HEBREWS 13 OBEY & SUBMIT TO YOUR LEADERS

August 4

HEBREWS 13

12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us[b] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

                                                                         – Hebrews 13:12-21

HEBREWS 13 OBEY & SUBMIT TO YOUR LEADERS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a covenant child of God, you are called to obey your leaders

Follow their lead as they are given to you by God himself

Respect and submit to the authority assigned to you

They are answerable to God as they keep watch over your souls

Do not be insubordinate to them for you will give an account if you do

Honor, respect and serve them as you would do unto the Lord.

Obedience and submission are manifestations of love and service to God. This is why we were given laws by God as part of his covenant with us. Laws and authorities are the ways by which God shows his protection over us and also a test for us to exercise obedience and submission. It is a structure for us to follow so that we can maintain order in the body of Christ. Without leaders and authorities, our lives would be chaotic and disorderly.

Paul stipulates a command that reiterates these verses here as he wrote his letter to the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians 6:5-7, we are told that: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when they are watching, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” So, when we defy those authorities given to us like parents, husbands, elders, employers and other people whom we need to submit to, we are actually rebelling against God himself. Paul gives another reason why believers need to submit to authorities in Romans 13:1-2 because it is God himself who has established such leaders in our lives.

REFLECTION

  • Should we obey leaders even if we don’t agree with their viewpoints? Why or why not?

ROMANS 8 THE WICKED DO NOT SUBMIT TO GOD

August 3

ROMANS 8

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. – Romans 8:1-10

ROMANS 8 THE WICKED DO NOT SUBMIT TO GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Those who don’t know and acknowledge God are hostile to him

They do not live according to God’s Spirit but to their own flesh

Their lives are based on worldly and physical standards

They are self-focused and eager to cater to their selfish desires

These wicked people do not submit and cannot please God

Their minds are set on seeking their longings and wants

They are not answerable to anyone but themselves

So, they don’t come under God’s authority at all.

In this account, Paul lays down the difference between a wicked person from a righteous one. The main difference is that those who belong to God submit to him and the Holy Spirit while the unrighteous one does not come under anyone else’s authority. They love and adore themselves too much to be accountable to someone other than themselves. Because they have so much love for the things of the world, they will not be able to hear the Spirit of the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit is given to those who have been chosen by God himself to be followers of Christ. What a lot of people do not understand about being a Christian is that it is never their own choice to believe but God himself did the selection process. When he elected someone to be his own, he gave them his Spirit and the ability to say yes to the path of righteousness. It is the sacrifice of Christ that gave the chosen one of God the gift of hearing the Holy Spirit and the choice to walk in love.

The wicked are described as someone who does not acknowledge God therefore, they cannot follow his laws. They don’t belong to the covenant that God made with Abraham. They won’t be covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and will not be able to please God in any circumstance.

REFLECTION

·       Can someone ungodly please God at all? Why or why not?

EPHESIANS 5 SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER

August 2

EPHESIANS 5

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 

                                                                                           – Ephesians 5:18-30

EPHESIANS 5 SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a child of God, we ought to revere our Lord Jesus Christ

We therefore submit to one another to show our obedience

Because we are part of his church, we are members of his body

Failing to honor and respect each other is a lack of love for our brothers

Husbands are called to take authority over their wives and are to love them

Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands in everything

Submitting to one another in love is the only way we show God our love

In submission to one another, we become united in the body of Christ.

Why did Paul stress the importance of submission to one another in this letter to the Ephesians? He wanted the believers to be set apart from the world. As we live in this corrupt world, our desire is to satisfy ourselves and do as we please. Paul reminds every believer that this is not how God’s law of love is based on. God’s law is based on sacrificial love. When we do not become accountable for each other, we are not exercising sacrificial love because we do not place others as a priority. Of course, God must be the ultimate priority in our lives but the concept of submission follows the command of God to love him first and then our neighbors as ourselves. Notice that it didn’t say love God and then yourself and then others. Because of our sinful nature, we tend to make ourselves first than our neighbors. Thus, God commands his people to think of others first rather than their own. If every believer followed this command, there will be no quarrels or envy among the body of Christ, there will be unity and harmony and the law of love will be complete. Then we will be free from the bondage of sin. This is why James talks about the importance of following all of the laws of liberty because if you miss one out, you are disobeying the rest.

REFLECTION

·       Why did God command us to submit to one another as if we are actually submitting to him?

JAMES 4 SUBMIT TO GOD

August 1

JAMES 4

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passionsare at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.     – James 4:1-10

JAMES 4 SUBMIT TO GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you submit to God, you will experience peace

No amount of work and doing matter if you do not submit to Him

Satan will overpower you if you don’t succumb to God’s authority

By obedience, you will have the ability to succeed and have victory

When your passion for something is too much, you’ll cause quarrels

It is the longing for what you don’t have that creates conflicts

Submit to God and you will have power over evil

Draw near to him and you can resist the devil.

The word “submit” has been misunderstood and the world has twisted its meaning. Today, that word connotes bondage and slavery instead of freedom. Many people think that to submit to someone is to be dominated by that person. That definition is a half truth because what it doesn’t include is the fact that if you submit to the righteous God who made you, you will have peace that surpasses all understanding. When we acknowledge God’s authority and submit to it, we are honoring and praising him, but if we submit to a human being who is flawed and sinful, chances are, we will be in bondage to that person’s whims and control. Because human beings are not like the divine God, they will have the tendency to abuse power. God’s sovereignty is never abusive nor is it unfair, but humans have a tendency to abuse power because our nature is very corrupt.

James explains the advantages of submission to God. He says that God gives grace to them and also keeps the devil away from us. He also mentions that we will be purified and joy will result from such obedience and honor that we give to the Lord. What is amazing about such submission is that God himself will exalt the one who obeys and surrenders everything to him.

REFLECTION

·       Share insights as to how you have submitted to God. What have you benefited from?

PROVERBS 30 HUMBLE YOURSELF & TRUST GOD

July 31

PROVERBS 30

The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2 Surely, I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
  Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
  What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!

5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

                                                                         – Proverbs 30:1-6

PROVERBS 30 HUMBLE YOURSELF & TRUST GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of Jesus Christ, you are to be humble

He gave up his divinity for you and became human

Why would you boast and presume you know everything

Meditate on God’s word & you’ll discern the devil’s schemes

But if you ignore the word of God, you will continue to rebel

Humble yourself and trust God and so you will overcome the devil.

In this account, Solomon humbles himself and strips off all of his presumptions of knowing things. When he became king, he requested for wisdom from God instead of riches and yet God gave him both of it. It is quite interesting to know that the wisest person on earth became foolish later on in life when he yoked with 700 pagan wives and 300 concubines totalling to a thousand women all serving his sexual pleasure. That doesn’t look wise, does it? In fact, it is foolish to have more than one wife. It is hard enough to please one wife, why would you want a thousand?

In these following verses, you hear Solomon’s weariness. This must have been written towards his later years. Who wouldn’t be tired after all the quest for satisfaction from sexual pleasures? You hear his weariness and eventually acceptance of his foolish seeking of worldly things such as wealth, palaces, chariots and he even built a bigger temple for himself than he did built God’s temple. Something went wrong after he yoked with the pagan wives. He forgot to consult God and instead, relied on all the gifts that were given to him by the Lord. He didn’t use it for God’s glory but for himself. In verse 3, he declares that he has not learned wisdom and has forgotten who God was. Isn’t this also true for each believer?

When we yoke with earthly things, we don’t get a clear vision and image of the God who created us. We also get in bondage with all these worldly longings and become consumed by them. No wonder many addicting acts result in the absence of knowing the Lord. God didn’t create us for pleasure-seeking for ourselves but for us to give him all the glory. So, let’s humble ourselves and trust him. Acknowledge God.

REFLECTION

·       What happens when we make ourselves increase rather than God?

1 JOHN 4 TRUST GOD AND ABIDE IN HIM

July 30

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 cannotlove 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 TRUST GOD AND ABIDE IN HIM

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you serve the Lord your God, fear not

For you will have his Spirit living in you

So, trust that you are truly loved

For his Spirit guides every step you take

Abide in him and his love will flow from you

You’ll be able to show others that same love.

In this account, God reveals through John how to walk in love. To abide in the bible means to stay close, to remain or to continue to be with God. It is to walk closely with God. It is to stay faithful and unrelenting to anything that will draw the person away from God. In Genesis 5:22-24, it says that Enoch walked with God. In other words, he abided with God. So, he was taken straight to God without going through death. Noah also walked with God as Genesis 6:9 mentions. They were blessed with protection from God as they clung and walked with the Lord. In John 15:5, we are told that if we cling to the vine, who is the Lord, the branches who are his people, will bear much fruit. This verse also reminds us that apart from God, we can do nothing. So, why do so many people live isolated from God?

If we stay close to God, we will experience perfect peace and contentment. It is something that we can never experience if we live following the world system. God is love and if we are not living our lives for him, we will never know love. We will always be living in the fear of something like fear of not having enough, fear of pain, fear of missing out, fear of being unloved or fear of not being enough for anyone to love us. In verse 18, the Lord reveals to us that the only thing that can take away our fears is to abide in him and trust him. It only makes sense because he is the only One who is perfect. If we are in Him, we will be perfected in love. There is no more reason to fear. But verse 19 reminds us all believers that we are only able to love because he first loved us. It is a gift. On our own, we cannot truly love.

REFLECTION

  • How can we manifest our trust in the Lord in our daily lives as believers?

MATTHEW 6 TO WORRY IS TO MISTRUST GOD

July 29

MATTHEW 6

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  – Matthew 6:25-34

MATTHEW 6 TO WORRY IS TO MISTRUST GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Are you always worrying about what tomorrow will bring?

Do you not know that the Lord knows what you need?

Does worrying about what you’ll eat, wear or drink do you any good?

Isn’t it nerve-wracking to always be consumed by what is to come?

To be anxious about everything manifest a strong distrust to God

When you worry, you are not believing that he has you covered

To worry is to question the provision of the All-knowing God

It is to doubt him and be uncertain whether you’ll receive it or not.

I used to be a worrier. Maybe it was caused by not being shown love as I was growing up. Neglect made me rely on myself instead of my caregivers who were not there to nurture and made me safe in my own home. I’ll never know if there will be food on the table because people around me were so busy and workaholics and there was a lack of structure and solid foundation to feel that I was being looked after. At a young age of 7, I had to provide for my own emotional needs also since no one was there to even see my existence. As I grew up in my teenage years, I learned to rely on myself and not on anyone. I have a deep mistrust especially with my own family. But that all changed, when God saved me in my fifties and I didn’t have to be anxious about anything anymore when I read these following verses here.

It was the lack of the knowledge of God that made me live a life of anxiety. No wonder I had all kinds of illnesses because of trying to take care of myself and my son on my own, not knowing that God is the one who does that for me. I didn’t trust that he had me covered because of all the lies I believed.

REFLECTION

·       Share insights as to what people usually worry about and why it is a lack of trust in God.

JOSHUA 1 TRUST GOD & YOU’LL BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS

July 28

JOSHUA 1

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good successwherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:5-9

JOSHUA 1 TRUST GOD & YOU’LL BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Fear is not a work of God but originates from the evil one

Fear comes from Satan lying about how God made us

The devil accuses us so that we will cower and not have courage

Satan twists every word that comes from the mouth of God

He wants us to doubt God and trust ourselves instead

This way, he is able to distract and delay our purposes in life

Trust God and you will be strong and courageous to expose darkness

Only God’s word can give you wisdom to discern the all of Satan’s lies.

Do you ever wonder why many people are living in fear, doubt and anxiety? It is probably because they haven’t discovered their true identity in Christ which can only be found in Scriptures. No wonder Joshua exhorts the Israelites to meditate on God’s laws day and night in verse 8. What would it mean for every Christian to do this? Is it saying that we must think of God’s commandments 24/7? If you want to take it very literally, then yes that is what we are told to do. Sadly, I have met and known closely many Christian who do not fill their lives with having God’s laws and words in their hearts and minds regularly. Some Christians have not even memorized a single verse of God in their lives. How else can they apply it in their lives if they haven’t stored it in their hearts? David says in Psalm 119:11 “I have stored your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” And we wonder why we have sinful and fearful lives. If we haven’t filled our hearts and minds with God’s word and don’t even meditate on his law each day and each night, how can we have strength and courage? That is impossible, isn’t it?

Joshua commands us in verse 8 that it shouldn’t depart from our mouths so that we can reflect and remember it day and night that we may not sin. He warns us to be careful to follow as the command says so we can be successful and prosperous. Verse 9 is a command to be strong and courageous. So, why do so many believers live in fear, worry, doubt and anxiety?

REFLECTION

  • How have you applied verse 8 in your life and how has it transformed you when you did?

JOHN 14 PEACE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO TRUST CHRIST

July 27

JOHN 14

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. – John 14:25-31

JOHN 14 PEACE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO TRUST CHRIST

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Have you surrendered to the Lord Jesus your entire life?

Has your life changed after you professed your faith in Christ?

If you haven’t committed to your Savior, you will be full of troubles

Worry becomes your refuge when things do not go as you expect it

Your life will be filled with dissatisfaction and bitterness if you doubt

Peace only comes to those who believe and trust in the Lord Almighty.

These words of Jesus to his disciples are his farewell to them on the night before he was crucified. The disciples must have been grief-stricken, worried and scared about what will happen to them when he goes. It is human nature for us to be fearful when we have no clue about what is going to happen. I remember when my husband’s MRI showed traces of dementia. The grief was overwhelming even though he was still with me. I could imagine how the disciples felt knowing that they are going to lose their beloved master and teacher. They felt lost and purposeless because they left everything to follow the Lord.

Jesus had so much compassion for his disciples and in this account, we hear how much he loved them all. He assured them that even though he wasn’t around, there is a Helper who will be there constantly to comfort, guide and teach them. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who will remind them of all that has been taught to them by Jesus. That’s amazingly comforting to know that they are not going to be abandoned after all. But because of their limited minds and their emotions overcoming them, they couldn’t truly fathom what Jesus was saying. We also do this a lot when we become hyper focused on something negative that we fail to see the lessons or the upside of the situation. Jesus reminded them that if they love him, they will rejoice. Easier said than done to be joyful when you lose something or someone you love. If they trust Jesus’ promise of a Helper, they would not dwell on the loss itself but in the gain of the presence of the Helper who will be living in their hearts.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think peace is the by-product of trusting the Lord?

ISAIAH 43 TRUST IN THE LORD WHO CHOSE YOU

July26

ISAIAH 43

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;   I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
  and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
  when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,   and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
  I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,   and honored, and I love you,
  I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;  I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you. – Isaiah 43:1-5

ISAIAH 43 TRUST IN THE LORD WHO CHOSE YOU

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Are you resting in Christ or are you living in constant fear?

The Lord chose you and made a covenant with you forever

He will not change his mind because he is a promise keeper

Even in your sinfulness, he will still have his promise delivered

He will be there for you in times of trouble to comfort you

Even in your unfaithfulness, he will still continue to pursue

Because he chose you to be his own, he will stay unchanging

His steadfast love for you deserves a reciprocity of trust in him.

Have you ever been pursued by someone who you don’t care much about? I remember a college classmate who was very beautiful outwardly and was pursued by many men in the university that we attended. One day, a persistent admirer followed us around like a dog and then I witnessed something that changed my respect for her. She yelled at him instead of thanking him for the flowers. Instead, she threw the flowers he offered right at his very eyes. She didn’t like the man who wooed her. After that incident, I stayed away from her. Who knows, she will also do that mean thing she did to him to me.

I shared the story of my friend to give you an idea how some people reject the Lord and have no respect for his pursuit of us. Imagine that Jesus was that admirer of my friend, who constantly pursued and showed his love for us. What would Jesus feel if we throw away the act of love that he offers us. It may not be just flowers, but his word and guidance are the gifts he lovingly showers us with. We do exactly what my friend did when we neglect to have a relationship with him through obedience to his laws and hungering for his word. God promised to give us a way out of sin through Jesus Christ. He gave up his own divinity so he can mediate between God and us to redeem us from the sinful and prideful self that we acquired from our original parents. Shouldn’t we trust the one who sacrificed everything for us?

REFLECTION

·       What are the ways we reject Christ in our daily lives that we so easily miss?