“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:1-12 ESV)
Are you ready for Lent?
Well wether you are ready or not it is here… And are you ready to give up something for Lent? Do we have to give something up for Lent in order for us to get the effect of what this season is about? I mean do we really need to sacrifice caffine, or soda, or pop, or hamburgers, or french fries? Do we give up all meat and only eat fish? Is growing closer to God about what we eat and consume and what we keep ourselves from? It could be… But I know some very spiritual people who eat all kinds of junk food. They are connected to God and the stuff they put into their body does nto seem to effect that. I also recall as I type this that Jesus said it is not what goes into a person that defiels them, but what come out…
Which is what we hear about today in the above verse from Isaiah. We are prescribed to fast, but it is not a fasting that gets us attention. It is one that allows the bonds of wickednessto be loosened, the straps of the yoke are undone, the oppressed go free, and every yoke is broken! The fats we are to take part in has us sharing our bread and food with the hungry, and giving the homeless a place to stay and giving the naked some of our own clothing. Yes it is a denying of self, for the betterment of the neighbor. The Fast we are called to is one of loving those around us with what we have and what Gid has given us. It is not about getting soemthing more, or drawing attention to ourselves. It is about the other!
So this Lent I invite you to not worry about what you are giving up, but focus more on the world around you and see where God is calling and leading you to go, and what He is asking you to do.
Who is God calling you to love today?
How is God calling you to use your gifts?
Where is God moving and how can you go with Him?
aSacredRebel 