I arise today in the full blessing of the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit.
In my men/s Group, “Brothers, Bibles, and Beer”, last night we read through and reflected on Isaiah chapter 58. Prayer and fasting is a central part of the season of Lent. And Isaiah 58 is a core passage on God’s definition of prayer and fasting. Fasting in not a practice God wants you to enter into, but a lifestyle he wants you to embrace. So for today’s reflection I am going to let God speak to you out of the Message Bible.
Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins! They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people— law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ and love having me on their side. But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’
3-5 “Well, here’s why:
“The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like?
6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
9-12 “If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.
13-14 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God’s holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’ making money, running here and there— Then you’ll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all. I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” Yes! God says so!
(Isaiah 58, The Message)
My family, I pray as we begin our journey through the season of Lent together you will come to understand, embrace, and then comform your life to the type of fast God is calling you to live out, in Jesus’s name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I really would love to hear your reflections, and I believe they would encourage others. So please share your reflections and prayers with us in the comment box below.
Worship Gathering Today! Friday February 24th!
In my reflections on the Asbury Revival I have been saying that revival begins at home, and each of us needs to be catalysts for revival in our churches and communities. So I need to practice what I preach! This Friday February 24th at 6:30pm I am going to host a worship gathering in my backyard. I am setting up a couple tangents and a small PA in my backyard, putting out some chairs, and going to give the night to worshipping Jesus. It is going to outdoors, simple, raw and I do not know if 2 or 20 people will show up, however I need to be obedient. I you are a worship leader and would like to come join in or lead a set that night contact me at garyl@onedirection.community.com. We will see how God uses this night. My address is 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758. We will worship outside so drees for the weather conditions and bring a lawn chair if you like.
Here is The link to the Facebook Event page for A Night Of Worship:
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you are interested I would love to talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
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Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.