Half-empty or half-full?
Isaiah 58:1-9
I look down at my cup of coffee as I write – it’s about half-full; or should that be half-empty? There are often two opposing ways to look at a situation.
In Exodus 20:9 – it says “6 days you shall labour”, but we are more likely to remember the opposite part of the verse – “but the seventh is the Sabbath”.
Half-empty, half-full; 6 days of work, one of rest.
And when we think about Lent it is no different
Lent is a time when we remember Christ’s sacrifice; it is a time of prayer and penance, and traditionally of fasting, of self-denial, mirroring His 40 days in the wilderness.
But when we read this passage from Isaiah we can see this again is a two-sided issue. In verse 5 God speaks through Isaiah saying – “Is it a day only to humble yourself?” Is it just about self-denial?
No – just look at verse 7 – it is a time to “loosen the yoke of injustice, to share with the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the naked.”
God looks at the two sides of this situation – self-denial or generosity to others, and says there is no point in denying yourself unless the fruit of that self-denial flows generously to others! The fasting and sackcloth and ashes bring no pleasure to God on their own. They must be accompanied by a generosity of spirit that finds its outworking in the lives of other people.
And this tells us something about God’s nature. God is a very generous god:
Psalm 145:16 “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” And there are so many wonderful living things…
When we went to Thailand we visited an orchid nursery – fantastic!
Did you know there are over 25,000 species of orchid, and over 200,000 different varieties. That’s just orchids – there are nearly 300,000 species of flowering plants altogether, so probably millions of varieties!
When Jesus fed the 5000, how much was left over?
Matthew 14:20 “They all ate and were satisfied, (so they all had plenty) and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” A generous provision.
Or the wedding at Cana – how much wine?
John 2:6 Six stone jars each holding about thirty gallons.
That’s about a thousand bottles of wine, a very generous amount, and the very best vintage!
And Jesus himself commended generosity: in Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.”
1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) – “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.”
So if you are planning to go through Lent giving yourself a half-empty measure, in penance and fasting; make sure that you are giving others a cup that is better than half-full!
