Brett Hawthorn @BrettHawthorn@dingdash.com

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭20:2‬ ‭NIV* “at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.”‬‬

*20:2* God’s command to Isaiah was to walk about naked for three years, a humiliating experience. God was using Isaiah to demonstrate the humiliation that Egypt and Cush would experience at the hands of Assyria. But the message was really for Judah: Don’t put your trust in foreign governments, or you will experience this kind of shame from your captors. Human governments and institutions can never take God’s place.

*20:2 cont* God asked Isaiah to do something that seemed shameful and illogical. At times, God may ask us to take steps we don’t understand. We must obey God in complete faith, for he will never ask us to do something wrong.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭31:1‬ ‭NIV* “In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:”‬‬

*31:1ff* This message was given in 587B.C. Ezekiel compared Egypt to Assyria, calling Assyria a great cedar tree. The Egyptians were to look at the fall of the mighty nation of Assyria (whose demise they had seen) as an example of what would happen to them. Just like Assyria, Egypt took pride in its strength and beauty; this would be its downfall. She would crash like a mighty tree and be sent to the place of the dead. There is no permanence apart from God, even for a great society with magnificent culture and military power.

*2 Samuel‬ ‭7:22‬ ‭NIV* ““How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

*‭‭John‬ ‭13:34-35‬ ‭NIV* ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””‬‬

*13:34* To love others was not a new commandment (See Leviticus 19:18), but to love others as much as Christ loved others was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love.

*13:34,35* Jesus says that our Christlike love will show we are his disciples. Do people see petty bickering, jealousy, and division in your church? Or do they know you are Jesus’ followers by your love for one another? Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source. The Bible has another beautiful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

*Prayer:*
Father, today I choose to love others as You have loved me. That is so contrary to what my selfish desires and ambitions are telling me, so I need Your help. Thank You for the amazing love You demonstrated for me when I deserved it the least. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*Isaiah 18:* Is a prophecy against Cush and it makes me think of the scripture *Romans‬ ‭14:11‬ ‭NIV* “It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ””‬‬
No matter what we go through, what hardships; tribulations and judgements we face, at the end of the day: ‭‭*Isaiah‬ ‭18:7‬ ‭NIV* “At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.”‬‬
These gifts brought came from the very people the prophecy was against, the Ethiopians of Cush.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭29:9-10‬ ‭NIV* “Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “ ‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it,” therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.”‬‬

*29:9,10:* The Nile was Egypt’s pride and joy, a life-giving river cutting through the middle of the desert. Rather than thanking God, however, Egypt declared, “The Nile is mine; I made it.” We do the same when we say “This house is mine; I built it,” or “I have brought myself to the place where I am today,” or “I have built this church, business, or reputation, from the ground up.” These statements reveal our pride. Sometimes we take for granted what God has given us, thinking we have made it ourselves. Of course, we have put forth a lot of hard effort, but God supplied the resources, gave us the abilities, and provided us with the opportunities to make it happen. Instead of claiming our own greatness, as the Egyptians did, we should proclaim God’s greatness and give him the credit. (Migdol is in the north of Egypt as Aswan in the south. Thus, this meant all of Egypt.)

*Proverbs‬ ‭11:24-25‬ ‭NIV* “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”‬‬

*11:24,25:* These two versus present a paradox: that we become richer by being generous. The world says to hold on to as much as possible, but God blesses those who give freely of their possessions, time and energy. When we give, God supplies us with more so that we can give more. In addition, giving helps us gain a right perspective on our possessions. We realize that they were never really ours to begin with, but they were given to us by God to be used to help others. What then do we gain by giving? Freedom from enslavement to our possessions, the joy of helping others, and God’s approval.

*Prayer:*
Dear God, when I think about all the resources You’ve given me, I can’t help but give You thanks. You are so generous to me, and it makes me want to live generously. Please show me how I can wisely invest my time and money so that I can glorify You and bless others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.