July 5, 2010 – Isaiah 66

Isaiah ends giving us two images, those that follow God and those that do not. And from the beginning of the chapter we see it is not those that follow God by deed alone, but those that follow Him in their heart. There is a great moment in a person’s life when they experience the difference between doing a good thing because they think they have to and doing a good thing because they want to, when there is no motivation at all, when it is completely genuine. I volunteer a lot of my time to the Church. I would be lying if I said that I am doing it because I want to or am genuine at all times. I do my best to try and maintain that attitude, but it is not always there. I can tell the difference in my attitude, interactions, and the results when I am there with the attitude that I must be there. We must always seek to do God’s will because we want to do God’s will. When our actions are done without that ingredient, it is like the sacrifices described at the beginning of the chapter, sacrifices that God does not except.