June 9

ROMANS 13

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

                                                                                        – Romans 13:8-14

ROMANS 13 LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God made us all in his image so we are created for love

Each one of us, man and woman, bear the image of God

The only debt we should owe is to love one another

This is the only kind of obligation that doesn’t enslave us

If you love yourself, then you can also love others

Each believer is called to love his sisters and brothers

The act of loving your neighbor as yourself is the way to freedom

It doesn’t get you enslaved or bonded to idols or anyone.

It is interesting how Paul talks about debt in the context of love. We usually think of money or riches when we think of debts. I think he is alluding to the importance of living in freedom as Christians. He points out debts that aren’t visible such as relational ones. He talks about the importance of being free from any debts because they will enslave the person who is the lender. Solomon talks about this in Proverbs 22:7 that the borrower is a slave to the lender. How do we become slaves to someone in a relationship? We can engage in transactional love where we only give love to those who give it to us. When we give away only for the sake of getting something in return, we are the borrower and the one who receives what we give, is the lender. Therefore, we can be enslaved by watching the result of our act of love like a business that earns gains from the capital it put into. This is why Paul talks about this in terms of love. What we value can also be turned to idols and when they become idols, we are enslaved to it.

In verse 8, he instructs the believers to have no debt but to love one another. If we truly love one another as God loves us, we are actually fulfilling the law of liberty. We won’t do transactional love but unconditional love. We won’t love for the sake of gain but for the good of those whom we give love to. When we do this, we are manifesting the real purpose for our lives, that is, to love sacrificially.

REFLECTION

·       How do you think loving others as ourselves results in freedom?

June 7

JOHN 3

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”– John 3:16-21

JOHN 3 THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Have you ever been loved so unconditionally that it feels awe-inspiring?

Only the Lord God can give you that full commitment that is breathtaking

This love is not what the world gives because it is unconditional

It is not transactional or depending on anything else but is sacrificial

The greatest love of all is that God sent his only Son to give us eternity

Nothing else will give us assurance that will complete our whole being

There is nothing that can compare with this generous act of giving

Only God can provide us with overflowing love that is unending.

This verse sums up the whole Christian view: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But what does this really mean? It is actually a complete confession of who God is, his nature and character and what his plan for mankind is. All of these truths are covered in this verse. Do all Christians understand this truth? If they do, it will manifest in their lives. If they don’t, it will show the discrepancy in their hypocritical lives. The books written by John expounds these truths that no other epistles and books in the bible could explain.

In the first phrase “For God so loved the world”, John described God as a loving God. In 1 John 4:8, he actually says that God is love. God is described as love himself and created the world out of his love for his creation, specifically for mankind since we were all made in his image. In other words, God loves us all because he loves himself too. “That he gave his only Son” verse gives us an image of a generous and loving God. He shared the most beloved Son he had to mankind. It also shows how he would offer anything for the sake of his beloved created human beings. The last part of the verse “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” gives us a picture of a promise-keeper and a God who is a great provider. This last part of the verse also tells us his expectations and requirements from his people: to believe that he is the only one who can give the greatest love of all. He is the Maker, the Provider, the Giver, the Lover and the Promise-keeper. What an awesome God we serve. No other gods from other religions could surpass or compare to our One true God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think each Christian should ponder on and live the John 3:16 verse in their lives?

June 6

GALATIANS 5

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! ¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.  – Galatians 5:7-15

GALATIANS 5 LOVE FULFILLS THE WHOLE LAW

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of the Lord, he paid the price to free you from sin

You no longer are a slave to sin but have been freed from it

Your freedom is not to be used anymore to cater to your flesh

Instead, you are called to use it to fulfill the whole law of love

If you follow this perfect law by loving one another, you will win

You will be able to fulfill the law and overcome Satan’s tactics

Do not use your freedom to make your flesh thrive

Instead, apply this freedom to bring others to Christ.

In this account, Paul reminds the Galatian believers that since Christ has died for them, they are now free from sin. There is however an expectation from all those who are followers of Christ. They need to follow the laws that God commanded them as part of their covenant with him. This covenant is a result of God promising to his people that he will be their God and they will be his people if they obey the commands stipulated for them. In any agreement we make with someone, there are requirements from the two parties. In this case, God will free them from bondage and they will have to serve God and be faithful to obey all the laws he gives them. There is a reciprocity in this covenant because God is fulfilling many more responsibilities than the people he chose are. In fact, if you think about it, what does God get on his end from his people? Actually, there is nothing much that God gains. So, these laws are not a form of control on God’s end. It is a protection for them to be free from the snares of the devil so they can fulfill what God has made them for. Probably many unbelievers would cringe at this covenant because they don’t understand what benefits do Christians have when they follow the Lord. They’ll only know God’s promises if they believe in him. The promises fulfilled are the eternal benefits that no worldly kingdom can give anyone. If you are a Christian struggling to follow God’s laws, you must be viewing the covenant wrongly. All the things God required for us to follow is actually for our own benefit. If we follow the way of love, we will be able to fulfill and follow such laws without much trouble.

REFLECTION

·       How does walking in love and following God’s Spirit fulfill the perfect law of liberty?

June 4

JOHN 15

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another. ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.  – John 15:12-21

JOHN 15 SACRIFICIAL LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

To love someone truly is to lay down your life for that person

Jesus died for us all so that we can be free from our sin nature

When God chose you as his own, you can now bear fruits of love

You are now capable of giving that same love he gave you

Christ sampled for us the greatest love of all when he died for us

Giving up your life for someone is the true sign that you love God

When you love someone, you are willing to do what benefits him

You don’t prioritize yourself but serving that friend is your priority.

John explains what it truly means to love in this account. It seems impossible to love others as God has loved us, doesn’t it? But in verse 12, we are commanded to do so. Because God made us all in his image, we have that potential innate in us to give that same love that he gave us. In fact, many of us think of love as a transactional thing (that’s because Satan has twisted the meaning of true love). Because of sin, we think that we only give love to those who can give it back to us. When God created us, he wasn’t expecting us to love him back for his own sake. He was commanding it from us so that we can follow the law of love and be able to fulfill the purpose of our lives: to love and be loved.

What does it mean to lay down one’s life for a friend in verse 13? It is not literally to die for someone but it is defining the sacrificial aspect of loving someone. By sacrificial, it means that your priority has shifted from making yourself first to making that other person first. Imagine, if we all practice sacrificial love. How wonderful the world would be if each person thinks less of himself and thinks of his friends’ welfare first! There will be less narcissists in this world, won’t it?

REFLECTION

·       Share some ways sacrificial love manifests in relationships.

June 3

1 JOHN 4

¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. – 1 John 4:13-21

1 JOHN 4 THE SOURCE OF LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God is love and only he gives it

The world’s love is not like his

We can only love because He first loved us

His love is unconditional, pure and selfless

Love is manifested through his only Begotten Son

Love others so you can show that you truly love God.

It is interesting how many people think that they can fabricate love. Those who don’t know God have no idea that God is the only source of love. They don’t know that God created us all in his image. Since God is love himself, we are all made for love. Our purpose is for love. We ought to give love and receive it too. When we were born, our parents ought to love and care for us so that we can grow up as loving people. There are so many people who were not loved by unloving parents who did not know God. How else do you think these loved-deprived children would grow up? In psychology, these individuals grow up with attachment disorders. These are mental illnesses that resulted from trauma, neglect, abuse and being unloved as young children. What psychology does not explain is that the human being is made for love as God created us all for, and when it doesn’t get it, it creates all kinds of mental health issues. According to the National Institute of Health between 52-54% of surveyed juvenile delinquents and young offenders meet the criteria for attachment disorder or borderline attachment disorder.

John explains in this account that God is the only source of love and we need to give him credit for it. This is the reason why we are able to love outside of ourselves. Without God loving us first, we are not capable of loving anyone else besides ourselves. When we believe in God, we recognize that we can only know true love because he loved us first. It is a gift and we cannot boast about it. We need to give it to others as he gave his love to us through his Son Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

·       Why do so many people think that they can give love away without receiving God’s love first?

June 2

1 PETER 4

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. ³ For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; ⁵ but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen – 1 Peter 4:1-11

1 PETER 4 KEEP LOVING EARNESTLY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

A lover of God is also a lover of other people

We no longer prioritize the self but others

We now live for pleasing the Lord our God

So, let’s love earnestly so we can fulfill our make

When we show love, we cover a multitude of sins

We radiate God’s character and glorify Christ

Let us pass on the gift of love that we have received

Let us show hospitality and compassion eagerly.

In this account, Peter encourages the believers to preach the gospel by earnestly loving one another. Now that God has adopted us as his own, we ought to love one another as he loves us. Peter suggests that we suffer in our flesh because it will make us stop sinning. Because of our sinful nature, we love to please ourselves and cater to pleasurable things. When Christ sacrificed his life for us, we were given a model of starving the flesh so we can please God.

Peter instructs us to be earnest in loving one another. It is the gift that we receive when Christ saved us from our sinful nature. Jesus was a perfect example of sacrificial love. Now that we belong to him, we are to live for him and not for our selfish inclinations. By pursuing to love others as we love ourselves, we are edifying our Lord and giving all the glory to our Maker. The only way we can fight the devil’s tactics is by walking in love and refraining from walking in our flesh. Let us then pursue hospitality and compassion towards one another in order that we will fulfill the perfect law of liberty.

REFLECTION

• Why must Christians be earnest and intentional in loving one another?

June 1

1 CORINTHIANS 16

¹⁰ When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. ¹¹ So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.¹² Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.¹³ Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. ¹⁴ Let all that you do be done in love.¹⁵ Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— ¹⁶ be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. ¹⁷ I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, ¹⁸ for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people. – 1 Corinthians 16:10-18

1 CORINTHIANS 16 LET ALL THAT YOU DO BE DONE IN LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you live in this corrupt world, don’t conform with its ways

Instead, let all that you do for others be done out of love

By doing so, you won’t be misled to do what is wrong

Stand firm, be courageous; watch out and be strong

Take care of one another and be of service to them

Serve them as you would serve your Lord Jesus Christ

Do this so you will reap a harvest of the Spirit’s fruit

You will manifest the same love God has given you.

Can you imagine what this world would look like if everyone did things out of selfless love? There will probably be no conflicts, no whining or no clamoring, no greed or envy. It is the solution for everything. When we do things out of love, we become less selfish. No wonder God’s commands are based on this perfect law of love. James calls it the perfect law of liberty in James 1:25. He tells us that we should not just be hearers of the word but doers of it. When we follow that law of liberty, we become free from the shackles of sin because we are constantly following the perfect standard of love. In 1 John 4:16, we know that God is love and in 1 John 4: 8, we know that those who do not know God, do not have the capacity to love. God’s love isn’t the same as how the world conceives love. The world’s concept of love is transactional. Love according to the world is based on what the self can benefit by giving it to someone, which is very different from selfless love. Selfish love is from the world system, while selfless love is from God’s kingdom.

Paul reminds the church in Corinth to guard themselves from the selfish love that is our human nature. Instead, he instructs the church to acknowledge those who serve God’s kingdom selflessly and be of service to one another. This he says is the work of the Lord:  that we do everything out of love. It is the selfless love that Christ gave to us when he selflessly died and gave up his life for us that we ought to give one another.

REFLECTION

·       How can doing everything out of love be the solution to all suffering and pain in this world?

May 30

JAMES 1

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

                                                                                        – James 1:19-27

JAMES 1 QUICK TO HEAR & SLOW TO SPEAK

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As servants of Christ Jesus, we are called to exercise self-control

We must follow the laws of God so we’ll be unstained from the world

Quick to hear and slow to speak are manifestations of God’s work

We can’t do what’s right on our own and tend to do what’s wrong

As we walk in God’s Spirit, we’ll be quick to hear and slow to speak

We will begin to examine our hearts and hone where we are weak

Let us be doers of the word of God and not just hearers

For if we only hear without doing, we are called deceivers.

The book of James is one of my favorite books in the bible. He is very straightforward in his teaching and admonitions to the church. He is a no-nonsense man. He directly gets to the point of the matter. In this account, we clearly hear his teaching on self-control. He mentions that man’s anger doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. Why does he say this? Man’s nature is to cater to the “self.” When we make the “self” our priority, we will never do anything to please God. Because of man’s sinful nature, it is almost always that he makes himself first rather than God.

James gives us an antidote to anger and dysregulation by putting away all our wicked tendencies and instead, receiving the word of God which he says can save our souls. It is sad to know that not all professing Christians take this very seriously. CBN.com website says that “Around 3 in 5 American who attend services at least once a month (61%), only 31% read daily and 30% who do so a few times a week.14% engage once a week, 11% a few times a month, 5% read Scripture once a month while 9% do rarely or never.” No wonder, many Christians are out-of-control and quick to speak and slow to listen. They are spiritually malnourished because they haven’t fed on the word of God. The bible says that we ought to eat the word so we can grow our faith and not be stunted and stay baby Christians forever.

REFLECTION

• How often do you read and study God’s word? What has feeding on the word done for you?