Isa 58:6
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

1. Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
2. Lighten the burden of those who work for you.
3. Let the oppressed go free
4. Remove the chains that bind people.
5. Share your food with the hungry
6. Give shelter to the homeless.
7. Give clothes to those who need them
8. Do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Today I’ll look at the last 4 items in the kind of fasting Father would like from us.

Share your food with the hungry.
Practical both physically and spiritually. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” John 6:48-51
Each believer has the ability to share the Bread of Life with another person. When we don’t we hear, “I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;” Matt 25:42

Give shelter to the homeless.
Again this is something that can be done. Any one of us can invite someone to share a part of our home.
More importantly, we have an eternal home made by Father and we can share the Good News of this to everyone!
Jesus told us in My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

Give clothes to those who need them.
I have given clothing to someone in need before! Perhaps you have too! As for me, it was either something I no longer wanted, old, or I had outgrown it.
There is something I can put on that I will never outgrow, never get rid of, and can always share.
It is written to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 13:14
Isa 61:10 – I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.

Do not hide from relatives that need your help.
Ok, we all have relatives that we’d like to avoid. We’re invited over to a family get together and we conveniently have something else to do.
But when family is in trouble we come running to help.
We should never hide our resources from our family; especially our church family.
You are members of God’s family. Eph 2:19
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Gal 6:10

I hope these past few studies have been beneficial and helped you understand fasting a bit more. I know I certainly have a different understanding!