Isaiah 58: 5-8 --- “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 will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”
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Today we begin our journey through Lent. It is a time for each of us to look inward and search out God’s message while we together tread the path of Christ’s last days on earth as a man, before making His ultimate sacrifice for you.
Did you decide to give something up for Lent? Are you performing some sort of sacrifice during this holy season, to help remind you each day of the the season and of Christ’s sacrifice? If so, you may already be dreading the challenge of separating yourself from something you enjoy, even though it is temporary.
Isaiah’s words challenge us to live through our time of sacrifice, our Fast, in a way that does not bring attention to ourselves. In Isaiah’s prophecy from God, he also challenged the ancient Hebrews, as he does to us today, to make our sacrifice something external. Our sacrifice should not be a thing in and of itself through which we only benefit ourselves. He compels us to action.
What is God calling you to do? When you pray for guidance, asking Him to show you what He would have you do to serve and further His Kingdom, do you accept the Call with joy, with thanksgiving? Do you honor the answer to your prayer by moving boldly forward?
Accepting the Call...making the sacrifice...can feel very hard. It can be scary. When I chose to accept God’s call for me to serve on ministry teams in the county jail and state prison, did I do it right away? I did not. It took me ten years to answer the Call. What did I gain by waiting? The better question: what did I lose? In waiting to answer God’s call to me, I denied myself the joy, peace and love that I feel each time I step into jail or prison to share in the fellowship of Christ with my incarcerated brothers.
So, I encourage you dear friends to heed the Call. Proceed with your fasting, your sacrifice, in the spirit of serving with happiness. Do not hang your head or appear beaten down. Smile. Let your light shine, even while in the struggle and challenge of your sacrifice. For in doing this, while we deny ourselves some small thing, we accept the abundant joy of God’s blessings.
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