Isaiah 58:6-7–Tell my people Israel of their sins!   Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,  pretending they want to be near me.
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.  Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,  and you don’t even notice it!’
“I will tell you why!” I respond.   “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,  you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting  when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves  by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads  like reeds 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?
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;  lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,  and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,  and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Here in Isaiah 58 we again have an instance where people are paying lip service in their relationship with God, and not doing anything with it.  The outside looks great.  They are fasting…but with the wrong motives, and with the wrong coreesponding actions.  They are fasting but not obeying.
They aren't doing it right.
We need to be careful not to get so caught up in making sure we are doing one aspect of our relationship with God while neglecting the others.
Following Christ is more than mere lip service.  It is more than just going to church and reading your Bible.  

It's about action.  It's about doing.

James 2:14-17– What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

This week has been challenging in making us think about what we are doing to help those in need, particularly the poor, orphan, widow, foreigner, and even family member.

This is what God wants–The kind of love that shows itself in a love for others.
We know this, but do we do it?
Or have we become so caught up in our own comfort and well-being that we forget about others?

It's more, much more, than outer appearances. It is much more than going to church on Sunday and reading your Bible. Empty religious ritual means nothing.  

It is about a real, thriving, growing relationship with Jesus.  One that puts feet to words, and actions to faith.

We can do everything right on the outside.  But what is going on in our hearts?
Are we doing one thing while neglecting the other?
Here, the chapter is about fasting.  And that seems like such a holy and righteous thing to do
But if it is done with the wrong motive, with the wrong heart, what good is it?

Again, we have been challenged this week to get involved in messy alives around us.
I guarantee the involvement may be hard…strenuous…stressful…but infinitely rewarding.

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you at the Parade on Saturday and Sunday Service at Old Shawnee Days!!!

Keith Green – Asleep in the light (Lyrics) – YouTube

Don’t forget

Deuteronomy 10:17-19– “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

God shows special kindness to the orphan, and He expects His people to do the same.
We have received so much from God it should not be a problem or a stretch to show it to others, especially those in need.

But far too often it is.  We get so consumed and bogged down with the details of our lives that we fail to see what God is wanting and needing us to accomplish in the here and now.

As Pastor Dave said Sunday and in yesterday's devo, we have a responsiblility to help those with messy lives around us and to do what we can as individuals and a church to help them get "cleaned up".

Again, we all were messy at one time or another.  We all were slaves to sin.  But God plucked us from this mess and provided a way out.
 

Galatians 4:4-7– But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

We have been adopted into His family, and what a privilege it is.

Involvement

My parents became foster parents when I was growing up.  I was in high school when this began.  I wasn't sure what to think about kids, I didn't know, LIVING in our home.
I am glad they did.
We had many children pass through our home: Chris, Jeffy, Nicole, Manny, Michael.  

And then there was "Sarah".

Before Sarah came into our life, her dad had shot Sarah's mom and then himself.  All while Sarah and her baby sister were in the house.

Sarah was 2 years old.

To survive, she lived on dog food for about 2 weeks.
That is how long it took for people to notice these 4 people were missing. 
The baby did not survive.

That is messy.

How awesome that God placed Sarah in our home for a time.  A Christian home.  We were able to provide stability while arrangements were being made for her relatives to adopt her.  We loved her and cared for her like she was a member of our family.  She was one of us.  She is in our photo albums.
God "ensured" that Sarah would recieve Justice. Hope. Protection. A Future.

As a father of five, I am in awe of my parents for getting involved in these lives while they had five of their own children to raise.
They decided to get involved in “messy” lives and do what they could to help.  They were able to be a point of stability for these children as they awaited adoption.

Remember, as Pastor Dave reminds us: 
Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.

James 2:14-17– What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

What is so exciting is that God has called us to  this work!!
We have received so much from God it should not be a problem or a stretch to show it to others, especially those in need.
So what are we to do?

I encourage you to visit the Care Portal site that was mentioned in church last week.   
We have been adopted into His family, and what a privilege it is.  God did not forget us.  Therefore, we should not forget the orphan.

Let's get involved in the mess!!

Elevation – Here as in Heaven

There are four different groups of people in Scripture that the Bible repeatedly addresses as those to whom God is passionate about. The four groups are; **widows, orphans, the poor and the foreigner.** (Psalm 68:3-5, Psalm 10:17-18, Jeremiah 49:11, Deuteronomy 10:17-18)

These groups are highlighted over and over as to the ones that God defends, protects and watches over. In fact, He calls the Israelites to devote resources and compassion to each. (Psalm 82:3-4, Exodus 22:22-23) That theme is then repeated in the New Testament. (Matthew 7:12, James 1:27, Acts 20:35, Galatians 2:10)

With this as a backdrop, we need to fully understand that mere personal spirituality is not what God is fully looking for. We cannot simply rely on our own spirituality and think we are being fully pleasing to God and accomplish the mission He has for us.

Let me put it more bluntly. It’s easy to go to church, have personal devotions at home and live a pretty good life. But, that’s not what God has called us to. That is close to hypocritical and pharisaical. God has called us out of our comfort zones and into the world. _He calls us to action, not just words._

Today, something sparked within me that is reverberating in my spirit. I preached a message about the orphan and the messy lives of people and was hit directly with the mess. I encountered someone whose life was a mess — whose family situation was all but tragically torn apart. Kids were involved in the mess and those kids were experiencing the challenges of decisions they never made.

My thoughts began to formulate…are we as a church ready to help the messy? I hope we are. But honestly, I’m not sure.

I can say this, we have a small alms team that distributes finances and helps those whose lives are messy. I’ve watched the alms team closely for about 2 years. Without a doubt, they excel at helping the messy. But are we as a church ready to roll up our sleeves and go the distance. It’s a prayer I’m formulating and something I’m beginning to wrestle with God about.

I do know this, God is looking for us to not only love Him but to love others. And it doesn’t mean we just love with words, we must love with our actions.

What does it mean for you love others (the orphan, the widow, the foreigner, the poor) with actions, not just words?