What does God really want from me?

Isaiah 1:16-17 (NKJV)

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

It is God's will that we be perfect (Mt. 5:48) and holy (Lev. 20:7 & 1 Pet. 1:15-16). While our gut reaction to perfect holiness may be "impossible!" God gives Israel and us a good idea of where to start. And the reality is, Israel (and I would bet you and I as well) would struggle with even the simple few suggestions that God gave. Here in this passage Isaiah lists eight commands that we can use to both pursue and measure our progress toward holiness: wash, remove, cease, learn, seek, rebuke, defend and plead.
The first three commands have to do with getting rid of the sin in our lives. We must pursue God's forgiveness (wash) as well as remove from out lives the things that would cause us to sin and the habits (thoughts, attitudes and actions) that perpetuate sin. Therefore, our holiness can be measured not by the amount of sin we have in our lives, but by the amount we remove daily.
The second two commandments push us to fill the hole from where sin was removed with things that honor God; good and justice. As Jesus taught in Matthew 12:43-45, it is crucial that we fill our lives with what honors God, not just remove the evil. Therefore, out holiness can be measured not just by the our recognition of evil or injustice, but by our identification of what is good and just. Anybody can point out what is wrong, the godly see what is right and affirm and pursue it.
Finally, the last three commands lead us to live out the good and justice we identify. It is worth noting here that God does not list anything religious, liturgical or overtly pious (in fact Isa 1:11-16 actually opposes such empty practices). Holiness is not about meditation and prayer, Bible reading, church attendance or tithing (though these are all important and powerful habits to embrace). God's favorite measure of holiness throughout the Bible is how well we care for the poor, isolated, abandoned and neglected. Anybody can log off hours in personal piety, but true piety is outward, public and practical. To fight for the needy is to do the work of God (Mt. 25:31-46). James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure (holy) and faultless (perfect) is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

In response, I must ask myself a few questions.
Am I rooting out sin and evil from my life daily?
Am I seeking and pursuing a better understanding of what is good and right?
Am I acting out the good and justice that I see in tangible and practical ways on behalf of the poor and needy?

This is true religion. This is what the Lord desires of me.

Lord, keep me from evil, teach me what is good and right and use me to care for the poor and needy. Amen.