Lent And Humility
“Those who wait for the Lord and are humble, they will inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:9-11) Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Pride is said to be the root of all sin and the greatest of sins. We must always turn away from it. The scriptures
The Promise of the Isaiah Fast (Day 21)
When we practice the Isaiah Fast (Isaiah 58:5-7) there is a great promise of blessing. This and other passages promise blessing to those who practice mercy, justice and hospitality for those who need it. God’s love and mercy leans in grace toward the needy. Those who have this godly quality in their lives have
The Isaiah Fast (Day 20)
To suggest that you are either for evangelism or justice is a false choice; to attach conservative to one and liberal to the other is irrational. The cure for this false choice is to ponder the Isaiah fast and the call for justice by all of the prophets; we should study the ministry of
The Isaiah Fast (Day 19)
One day we will stand before the healing-compassionate Jesus, the One who “Went about doing good”, to be judged by what we have actually done living out the content of the Isaiah fast. For, you see, the Isaiah fast is really Christlikeness in a nutshell. We will not be asked about our religious experiences.
The King And The Isaiah Fast (Day 18)
The king was seen as a shepherd by the prophets; read Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 23:1-5. Heads of state were to see after the weak, the hurting, and those unjustly treated. Israel’s kings had failed at this, caring only for themselves; they left the common people with no shepherd. The Messiah, the Righteous
The Isaiah Fast (Day 17)
Hear Micah’s echo of the Isaiah fast in these words, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV). When you reduce Christianity to having a religious experience you
The Isaiah Fast (Day 16)
You can even hear echoes of the Isaiah fast (58:5-7) in the mission of the twelve. “As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8 NIV). There is Jubilee
The Isaiah Fast (Day 15)
James, in keeping with Isaiah and all of the OT prophets, calls for justice in the marketplace and workplace. Don’t naively think that the cry for justice went out with the OT prophets. Listen to this NT message, “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud,
The Isaiah Fast (Day 14)
In keeping with Isaiah’s fast, James wrote, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27 NLT). Widows and orphans were those who were left without means of support in the ancient world.
The Isaiah Fast (13)
“He has sent me…to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1-3). The “year of the Lord’s favor” is the announcement of Jubilee. In some way Jubilee is the capstone title for all the things Jesus came to do as described in Isaiah 61:1-3. This means that debts are canceled,
The Isaiah Fast (Day 12)
“He has sent me…to release the oppressed” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1-3). Oppression can come from the empire with its political force, from misguided religion, or from demonic activity. Sometimes we have become bound by the chains of our sinful doing, which becomes our undoing; addiction follows. Oppression is dehumanizing. Since we were made to
The Isaiah Fast (Day 11)
“He has sent me to…grant recovery of sight for the blind” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1-3). John records for us the story of the man who was born blind (chapter 9). The whole passage is about Jesus coming to be the Light of the World by healing the blind man, evidence of His Messiahship. In
The Isaiah Fast (Day 10)
“He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1-3). Sin itself brings slavery. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin…so if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36 NASB). The first exodus proclaimed
The Isaiah Fast (Day 9)
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18a, Isaiah 61:1-3) Jesus was anointed with the Spirit to be the Messiah (Anointed One). He went forth in that anointing to announce good news of the arrival of the Kingdom of God.
The Isaiah Fast (Day 8)
“The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight
The Isaiah Fast (Day 7)
“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7 NIV) “And not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” In the process
The Isaiah Fast (Day 6)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:7 NIV) Clothing protects us from the rays of the sun and from the bite of
The Isaiah Fast (Day 5)
“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7 NIV) There have been great people movements throughout history. Even at this present time people
The Isaiah Fast (Day 4)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:7 NIV) Sharing their food with the hungry is a vision that God has for His
The Isaiah Fast (Day 3)
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6 NIV) It is shocking to think that slavery is still a major problem in our world in the form of
The Isaiah Fast (Day 2)
Add deeds of kindness and compassion to humility. The word in Isaiah 58:3-7 is not one of abolishing self-denial fasting; it is one that calls us to add to these disciplines of surrender the discipline of compassionate service. While we pray and fast, let us think about those who are in unjust chains, those
The Isaiah Fast (1)
Ash Wednesday Consider with me a different kind of fasting in the following devotional series. We ask, “What are you going to give up for Lent?” Let’s ask an Isaiah question, “What are you going to add to your life for Lent?” Today, and for the following days, we will consider and explore the
Forgiveness and Letting Go
Letting go is a higher form of forgiveness; it is taking forgiveness one step further. Without letting go of the thing you are forgiving calls into question your actually having forgiven. You cannot release it and hold to it at the same time. Ponder that. The grace and mercy of God comes to us
Twofold Grace
There are two aspects of grace that should never be seen in isolation from each other: unearned favor and unearned blessing. It is a given that we do not earn God’s favor. Favor is God’s attitude toward us and His unearned blessings are the expressions of it. His Grace flows to the just and
Holy House, Holy Life
The adornments of the temple were much about its holiness. It was a place set apart from all others, because God dwelt there. Holiness befits His house and we are now that house. We are temples; we are places in which God Himself dwells. We are to consecrate every part of this house, so