15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil,

17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

— Isaiah 1:15-17

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

— Amos 5:24

7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when He said:

8 “‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me;

9 In vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,”‘

— Matthew 15:7-9

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

— Luke 6:46

having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

— 2 Timothy 3:5

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

True faith in God is neither ornamental nor mechanical. Too often, shrinking our responsibility before God into a measurable checklist appeals to us. We like controlling the what, when, and how of serving God. However, God hates plastic religion that fails to alter the way people think and live. Let’s not go through the motions and make outward compliance matter more than the posture of our hearts toward God. Appearing righteous to others masks the mutiny in our hearts.

In what way might our service to God be more about us than Him? Let’s be watchful and not allow self-interest to consume us and invade every corner of our lives. Until we see Jesus face to face, we will never serve Him with entirely untainted motives. Yet, as we shed self-serving superficiality and allow God’s Spirit to transform us, we grow in genuine love for others. We recognize God’s worthiness and our insufficiency. We will care about others and injustice in the world, extending help, mercy, and compassion to those around us.