Isaiah 1:11-20
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Isaiah was speaking to the children of Israel but his words hold true for any one of God's children. I believe that God is seeking a people that will simply be obedient to him. Rituals mean nothing to God. Church meetings mean nothing to him. None of these things matter to him if you are simply doing a routine. What matters is your heart. Is it pure with love for your fellowman? This morning my reading is still leading me to learn more about the importance of a personal relationship with Christ which will instill this love in your heart. Only by building a relationship with him can you learn to love your neighbor. We must learn to be obedient to God's word or we will perish. We have to quit judging those around us and begin to judge ourselves. We must begin to look at our own lives and make sure that we are obedient, that we are showing love, that we are seeking a relationship with him and if each of us will do that, then as a whole, we will be one nation under God.
