September 16th

How to Live a Holy Life

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats...Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.' Isaiah 1:11,16-17

Israel had a major problem, but they didn't even know it.

Like much of America, they thought they had it all together. They did everything they thought they were supposed to do. They brought the lawful sacrifices, they gathered for all the prescribed festivals, they were even a praying people, lifting up their hands to the Lord in prayer.

But God said, I've had enough of your worthless sacrifices. I don't want sin offerings from a people who have no desire to stop sinning, and I don't want praise offerings from a people who do not worship me in their lifestyle.

God called Israel to Cease to do evil, learn to do good. He knew that we need to have a positive action and focus to replace the negative one, or we are guaranteed to end up in the same place. God is calling us to live holy lives, and He has shown us how to do it.

First, we care. We love God enough to give a rip about what He thinks and feels. And because we care, we are not willing to just give lip-service to our repentance and then keep on sinning like it's no big deal.

Second, we focus on the new things that replace the old. God says, Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. This is the ultimate heart of God, important enough to Him that He saw an orphaned planet and sent His Son so that He could adopt us as His children.

There is a world around us that needs to encounter God's love, and He wants to use us to bring that encounter to those in need. This may not be easy and it may not be comfortable, but it is what it means to live a holy life that is pleasing to God.

Are you willing to do what it takes?

Prayer Father God,

Thank You for seeing an orphaned world and sending Your Son so that we could be Your children! Please help me to be like You; help me to see those around me in need and then help me to know what I can do to help them.

Amen