Isaiah 1:17

Saturday night - It was late, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. I was looking around my room and and saw my Bible. Something was nagging me to pick it up. I just wanted to sleep, but I knew that if I didn't, I would miss out of something.  I was just thumbing through it, and my fingers were flipping through Isaiah, and suddenly I felt compelled to go back a few pages, so I did, and I started reading. I was reading Isaiah 1: 10.

 ¹⁰ Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.”
      Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”
 ¹¹ “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”
      says the Lord.
   “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
      and the fat of fattened cattle.
   I get no pleasure from the blood
      of bulls and lambs and goats.
 ¹² When you come to worship me,
      who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
 ¹³ Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
      the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
   As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
      and your special days for fasting—
   they are all sinful and false.
      I want no more of your pious meetings.
 ¹⁴ I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.
      They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!
 ¹⁵ When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
      Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
      for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
 ¹⁶ Wash yourselves and be clean!
      Get your sins out of my sight.
      Give up your evil ways.
 

(Then comes the instructions and my favorite part)

 ¹⁷ Learn to do good.
      Seek justice.
   Help the oppressed.
      Defend the cause of orphans.
      Fight for the rights of widows.

Can it get any more clear?

 The instructions are so straightforward.

Faith without deeds is nothing.

 All these thoughts were swirling around my head as I finally put my bible down and went to sleep. God wants our actions, not all the religious things that we feel we have to do. He wants us to be His hands and feet. We have to carry out this task. If we don't, then, people who don't know the Lord will perish. I don't want to be responsible for people not knowing the Lord. There is still injustice, oppression, orphans, and widows.

 These instructions still apply to us.

It is up to us to carry them out.