August 19

Isaiah 58:6-7 "This is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward; and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply."

It's rather self-explanatory, isn't it? Rather than being pious to prove our -- what, -- piousity? How about being faithful and proving it by the kind of "fasting" the prophet quotes God as desiring, instead. We have a long, long way to go, a lot to learn, and our mission field is right in our own back yard. What a privilege it is to truly get in on God's work!

Pastor Lisa Bosworth