Brett Hawthorn @BrettHawthorn@dingdash.com

*Ezekiel‬ ‭22:30‬ ‭NIV* ““I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”‬‬

*22:30* The wall spoken of here is not made of stones, but of faithful people united in their efforts to resist evil. This walk was in disrepair because there was no one who could lead the people back to God. The feeble attempts to repair the gap - through religious rituals or messages based on opinion rather than God’s will - were as worthless as whitewash, only covering the real problems. What the people really needed was total spiritual reconstruction! When we give the appearance of loving God without living his way, we are covering up sins that could eventually damage us beyond repair. Don’t use religion as a whitewash; repair your life by applying the principles of God’s Word. Then you can join with others to stand “in the gap” and make a difference for God in the world.

*‭‭John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬* “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

*8:12* Jesus was speaking in the treasury - the part of the temple where the offerings were put (8:20) and where candles burned to symbolize the pillar of fire that led the people of Israel through the desert (Exodus 13:21,22). In this context, Jesus called himself the light of the world. The pillar of fire represented God’s presence, protection, and guidance. Is he the light of your world?

*8:12* What does it mean to follow Christ? As a soldier follows his captain, so should we follow Christ, our commander. As a slave follows his master, so we should follow Christ, our Lord. As we follow the advice of a trusted counselor, so we should follow Jesus’ commands to us in Scripture. As we follow the laws of our nation, so we should follow the laws of the kingdom of heaven.

*Prayer*
Lord, show me where there is still darkness lingering in my life. I want Your light to pierce the darkness and reveal the parts of me that I’ve been hiding from You. Help me to walk away from darkness and into Your lights. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭NIV* “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,”‬‬

*10:1* God will judge crooked judges and those who make unjust laws. Those who oppress others will be oppressed themselves. It is not enough to live in a land founded on justice; each individual must deal justly with the poor and the powerless. Don’t pass your responsibility off to your nation or even your church. You are accountable to God for what you do for the poor.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:7‬ ‭NIV* “But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.”‬‬

*10:7* Although Assyria did not know it was part of God’s plan, God used this nation to judge his people. God accomplishes his plans in history despite people or nations who reject him. He did not merely set the world in motion and let it go! Because our all powerful, sovereign God is still in control today, we have security even in a rapidly changing world.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:12‬ ‭NIV* “When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.”‬‬

*10:12* The Assyrians were haughty. They thought they had accomplished everything in their own power. Our perspective can become distorted by our accomplishments if we fail to recognize God working his purposes through us. When we think we are strong enough for anything, we are bound to fail because pride has blinded us to the reality that God is ultimately in control.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭10:15‬ ‭NIV* “Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!”‬‬

*10:15* No instruments or tool accomplishes its purpose without a greater power. The Assyrian’s were a tool in God’s hands, but they failed to recognize it. When a tool boasts of greater power than the one who uses it, it is in danger of being discarded. We are useful only to the extent that we allow God to use us. If God has given us resources and special talents, we must not regard them as our own creation or special privilege.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭21:28‬ ‭NIV* ““And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults: “ ‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning!”‬‬

*21:28* The Ammonites and Israelites were usually fighting with each other. God told the Israelites not to ally with foreign nations, but Judah and Ammon united against Babylon in 589 B.C. (Jeremiah 27:3). God first judged Judah when Nebuchadnezzar first went to Jerusalem (21:22); but Ammon will also be judged, not for allying with Judah, but for watching Jerusalem’s destruction with insulting delight.

*Galatians‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭NIV* “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”‬‬

*6:2* No Christian should ever think that he or she is totally independent and doesn’t need help from others, and no one should feel excused from the task of helping others. The body of Christ - the church - functions only when the members work together for the common good. Do you know someone who needs help? Is there a Christian brother or sister who needs correction or encouragement? Humbly and gently reach out to that person, offering to lift his or her load (John 13:34,35).

*Isaiah‬ ‭9:1‬ ‭NIV* “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—”‬‬

*9:1* In our gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end. But we can take comfort in this certainty: although the Lord may not always take us around our troubles, if we follow him wholeheartedly, he will lead us safely through them.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2-6‬ ‭NIV* “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”‬‬

*9:2-6* In a time of great darkness, God promised to send a light who would shine on everyone living in the shadow of death. He is both “Wonderful Counselor” and “Mighty God.” This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom. He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin.