Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Day 1: The Great Buffet

Today marks the first day of the Love Singapore 40-Day fast, & I will be blogging on what God spoke to me these 40 days.

God convicted me as I read today's passage. Today's passage talks about 'The Great Buffet.' Are we treating Christianity like a buffet spread--choose what we like & not choose those we don't like, don't believe in? I feel that in today's world, it is so. With so many denominations around, people can decide what they want to believe & what not to. Even in a single denomination, doctorines can be different. Yet, we fail to see that these different denominations serve a purpose: just like we, humans, have different characters & behaviours, so are the different denominations. Just like we are called to be united as one, that is the same purpose of the different denominations. We are here to compliment each other. What is lack in one will be found in the other.

Today's main bible chapter was Isaiah 58, which talks about true fasting. What is true fasting? Read on & please note the emphasis (in Red):

Isaiah 58 (The Message Bible)

Your Prayers Won't Get Off the Ground

1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what's wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They're busy, busy, busy at worship,

and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

3-5"Well, here's why:

"The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?

6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

9-12"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

13-14"If you watch your step on the Sabbath
and don't use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
God's holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,'
making money, running here and there—
Then you'll be free to enjoy God!
Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob."
Yes! God says so!

Yes, these are what true fasting is about. Carry it with you as you fast throughout these 40 days. Do what God has convicted you to, not because you will be blessed, but because you love God & have a heart after God. Mean business with God, don't take it lightly.

God convicted me to do a couple of things, & I'm going to share with someone so as to be accountable to my plans & actions.

This week's reading is available here. Do spend some time fasting & praying. God bless!