Scripture: Isaiah 58:4a
You quarrel and brawl, and then you fast; you hit each other violently with your fists.
Thought for the Day: I remember going and visiting a friend who had the first TV with a remote in our neighborhood. It was so cool. We sat there for an hour turning on and turning off the TV – On & Off and On & Off. We were so entertained. Just because you can turn something On, then Off, then On again, does not mean you should. This is true of our most basic convictions and values. If you are a follower of Jesus, it is not a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday deal. You do not get days when you have the option of turning it off. Isaiah remains frustrated with his audience as he sees their hypocrisy, yet I would suggest that his audience did not see it in those terms. Faith was important, but it belonged to certain places and times. When one have left the religious setting, it became time to turn off the religiousness. Isaiah speaks sharply to this as only a prophet can. Of course, it is a challenge to maintain our most basic convictions at certain moments, but just because it is challenging does not mean we should not try. Spiritual practices and disciplines are some of the ways we practice the faith, allowing it to become more and more a part of who we are. Your belief in the unconditional love of God proclaimed on Sunday morning might be quite lovely, but if we really want to see the world transformed into the Kingdom of God, then the unconditional love must be lived even where the pushback is strong.
Prayer: Help me to see my relationship with you, O Gracious God, as more than clothing that is put on and taken off. Let my love for you become so engrained within every cell of my body that no matter how hard I try, I cannot get away from it. Amen.
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