file: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db940707.txt
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OUR DAILY BREAD                                       July 7, 1994
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Read: Isaiah 1:1-17



                           IMITATION FAITH

                  These people... honor Me with their lips,
                 but have removed their hearts far from Me.

                           - Isaiah 29:13

Tourists throughout the centuries have visited the famous
Acropolis, the ancient hilltop religious citadel in Athens.
Thousands of sightseers from all over the world have picked up
marble chunks as souvenirs.

Why hasn't the supply of pieces been exhausted long ago? The
answer is very simple. Every few months a truckload of marble
fragments from a quarry miles away is scattered around the whole
Acropolis area. So tourists go home happy with what they think
are authentic pieces of ancient history.

We can be deceived by other kinds of imitations. Religious
language and music, religious objects and services may fool us
into imagining that we are experiencing a firsthand relationship
with God when in reality we are simply going through empty
routines.

During the time of the prophet Isaiah, many of the people of
Israel were merely going through the motions. That is why god
told them, "Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an
abomination to Me.... Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My
soul hates" (Is. 1:13-14).

The possibility of religious deception prompts personal soul-
searching. Our pious practices may be only imitations of the true
heartfelt faith that the Lord desires. - VCG

Deception is a common sin That grieves the Lord above; He longs
for those who'll worship Him In faith and truth and love. - HGB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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A hypocrite has God in his mouth
  and the world in his heart.

The Bible In One Year: Isaiah 1-3



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