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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Isaiah 58:1-12

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

•••

Daily Devotional: Gas Station Breakfast Burrito

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4  

On a trip to Florida to visit my son, his wife, and 2 kids, they took me to a seaside village where sea sponges are the main draw for tourists. My son, Dan, had been running late and skipped breakfast, so when he stopped for gas, he got a breakfast burrito. At the next stoplight, a gentleman down on his luck was walking up and down the car line, begging. Dan rolled down the window and gave him all the change from the cup holder. The man thanked him profusely and then said, “On your way back, maybe you could bring a sandwich.” Dan hesitated a minute, then handed him the gas-station breakfast burrito. 

As Dan drove off, he sighed, “I was really looking forward to that burrito.” I gave him a protein bar; I always carry one. He made a face and complained it wasn’t as tasty as his gas-station breakfast burrito. We all laughed. He never mentioned the scenario again.

I think this is the type of generosity that is described in today’s scripture. Moments in your day when you help another person at some small cost to yourself. These acts can be like breathing to a Jesus follower, part of the day’s rhythm. No fanfare, no credit, just trying to follow the Holy Spirit and do what Jesus would do. When the scripture mentions “in secret,” it simply means not to look for man’s applause. Whoever is with you at the moment can see your good works and be inspired. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d give up my gas-station breakfast burrito. Well, I would never have purchased a gas-station breakfast burrito, but you get my meaning. My adult son inspired me and made me proud. 

When we look to impress other people with our generosity, and they are impressed, then that is our reward already. We didn’t act to please God or take care of His image bearers. We acted on our own behalf to improve our reputation instead.

When I retold the story in Dan’s presence, he rolled his eyes, still maintaining the true heart of generosity and said, “Clearly he needed it way more than me. No big deal Ma, it was only a gas station breakfast burrito.”

Next Steps

In this song, the “somebody who loves you” in my mind is God, along with the people who love you.  I sang this song over you in the spirit of filling you up with all good blessings so you can go forth and overflow with God’s heart of giving.