Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:5-7).

Isaiah at it again—many things lie between this text and the first chapter—yet, in both, he takes a strip off God's people. Strictly speaking our text refers to fasting, not sabbath keeping. Yet rest is at the heart of God's problem with his people. In particular, the lack of rest for their neighbours.

Once again, they are doing all the right religious stuff. I'm reminded of a senior demon's advice to his mentee, "As long as they retain externally the habits of a Christian, they can still be made to think of themselves as such."

It appears that the Israelites do want to get close to God, to be in covenant relationship with him. But there is something in the way, their attitudes towards their neighbours. Other folks are tools; tools for making a profit. And if these other folks do not have time for rest, who cares, 'not my problem'.

But, according to God, it is their problem. Ever since Cain asked the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" the answer is in plain sight. "Yes, I am." We cannot worship God while ignoring our neighbour in need.

In Galatians 5, Paul writes, "the only thing that matters is faith working itself out in love" (6). James wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (1:27). John adds, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen" (1 John 4:20).

The word 'love' used here is much stronger than how we usually use it. It includes the probability of suffering. Christ set the example for us: his patient work of healing the sick, even when tired. And we must not neglect his last days of suffering through torture and execution. This is the nature of the love we are to have for our neighbours.

The two great commandments are to love God above all and neighbour as yourself. We cannot have one without the other. With so many neighbours in need, this is difficult stuff to deal with. It starts with the heart. A heart that knows it is deeply loved is a heart that seeks to love the neighbour.

Start by worshipping the covenant God, see his concern for you. Those who love God through worship become filled with compassion for their neighbours.

As you journey on, hear Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

I will praise you with an honest heart as I learn about how fair your decisions are (Psalm 119:7).

A psalmist sang, "[God] chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them" (Psalm 78:70-72).

We considered obedience and humility. Integrity is a third quality David had that made him a person after God's own heart. We should ask ourselves, "Is my heart turned towards God?" or to use New Testament language, "Am I looking towards Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith?" (Hebrews 12:2).

Integrity is "the quality of being honest and living by moral principles" or "the state of being whole and undivided". But there is more here. Saul would not take responsibility for his sin (1 Sam. 15:24-30). David was willing to confess his sin and take responsibility for it.

In the matter of kingship in Israel, God was her king. But he anticipated that she would want a human king. So, he gave this instruction, "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law... It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left" (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

There is no record of David writing the scroll. However, his many psalms convey a man who loved God's law. When David was established as king of Israel, his first official act was to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). He established the worship of God as the central feature of his kingship, signalling to Israel that God was her true king.

So, we might say, that a person of integrity is someone whose heart is aimed towards God in obedience and worship. But how do we get to such a place? I think Jesus leads us there in his conversation with that woman at the well in Samaria, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

Jesus is making two points here. We have direct access to God through His Spirit and Jesus is the truth. However, we tend to hide the truth about ourselves from him. Like Saul, we want to make ourselves look better than we are.

Christian integrity is honesty before God; to let God see the truth of who we are. Then he forgives and we can receive his grace. Have you made time for confession? Remember, God already knows more about you than you do yourself. Trying to hide ourselves from him is a futile exercise. Let him see our sins. Let him extend his grace to us.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:37-38).

Years ago, on a flight to Los Angelos, I read a book called Margin. The author, Richard Swenson, M.D., argued that we fill our lives too full. He used the image of the old blue lined paper used for writing. It also had pink lines creating margins. One did not write in the margins. He urged his readers to maintain margins in their lives. If this was a needed reminder in 2002, surely it is as necessary today. I don't think many of us have heeded his advise.

It's become such a norm for our schedules to be packed and for our attention to be pulled in many directions. This means we do not have time to notice the spiritual hunger in us or around us. But what if we made room?

What if we slowed down enough to listen – not just to sermons and podcasts but to the people in our everyday lives? Creating margin is not just about better time management or learning how to balance it all – it's a spiritual practice, a countercultural pursuit.

It's believing if we leave margin in our calendars, God will show us where He's already moving. It's replacing our fears of not doing enough with having the faith that Jesus has already finished the work of salvation and is presently doing more than we realize.

Someone once said, "You don't need to bring Jesus into your workplace – He's already there." What if we start praying that Jesus will help us join conversations he is already having with coworkers, neighbours, with strangers in line at the grocery store.

What if God is already at work in our everyday lives, waiting for us to notice?

This shift means intentionally creating space in our lives to pay attention to what God is doing. It could be taking a longer walk and praying as we go, asking God to open our eyes to someone who needs encouragement. It might mean setting aside an evening for inviting over a neighbour. It could look like asking the grocery clerk how their day is going and really listening to the answer.

God's mission doesn't need superstars. It needs people willing to be present daily. It's being attentive to the Spirit, available to others and being grounded in the belief Jesus is already leading the way.

When we create margin to join Jesus in His work, we may find the stagnation that sometimes dogs our Christian life starts to crack open with wonder. Conversations happen, stories emerge, relationships get kindled, and joy re-enters. We're no longer just surviving spiritually on our hamster wheels; we begin to thrive as we participate in harvesting adventures far bigger than ourselves.

So, as we take Jesus at His word, let's ask the Lord of the harvest to send us, and let's slow down enough to follow Him. Not just in the rush of church activity, but in the quiet courage of everyday presence.

Because the harvest is plentiful, and Jesus is already there.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.