April 12 | Isaiah 55:1-3

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DAILY READING

Isaiah 55:1-3

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REFLECTION

Free For The Taking

by Jennifer Jerrome

I was twenty-six when my husband and I bought our first home. We didn’t think much about it. That’s just what you did…get married, buy a house, have a baby, and raise a family. But for today’s young adults, the story is a little different. Buying a home, even renting, is not that simple. There are more hoops to jump through, and costs have skyrocketed.

I’ve been told by twenty-somethings that they don’t have a lot of hope for the future. It’s not that they don’t want to work hard, it’s that they feel even if they do it won’t be enough. Social media, politics, natural disasters, diseases, etc. are enough to make anyone of any age question the future.

Maybe Isaiah was speaking to people who felt similar despair. Financial insecurity touches every aspect of life. That’s why Isaiah 55:1-3 was, and continues to be, a life-giving message today.

The passage literally asks readers to “Listen, listen to me…Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.” And here is the essential message Isaiah wants us to hear...

Money is not necessary to feed your soul.

This is one time when having money gives you no advantage. God’s faithful love can’t be bought with denarii, gold, euros, pesos, or any form of currency. According to Luke 6:  

20 “Blessed are you who are poor, 

for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied…

24 “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort.

25 Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will go hungry.

We are to fill ourselves with “the richest of fare” and not waste our valuable time on junk that “does not satisfy.”

Whatever that junk may be for you, ask God to help you stop filling yourself with empty calories and start feasting on the true bread of life. And with that comes hope for a future filled with God’s abundant love. A love that doesn’t depend on interest rates and comes with zero hidden fees.

PRAYER

Father, may we listen to your life-giving words. Words that offer freedom from the daily struggle of having enough or being enough. We are enough in You. Thank you for taking “the least” and making them first at the feast of the kingdom. May we fill ourselves with the finest you have to offer and live in your grace. Amen