Sunday, December 18, 2011

Isaiah 58

The practice of fasting among believers is not something pronounced in the Christian circles I know. I have been observing a 3 meal fast on a regular basis for quite some time. So as I was reading Isaiah 58 the prophet's message about their fasting practice caught my attention. It is really an answer to my prayer during my last fast; is there some other component that I should add to my fasting practice? Isaiah offers a number of ideas. At the end of verse 5 I think that God is driving home the point that the fast should not be a one day demonstration of our devotion to God. It should be an instrument for God to introduce the changes he desires in our lives. We should be interceeding and fighting for the spiritual lives of others according to verse 6. Verse 7 lays out the command for social justice. Not because of civic duty, but motivated by God's love.
Stuart

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