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Our Lord's Word (John 17:17) and His Spirit (John 16:13) are Truth because
they always confirm and validate each other (Isaiah 11:4; 46:11; Ephesians 6:17;
I Corinthians 1:24; John 6:63; Romans 1:16; Jeremiah 10:12; Matthew 3:16-17;
Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Corinthians 6:7). We must renew our minds with His
words. If we are defeated, we are defeated with our own words. (Prov. 6:2) Our
actions will defeat us or give us success. Total victory will come only as we
allow the Lord to govern our mind. We must think God's thoughts after Him. A
"renewed" mind is the only way we can be transformed into Christ's Image.
(Romans 12:1-2; Eph. 4:22-24) The "natural mind" is hostile to God (Rom. 3:11;
8:7; Isa. 40:28) The natural man doesn't receive the "things of God." (I Cor.
2:14) The mind of Christ helps us to judge all our circumstances form God's
perspective and not our own. (Isaiah 11:3-4; Romans 2:2; John 5:30; 7:24; I Cor.
2:15; 2 Chronicles 19:6; Genesis 39:7-9; 50:25; Psalm 32:8) The Holy Spirit
through the Mind of Christ desires to teach us all things. (I John 2:20-27; John
14:26; Psalm 32:8; Eph. 1:18; Luke 1:79) The Mind of Christ (Isa. 11:2-3; Rev.
5:6) The Mind of Christ is God's supernatural thoughts and His supernatural
power to perform them in our lives. (Rom. 11:32; I Cor. 1:24) All believers have
the Mind of Christ (I Cor. 2:9-16; John 15:15; Ps. 32:8; Rom. 8:15-16)
Romans 10
13For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as
Lord] will be saved.(1)
14But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in
Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to
believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never
heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
17So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes
by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah
Himself).
2 Corinthians 6
16What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and
with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.(1)
2 Corinthians 5
7For we walk by faith [we
[1]
regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting
man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we
walk] not by sight or appearance.
Ephesians 4
13[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith
and in the comprehension of the [[1]
full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really
mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the
standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the
fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
Ephesians 3
19[That you may really come] to know [practically,
[1]
through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses
[2]
mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your
being] [3]
unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine
Presence, and [4]
become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
Ephesians 1
23Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in
that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who
fills everything everywhere with Himself].
Acts 2
17And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I
will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy [[1]
telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions ([2]
divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [[3]
divinely suggested] dreams.
Colossians 1
12Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to
share the [1]
portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.
13[The Father] has delivered and [2]
drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has
transferred us into the kingdom of the Son [3]
of His love,
14In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the
forgiveness of our sins.
Colossians 1
19For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the
sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him
[1]
permanently.
1 Corinthians 6
19Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary)
of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from
God? You are not your own,
20You were bought with a price [purchased with a
[1]
preciousness and paid for, [2]
made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
1 Corinthians 2
5So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human
philosophy), but in the power of God.
Galatians 3
13Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom)
of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it
is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is
crucified);(1)
14To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the
blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through
faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.
Galatians 5
6For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor
un-circumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and
expressed and working through love.
Galatians 3
29And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed],
then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.
Deuteronomy 6
5And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart
and with your entire being and with all your might.
1 Peter 5
6Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own
estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,
7Casting the
[1]
whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns,
[2]
once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about
you [3]
watchfully.(1)
8Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and
cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a
lion roaring [[4]
in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
Hebrews 11
3By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages]
were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose)
by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are
visible.
6But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to
Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God
exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek
Him [out].
Hebrews 4
2For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed
to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of
deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not
benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with
[1]
the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in
His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it;
[2]
neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard
(did believe).
James 2
14What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to
have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save
[his soul]?
15If a brother or sister is poorly clad and lacks food for each day,
16And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep [yourself] warm and well
fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?
17So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of
obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).
18But someone will say [to you then], You [say you] have faith, and I
have [good] works. Now you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good]
works [if you can], and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith.
19You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe
and shudder [in terror and horror such as
[1]
make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]!
20Are you willing to be shown [proof], you foolish (unproductive,
spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from [good] works is inactive
and ineffective and worthless?
21Was not our forefather Abraham [shown to be] justified (made
acceptable to God) by [his] works when he brought to the altar as an offering
his [own] son Isaac?(1)
22You see that [his] faith was cooperating with his works, and [his]
faith was completed and reached its supreme expression [when he implemented it]
by [good] works.
James 1
22But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely
listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to
the Truth].
1 Peter 1
5Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God's power through [your]
faith [till you fully inherit that
[1]
final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.
Mark 10
27Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible,
but not with God; for all things are possible with God.
30Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this
time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with
persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life.
Hebrews 4
12For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it
active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged
sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the
[1]
breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of
the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging
the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
Hebrews 1
14Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in
the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?
Hebrews 13
5Let your
[1]
character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed,
avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your
present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God]
[2]
Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor
[3]
give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,
[4]
[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor
[5]
let [you] down ([6]
relax My hold on you)! [[7]
Assuredly not!](1)
6So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly
say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or
dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?(2)
John 14
21The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who
[really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and
I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will
let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]
John 15
4Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live
in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being
vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
5I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in
him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital
union with Me] you can do nothing.
6If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a
[broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into
the fire, and they are burned.
7If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain
in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall
be done for you.
8When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and
glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
9I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My
love [[1]
continue in His love with Me].
10If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My
instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have
obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love.
11I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in
you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and
overflowing.
12This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have
loved you.
13No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than
to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.
14You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command
you to do.
15I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant
does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My
friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My
Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]
16You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed
you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing,
and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever
you ask the Father in My Name [as
[2]
presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.
17This is what I command you: that you love one another.
18If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with
affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world
[no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the
world hates (detests) you.
Luke 10
27And he replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and
your neighbor as yourself.(1)
Luke 4
10For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard
and watch over you closely and carefully;
11And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot
against a stone.(1)
Luke 18
27But He said, What is impossible with men is possible with God.(1)
Mark 14
61But He kept still and did not answer at all. Again the high priest
asked Him, Are You the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), the Son of the
Blessed?
62And Jesus said, I AM; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of Power ([1]
the Almighty) and coming on the clouds of heaven.(1)
Mark 14
3And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the
leper, as He was reclining [at table], a woman came with an alabaster jar of
ointment ([1]
perfume) of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and
poured [the perfume] over His head.
4But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to
themselves, To what purpose was the ointment ([2]
perfume) thus wasted?
5For it was possible to have sold this [perfume] for more than 300
denarii [a laboring man's wages for a year] and to have given [the money] to the
poor. And they censured and reproved her.
6But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has
done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].
7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can
do good to them; but you will not always have Me.(1)
8She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body
for the burial.
9And surely I tell you, wherever the good news (the Gospel) is
proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
Mark 14
61But He kept still and did not answer at all. Again the high priest
asked Him, Are You the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), the Son of the
Blessed?
62And Jesus said, I AM; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated
at the right hand of Power ([1]
the Almighty) and coming on the clouds of heaven.(1)
Mark 14
3And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the
leper, as He was reclining [at table], a woman came with an alabaster jar of
ointment ([1]
perfume) of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and
poured [the perfume] over His head.
4But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to
themselves, To what purpose was the ointment ([2]
perfume) thus wasted?
5For it was possible to have sold this [perfume] for more than 300
denarii [a laboring man's wages for a year] and to have given [the money] to the
poor. And they censured and reproved her.
6But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has
done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].
7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can
do good to them; but you will not always have Me.(1)
8She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body
for the burial.
9And surely I tell you, wherever the good news (the Gospel) is
proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.
Mark 12
29Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is:
Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;
30And you shall love the Lord your God
[1]
out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your
[2]
life) and out of and with all your mind (with
[3]
your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all
your strength. [4]
This is the first and principal commandment.(1)
31The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.(2)
32And the scribe said to Him, Excellently and fitly and admirably
answered, Teacher! You have said truly that He is One, and there is no other but
Him;
33And to love Him out of and with all the heart and with all the
understanding [with the [5]
faculty of quick apprehension and intelligence and keenness of discernment] and
with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than
all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. [I Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic.
6:6-8; Heb. 10:8.]
Mark 11
20In the morning, when they were passing along, they noticed that the
fig tree was withered [completely] away to its roots.
21And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree
which You doomed has withered away!
22And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].
23Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and
thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that
what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
24For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get
it].
25And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against
anyone, forgive him and
[1]
let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven
may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.
26[2]
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your
failings and shortcomings.
Mark 12
29Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is:
Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;
30And you shall love the Lord your God
[1]
out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your
[2]
life) and out of and with all your mind (with
[3]
your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all
your strength. [4]
This is the first and principal commandment.(1)
31The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.(2)
32And the scribe said to Him, Excellently and fitly and admirably
answered, Teacher! You have said truly that He is One, and there is no other but
Him;
33And to love Him out of and with all the heart and with all the
understanding [with the [5]
faculty of quick apprehension and intelligence and keenness of discernment] and
with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than
all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. [I Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Mic.
6:6-8; Heb. 10:8.]
Mark 11
20In the morning, when they were passing along, they noticed that the
fig tree was withered [completely] away to its roots.
21And Peter remembered and said to Him, Master, look! The fig tree
which You doomed has withered away!
22And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].
23Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and
thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that
what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
24For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get
it].
25And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against
anyone, forgive him and
[1]
let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven
may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.
26[2]
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your
failings and shortcomings.
Mark 9
20So they brought [the boy] to Him, and when the spirit saw Him, at
once it completely convulsed the boy, and he fell to the ground and kept rolling
about, foaming [at the mouth].
21And [Jesus] asked his father, How long has he had this? And he
answered, From the time he was a little boy.
22And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water,
intending to kill him. But if You can do anything, do have pity on us and help
us.
23And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all
things can be (are possible) to him who believes!
24At once the father of the boy gave [an
[1]
eager, [2]
piercing, inarticulate] cry with tears, and he said, Lord, I believe!
[Constantly] help my [3]
weakness of faith!
Mark 9
2Six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John
and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured
before them and became resplendent with divine brightness.
3And His garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller
(cloth dresser, launderer) on earth could bleach them.
4And Elijah appeared [there] to them, accompanied by Moses, and they
were [1]
holding [a protracted] conversation with Jesus.
5And [2]
Peter took up the conversation, saying, Master, it is good and suitable and
beautiful for us to be here. Let us make three booths (tents)--one for You and
one for Moses and one for Elijah.
6For he did not [really] know what to say, for they were in a violent
fright ([3]
aghast with dread).
7And a cloud threw a shadow upon them, and a voice came out of the
cloud, saying, This is My Son, the [[4]
most dearworthy] Beloved One. Be [5]
constantly listening to and obeying Him!
8And looking around, they suddenly no longer saw anyone with them
except Jesus only.
9And as they were coming back down the mountain, He admonished and
[6]
expressly ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man
should rise from among the dead.
10So they carefully and faithfully kept the matter to themselves,
questioning and disputing with one another about what rising from among the dead
meant.
11And they asked Him, Why do the scribes say that it is necessary for
Elijah to come first?(1)
12And He said to them, Elijah, it is true, does come first to restore
all things and [7]
set them to rights. And how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer
many things and be utterly despised and be treated with contempt and rejected?(2)
13But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and [people] did to
him whatever they desired, as it is written of him.
14And when they came to the [nine] disciples, they saw a great crowd
around them and scribes questioning and disputing with them.
15And immediately all the crowd, when they saw Jesus [[8]
returning from the holy mount, His face and person yet glistening], they were
greatly amazed and ran up to Him [and] greeted Him.
Mark 8
34And Jesus called [to Him] the throng with His disciples and said to
them, If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore,
disown, and [1]
lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and [[2]
joining Me as a disciple and siding with My party] follow
[3]
with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me].
35For whoever wants to save his [[4]
higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the
[5]
lower, natural, temporal life [6]
which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived
only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel's will save it [his
[7]
higher, spiritual life [8]
in the eternal kingdom of God].
36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit
his life [[9]
in the eternal kingdom of God]?
37For what can a man give as an exchange ([10]
a compensation, a ransom, in return) for his [blessed] life [[11]
in the eternal kingdom of God]?
38For whoever [12]
is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words in this adulterous (unfaithful) and
[preeminently] sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed
when He comes in the glory (splendor and majesty) of His Father with the holy
angels.
Mark 4
23If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him
perceive and comprehend.
24And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure
[1]
[of thought and study] you give [to [2]
the truth you hear] will be the measure [3]
[of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be
given to you who hear.
25For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has
nothing, even what he has will be taken away [[4]
by force],
26And He said, The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed
upon the ground,
Matthew 19
26But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but
all things are possible with God.(1)
Matthew 7
24So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them
[obeying them] will be like a
[1]
sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.
25And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the
rock.
26And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them
will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.
27And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell--and great and complete was the fall of it.
Matthew 8
17And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He
Himself took [[1]
in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore
[2]
away our diseases.(1)
Matthew 7
29For He was teaching as One Who had [and was] authority, and not as
[did] the scribes.
Matthew 22
37And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).(1)
Matthew 7
11If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and
[1]
advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in
heaven [perfect as He is] give good and [2]
advantageous things to those who [3]
keep on asking Him!
Matthew 5
28But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with
evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
1 Peter 2
24He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree
[1]
[as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist)
to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
Matthew 8
16When evening came, they brought to Him many who were
[1]
under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored
to health all who were sick.
17And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He
Himself took [[2]
in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore
[3]
away our diseases.(1)
Isaiah 58
1CRY ALOUD, spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare
to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins!
2Yet they seek, inquire for, and require Me daily and delight
[externally] to know My ways, as [if they were in reality] a nation that did
righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me
righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God [in visible ways].
3Why have we fasted, they say, and You do not see it? Why have we
afflicted ourselves, and You take no knowledge [of it]? Behold [O Israel], on
the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins], you find
profit in your business, and [instead of stopping all work, as the law implies
you and your workmen should do] you extort from your hired servants a full
amount of labor.(1)
4[The facts are that] you fast only for strife and debate and to
smite with the fist of wickedness. Fasting as you do today will not cause your
voice to be heard on high.
5Is such a fast as yours what I have chosen, a day for a man to
humble himself with sorrow in his soul? [Is true fasting merely mechanical?] Is
it only to bow down his head like a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes
under him [to indicate a condition of heart that he does not have]? Will you
call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds
of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and
that you break every [enslaving] yoke?(2)
7Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the
homeless poor into your house--when you see the naked, that you cover him, and
that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?
8Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing
(your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your
righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with
God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory
of the Lord shall be your rear guard.(3)
9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He
will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression
[wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or
the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking,(4)
10And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for
the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in
darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.
11And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought
and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered
garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
12And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the
foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you
shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13If you turn away your foot from [traveling unduly on] the Sabbath,
from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual]
delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor Him and it, not going
your own way or seeking or finding your own pleasure or speaking with your own
[idle] words,
14Then will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to
ride on the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage
[promised for you] of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken
it.(5)
In Christ Love
Roy Atkinson
January 2004
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