7-28-18 Today in the Word

Today in the Word
July 2018
The Book of Isaiah: Seeing the Glory of God
SINFUL WAYS OF SEEKING
Saturday, July 28, 2018 | Isaiah 58, Isaiah 56–58
On October 25, 1964, the Minnesota Viking’s defensive end Jim Marshall made one of the most infamous plays in NFL history. When San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Billy Kilmer, fumbled the football, Marshall picked up the loose ball and ran for the end zone untouched. But he didn’t score a touchdown: Marshall, becoming disoriented on the field direction, ran the ball to the wrong end zone, scoring a safety and giving two points to the 49ers! The entire time he thought he was going the right way down the field.
Much in the same way, Israel sought the Lord daily. They were fasting and coming before the Lord on the Sabbath. But they weren’t hearing the applause from heaven. When they inquired why, they discovered that they had been seeking the Lord in the wrong way. But if fasting is the wrong way, what would be the right way down this field?
The acts of bowing before the Lord are meaningless when not coupled with works of righteousness. Israel had conducted business on the Sabbath, mistreated workers, overlooked the hungry, left the homeless in the streets, and forgotten the poor. No amount of fasting and Sabbath-keeping could cover their sin. They were seeking the Lord as hypocrites.
The Lord loves faithful acts of liturgy, but He also requires faithful acts of justice (see Micah 6:8). Both are involved in making true worshipers who seek Him the right way. The contrition that should make us seek the face of God for His mercy, joy, and blessing should also lead us to return such mercy, joy, and blessing to marginalized people in society who are in need. True worship also must transform our work for the needy in society. This is God’s chosen fast.
APPLY THE WORD
God wants our hearts to break over the pain that breaks His heart—injustice, oppression, neglected children who are hungry, and violence. We can’t claim to be worshiping Him if we are participating in or perpetuating any of these evils. How can you and your church bring glory to God by addressing some of these needs in your community?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t...
Read more

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th...
Read more