
as you advance,
and the glory of the Lord
will defend you from behind.
9 When you beg the Lord for help,
he will answer, “Here I am!”
Don't mistreat others
or falsely accuse them
or say something cruel.
WP-Bible plugin
In the wake of the recent presidential election, people in the United States, and even around the world, are waiting to see if those who took office are going to live up to their words. A lot of promises were made and now, we move into the proving grounds. Were the vows made during the campaign process true, or was it all just empty rhetoric and false pretense? The answer to that question will be discovered through timely action or a lack thereof.
So it is with us. Is our worship true or false? When it comes to truly honoring God through an obedient lifestyle, our demeanor speaks louder than our words. Are we all talk and little action? Do we publicly espouse service and sacrifice, yet privately withhold from serving and sacrificing with the expectation that others will make sure that the work gets done?
Isaiah 58:1-9Isaiah 58:1-9
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
True Religion
58
1 Shout the message!
Don't hold back.
Say to my people Israel:
You've sinned! You've turned
against the Lord.
2 Day after day, you worship him
and seem eager to learn
his teachings.
You act like a nation
that wants to do right
by obeying his laws.
You ask him about justice,
and say you enjoy
worshiping the Lord.
3 You wonder why the Lord
pays no attention
when you go without eating
and act humble.
But on those same days
that you give up eating,
you think only of yourselves r you think ... yourselves: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and abuse your workers.
4 You even get angry
and ready to fight.
No wonder God won't listen
to your prayers!
5 Do you think the Lord
wants you to give up eating
and to act as humble
as a bent-over bush?
Or to dress in sackcloth
and sit in ashes?
Is this really what he wants
on a day of worship?
6 I'll tell you
what it really means
to worship the Lord.
Remove the chains of prisoners
who are chained unjustly.
Free those who are abused!
7 . Share your food with everyone
who is hungry;
share your home
with the poor and homeless.
Give clothes to those in need;
don't turn away your relatives.
8 Then your light will shine
like the dawning sun,
and you
will quickly be healed.
Your honesty s honesty: Or “honest leader.” will protect you
as you advance,
and the glory of the Lord
will defend you from behind.
9 When you beg the Lord for help,
he will answer, “Here I am!”
Don't mistreat others
or falsely accuse them
or say something cruel.
WP-Bible plugin speaks very clearly to the fact that God is not interested in lip service! ”You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reed bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?”
What God wants is for us to get down to the nitty-gritty of serving Him by ministering to the needy, speaking up for those without a voice, taking a stand for what is right, being an advocate for justice, sharing out of the abundance of our resources with those who are in need, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering those who have no home. We are not to run from a need, but run to a need. Our actions, our obedience, is the barometer of how true our worship is, not our words.
Ephesians 2:15Ephesians 2:15
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
15 . to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace.
WP-Bible plugin speaks to the fact that Jesus came to earth to do away with the old system of the law and customs of perfunctory worship as He brought both Jew and Gentile together. Jesus’ life was the fulfillment of all the promises of God. All of the prophesies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus. God, as always, is the perfect example of how we are to live. His words weren’t empty, they were and are full of meaning. They are true. He is Truth! And we are to be reflections of that truth.
If our worship is not authenticated by the sincerity of our obedience and the genuineness of our lifestyle, than it isn’t true worship at all. The kind of worship God desires is that which is done in spirit and in truth! (John 4:24John 4:24
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.
WP-Bible plugin)
Application:
How are your words lining up with your actions? Are you spending time daily in God’s Word? Is intercessory prayer a priority in your life? Are you giving to God out of the first fruits of your income? Are you using your spiritual gifts to minister to the Body of Christ? Are you reaching out to those in need?
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