Read Isaiah 1:5—3:26
Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take
your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!
Isaiah 1:15–17
The disgusting thing about Isaiah’s rebellious nation is that they were
a religious people (Isa. 1:10–15). They attended temple services and
brought a multitude of sacrifices to the Lord; but their hearts were far
from God.
But before passing judgment on worshippers in a bygone era,
perhaps we should confess the sins of the worshipping church today.
According to researcher George Barna, 93 percent of the households in
the United States contain a Bible, and more than 60 percent of the people surveyed claim to be religious. One Protestant church exists for every
550 adults in America, but does all this “religion” make much difference?
The average church allocates about 5 percent of its budget for reaching others with the gospel but 30 percent for buildings and maintenance.
Where churches have life and growth, such construction may be needed;
but too often the building becomes “a millstone instead of a milestone,”
to quote Vance Havner. At least 62 percent of the people Barna surveyed
said that the church was not relevant to today’s world and was losing
its influence on society. Is it possible that, like the worshippers in the
ancient Jewish temple, we are only going through the motions?
Something to Ponder
In what ways have you experienced going through the motions in
your faith life?