NKJV 365 / Worship and Service

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 320 of 365 Worship and Service Singing , reading Scripture, reciting prayers, listening to sermons, and taking communion can all be acts of worship. But Isaiah shows that true worship goes beyond what happens inside the walls of God's house. Isaiah saw many people full of religion but lacking in action. They "afflicted their souls" with fasting, "delighted" to know God's ways, inquired about "the ordinances of justice," and enjoyed rituals of worship (Is. 58:2, 3). Yet little of their piety extended beyond their inner selves. Nevertheless, they expected God to answer their prayers and bless them. God thundered that true worship is not a mere facet of life but an entire lifestyle. What happens in a house of prayer belongs equally in the public square. Real worship means responding to the hungry, the homeless, the prisoner, the minimum-wage worker, the debtor, the poor, and the hopeless. As Isaiah told the people of his day, God will not shower blessings on His people while they withhold good things from others (58:8, 9, 11, 12). From the Lord's point of view, real worship leads to service. The church gathered for worship on Sunday should become the church scattered for service on Monday through Saturday. Taken from The Modern Life Study Bible Isaiah 58:6-12 NASB 6 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 "Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the L ord will be your rear guard. 9"Then you will call, and the L ord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. 11 "And the L ord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12 "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;