Reading: Isaiah 58
My Verse: "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?" (Isaiah 58:6).
This chapter opens up with God's condemnation on those who are false in their worship of Him. It is a condemnation on those who use religion as a "tool" in their arsenal to get ahead. They use, even oppress people in pursuit of their own agenda, own gain. It is a condemnation on those who use religion to cover their pursuit and devotion to selfish desires. But You, LORD God see the heart. You see through all the falseness. You desire only true and total devotion to You, LORD God!
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
Hypocrisy is a most awful thing. It is a pretense, a lie. The dictionary definition: a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious principles, etc, that one does not really possess. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude. It is just as Isaiah stated, those who pretend to be spiritual do so for their own gain in the eyes of the world.
Many do this blatantly, even casually. Others do so because they have become convinced that what they are doing is right - they believe the lie they live. Saul, then Paul was an example of the latter. It took You, LORD God taking a most dramatic action to bring him around. I just read of a man in South Africa, who was most feared because of his cruel carrying out of apartheid. And during that time he claimed to be a Christian. He said he just believed also in white supremacy. Today he is a changed man. He has devoted himself to service to the very people he oppressed. He simply and humbly admits he was wrong and is grateful God showed him that. It is a beautiful thing to see people so transformed!
You, LORD God want us to be free of the "bonds of wickedness." You want us to be free from the straps that bind us to every enslaving yoke of sin. Paul spoke of this kind of hypocrisy, wrong devotion to Simon in Acts 8. Simon wanted to be part of what Paul was doing but, but his heart (Simon's) wasn't right.
"But you have neither part nor lot in this matter,
for your heart is all wrong in God's sight
[it is not straightforward or right or true before God'
Acts 8:21-23 Amplified).
True devotion to You, LORD God is not an easy thing. It requires that we give up our own wants and desires and that we commit to actions that bring us further along in that devotion. Most of all we must be steadfast in that commitment.
Read a poignant blog of a person's experience with pornography as a young child. The article was Pornography and Why It Changes Us. Point is made of how pornography is one of those quick fixes so many to go to meet their needs. Her conclusion was that "A good life requires hard work." Any quick, cheap fix only robs us of something good. Any and all pretending, lying and giving in to cheap thrills only leads to bondage.
I like to go by to Calvin Miller's The Unchained Soul when thinking of the hard work of true devotion. In it he explores the transforming work of true devotion by the giants of Christianity - Augustine, Madame Guyon, Brother Laurence, Teresa of Avila, John Bunyon, and Thomas a Kempis to name a few. Basically he says we need this hard work of devotion to You, LORD God because life here is so very difficult.
"The current of that river (life) is demanding, and swimming it requires all the strength we have"
He speaks of the cycle we go through in this very demanding work of devotion. He calls it The Grand Cycle of Relationship. "I hurt, I rejoice, I confess. In this joyous, ever-circling pattern, I ever so slowly become more like the Master." This may seem tedious but it is necessary and progressive if we truly mean to be devoted. "Even so, staying alive, really alive, in Christ is hard work!"
Really like David Brook's NYTimes article today on "Three Views of Marriage." He spoke of the moral view of marriage which is really the biblical view of marriage and a picture of the kind of devotion You want of us, LORD God. In it he points out what devotion is truly about.
"The everyday tasks of marriage are opportunities to cultivate a more selfless love. Everyday there’s a chance to inspire and encourage your partner to become his or her best self. In this lens, marriage isn’t about two individuals trying to satisfy their own needs; it’s a partnership of mutual self-giving for the purpose of moral growth and to make their corner of the world a little better."
We all of us need devotion in our lives. But it is only devotion to You, LORD God that will satisfy! Everything else follows out of that. True devotion is not easy but the rewards are great. It can and will free us from those awful "fetters that bind" one to a life of slavery. It not only gives one true and lasting satisfaction but a deep, deep peace.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "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?" (Isaiah 58:6).
This chapter opens up with God's condemnation on those who are false in their worship of Him. It is a condemnation on those who use religion as a "tool" in their arsenal to get ahead. They use, even oppress people in pursuit of their own agenda, own gain. It is a condemnation on those who use religion to cover their pursuit and devotion to selfish desires. But You, LORD God see the heart. You see through all the falseness. You desire only true and total devotion to You, LORD God!
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
Hypocrisy is a most awful thing. It is a pretense, a lie. The dictionary definition: a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious principles, etc, that one does not really possess. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude. It is just as Isaiah stated, those who pretend to be spiritual do so for their own gain in the eyes of the world.
Many do this blatantly, even casually. Others do so because they have become convinced that what they are doing is right - they believe the lie they live. Saul, then Paul was an example of the latter. It took You, LORD God taking a most dramatic action to bring him around. I just read of a man in South Africa, who was most feared because of his cruel carrying out of apartheid. And during that time he claimed to be a Christian. He said he just believed also in white supremacy. Today he is a changed man. He has devoted himself to service to the very people he oppressed. He simply and humbly admits he was wrong and is grateful God showed him that. It is a beautiful thing to see people so transformed!
You, LORD God want us to be free of the "bonds of wickedness." You want us to be free from the straps that bind us to every enslaving yoke of sin. Paul spoke of this kind of hypocrisy, wrong devotion to Simon in Acts 8. Simon wanted to be part of what Paul was doing but, but his heart (Simon's) wasn't right.
"But you have neither part nor lot in this matter,
for your heart is all wrong in God's sight
[it is not straightforward or right or true before God'
Acts 8:21-23 Amplified).
True devotion to You, LORD God is not an easy thing. It requires that we give up our own wants and desires and that we commit to actions that bring us further along in that devotion. Most of all we must be steadfast in that commitment.
Read a poignant blog of a person's experience with pornography as a young child. The article was Pornography and Why It Changes Us. Point is made of how pornography is one of those quick fixes so many to go to meet their needs. Her conclusion was that "A good life requires hard work." Any quick, cheap fix only robs us of something good. Any and all pretending, lying and giving in to cheap thrills only leads to bondage.
I like to go by to Calvin Miller's The Unchained Soul when thinking of the hard work of true devotion. In it he explores the transforming work of true devotion by the giants of Christianity - Augustine, Madame Guyon, Brother Laurence, Teresa of Avila, John Bunyon, and Thomas a Kempis to name a few. Basically he says we need this hard work of devotion to You, LORD God because life here is so very difficult.
"The current of that river (life) is demanding, and swimming it requires all the strength we have"
He speaks of the cycle we go through in this very demanding work of devotion. He calls it The Grand Cycle of Relationship. "I hurt, I rejoice, I confess. In this joyous, ever-circling pattern, I ever so slowly become more like the Master." This may seem tedious but it is necessary and progressive if we truly mean to be devoted. "Even so, staying alive, really alive, in Christ is hard work!"
Really like David Brook's NYTimes article today on "Three Views of Marriage." He spoke of the moral view of marriage which is really the biblical view of marriage and a picture of the kind of devotion You want of us, LORD God. In it he points out what devotion is truly about.
"The everyday tasks of marriage are opportunities to cultivate a more selfless love. Everyday there’s a chance to inspire and encourage your partner to become his or her best self. In this lens, marriage isn’t about two individuals trying to satisfy their own needs; it’s a partnership of mutual self-giving for the purpose of moral growth and to make their corner of the world a little better."
We all of us need devotion in our lives. But it is only devotion to You, LORD God that will satisfy! Everything else follows out of that. True devotion is not easy but the rewards are great. It can and will free us from those awful "fetters that bind" one to a life of slavery. It not only gives one true and lasting satisfaction but a deep, deep peace.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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