A Wednesday Refrain

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything, and it's hard to believe it's been that long. To say "I've been busy" would be an understatement, and a cliche one at that, so I'll just say I'm glad to be back in the blogosphere!

Even now I have a few homework deadlines staring me in the face, but my mind and heart won't focus on them. Solution? Write, obvi. :)

I've been thinking a lot lately about hypocrisy in my Christian walk. Reading Isaiah 58 last week pushed me to start thinking more critically about how my faith is expressed to the outside world. So often modern day Christianity is concerned only with internal realities and not the external actions spilling out of them. It's culturally acceptable to "believe" anything we want; it's uncommon for those beliefs to inspire us to act radically.

I have some dear friends who exude joy and selflessness and justice. I am blessed to have people in my life who serve the Lord with every breath -- people who practice hospitality without a second thought, adopt orphaned children, buy groceries for hungry elderly, fight for justice in war-torn countries. But to be honest with you, I'm not one of them. Not today, not yet. And that puts a bitter taste in my mouth.

When I focus on the Lord (like the example of fasting in Isaiah 58), why do I stop at internal realities? Why not "bring the homeless poor into my house," "loose the bonds of wickedness," and "share my bread with the hungry?" Faith without works is dead, my friends. Orphans are dying, people are starving, the poor are suffering, the unsaved are perishing. Every day that I spend focused on myself and every time I reduce my God to religious jargon and empty rituals, there are people who aren't seeing Him. There are people who aren't seeing a smiling face, hearing an encouraging word, experiencing the overwhelming love and peace of Christ.

Are we willing to sacrifice everything for our Lord? Are we willing to be stripped bare that we may be clothed with His righteousness? Are we willing to put away our empty shells and allow the Great I Am to come into our lives?

Because He will.

I've experienced it. He is everlasting, friends, and He has set that everlastingness in our hearts! There is more love in Him than we could ever imagine, and when we allow Him to pour it out through us, there will be no end to it. If only we as Christ-followers would stop cutting off His mercy and peace and joy and love and goodness, and let our cups overflow, this world would be a different place. I'm convinced it would be. (And there wouldn't be t-shirts that say "Christianity isn't Jesus' fault"!!!)

I could go on, but I have a boring paper to write. :( In closing, here's the latter part of Isaiah 58. I encourage you to wrestle with this beautiful and convicting passage:

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.