The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Tuesday, 7 January 2014 “Mom, Where Are Your Shoes?” Read Isaiah 58

The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Tuesday, 7 January 2014 “Mom, Where Are Your Shoes?” Read Isaiah 58: 6 Is not this the fast that I choose:

    to loose the bonds of injustice,

    to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

    and to break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

    and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover them,

    and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

    and your healing shall spring up quickly;

your vindicator[a] shall go before you,

    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

    you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,

    the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

10 if you offer your food to the hungry

    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

    and your gloom be like the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you continually,

    and satisfy your needs in parched places,

    and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

    like a spring of water,

    whose waters never fail.

12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

    you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

    the restorer of streets to live in.

Footnotes:

a. Isaiah 58:8 Or vindication

If a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn’t care — how can the love of God remain in him?(1 John 3:17 (CEB))

My parents left us kids to finish our homework while they went to a local Laundromat. While safe enough at our house, we were still glad to hear the family car pulling into the driveway when they returned. Putting on my jacket, I rushed out into the brisk, wintry weather to help unload the laundry. I saw that mom was walking rather gingerly — barefoot, in fact — toward the house. “Where are your shoes, Mom?” I asked. “I gave them to a lady who didn’t have any,” she answered. Mom came home barefoot, but another woman went home with warm feet. My parents soon led this woman’s family to Jesus. Attending our church, they were accepted and loved by a caring and generous congregation. Mom knew about “pure religion.” (See James 1:27.) She was a wonderful example of living the balance between faith and works. (See James 2:26.)(The Author-Thomas Buice (Tennessee, USA))

Thought for the Day: Go to devotional.upperroom.org/blog to see a picture of Tom and his mother.

Prayer: O Lord, give us “pure religion,” the faith that best expresses your love to your people. Amen.

Prayer focus: Those without shoes

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