Saturday Reading: Isaiah 58:4-11
Key Verse: Isaiah 58:11
11 And The LORD shall always guide you and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones fat; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
Devotion:
It is sad that we all too often forget a few words in a sentence or rule just so that we can fit that rule into our lives rather than conforming our lives to the rule. Throughout the Old Testament the children of Israel were reminded that on the day of atonement that had to “afflict their souls”; or in other words they had to not only do all the sacrifices and all that God had said they should, but they were to humble themselves before God and acknowledge all that they had done wrong. Without that humbling of the soul the sacrifice was to no affect!
All too often we skip a phrase out of the rules that we have to follow just so that they can be more convenient in our lives. All too often we change things that God has told us just enough to make them fit into our world rather than conforming to God’s laws. Why do we think that we have the right to do anything like this? Just because so many have done exactly that before us does not mean that we can go ahead and do exactly the same! We need to change our ways so that we conform to God’s wishes and not the other way round!
Isaiah wrote things down in a fashion where we can certainly remember what God requires for us. It does not make pleasant reading for many because they do not lead that sort of life; but it should be essential reading for all! God wants us to not just think about ourselves but to remember all those around us. He will remind us in some not so subtle ways that we do need to care for our fellow Christians around us but He also reminds us that we need to reach out a bit further and invite a few more people in. That is when He will show His appreciation, not because we have shown others we can care for others but because we have obeyed His will in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
What do you do for those around you?
Are you following God’s wishes or your own desires?
