Learn to Be Good

Daily Reading: Isaiah 1

Scripture Focus: Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1.16-19)

Devotional Thought: The Lord's people had substituted rituals and forms for true heart change and life change.  God instructed them to wash themselves, removing their evil deeds, to cease to do evil.  How are we to do that?  We are to ask Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and then, “Go and sin no more” (John 8).  True repentance demands a change.  That’s what repentance means.

Recently, I spoke with a dear friend of mine about the difference between the “indicatives” and “imperatives” of the Christian life.  The indicatives are the things that the Bible declares us to be by grace, for example, new creatures.  The imperatives are the things that we are told to do since we are new creatures.  He has made us new; now live new lives! We don’t make ourselves new.  He does that.  But, we must live the new lifestyle of Christ.

God told the Israelites that they were to “learn to do good.”  As we follow Jesus, we are not instantly mature or perfect in our understanding and behavior.  Instead, we must learn to do what is right and good, and then develop life-patterns that enable us to do what is right and good, always, of course depending on the grace of God to help us. 

That lifestyle includes justice and compassion: “Seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.”  As followers of Jesus, we are to be doing whatever we can to fight injustice and to show compassion.  May God give us grace to do so!

Prayer: Lord, I don't want empty rituals and a form of godliness.  I want true heart religion.  Make me righteous by the righteousness of Christ, and then help me "learn to do good" by your grace and power.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 39.1-6

1 I said, "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence."

2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.

3 My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

4 "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!