Today's Verse: Isaiah 1:16-17

Friday, January 5, 1962

Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
— Isaiah 1:16-17

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Do you find it easy to replace service to those in need with religious rituals? I know I do! But God wants us to not get so caught up in talking about him and celebrating his deeds, that we forget we're suppose to care for others like he does. Whether it is Jesus defining his ministry in Luke 4:18-19 or James talking about the kind of piety that pleases God (Jas. 1:26-27), we must realize true faith is treating others as God would. Today's verse defines what God does and instructs us to live in the same way.

My Prayer...

O Great God of all comfort, open my eyes today to see those who need your love and give me the attentiveness, time, and compassion to serve them. May Jesus' work be seen in my life today. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

4 Related Resources by Heartlight

Isaiah 1:17
Devo: Today's Verse
"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed."
Isaiah 1:17
Devo: Today's Verse
"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."
Do the Right Thing
Illustration of Isaiah 1:17
Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 1:17 -- Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
The Nones
Article by Rubel Shelly
Are you a none? Rubel Shelly reminds us that the group of those who claim none for religion is growing quickly in the U.S. and that they do so because they are are tired of the hypocrisy.

Illustration

Illustration of Isaiah 1:16-17 — Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Friday, January 5, 1962

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Returning to the Same Sin Hinders Our Prayer'
"[The Lord has said:] "They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and....."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'Spiritual House' (1 Pe. 2:4-5)
"As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'Supreme Over All the Earth' (Ps. 97:9)
"For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Isaiah 44:3
"When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful..."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

More Today's Verse