Bible Verses About

Posts Tagged ‘fasting’

“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?” Isaiah 58:6-7

This has always been a really inspirational Bible verse about helping the poor to me.  It was written to a group of people who thought that they were righteous because of their religious activities, things like memorizing scripture, fasting, and attending church.  In my own life, I’ve often measured my righteousness by how many “religious” activities I do.  But that’s just backward.  It doesn’t matter how much I go to church or read my Bible.  If it’s not causing me to become a better man, the kind of man who looks after the poor and the oppressed, then it doesn’t matter anyway.

God is more happy when I help the poor and the oppressed than when I do my religious duties like praying and going to church.  Though these things are important too, without compassion for the poor and oppressed, spending time reading the Bible and praying doesn’t really have a point.  If my relationship with God hasn’t changed my heart so that I have compassion on the poor and oppressed, then I’m obviously missing something.  It’s like Jesus said to the Pharisees, how they give a tenth of their money and spices to God, but they have neglected the more important matters, things like justice and faithfulness.