September 16
________________________________________LOVING THE WORLD FORFEITS GOD’S LOVE
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. –1 John 2:12-17
________________________________________
This letter of John is addressed to all: fathers, young men and children. This gospel account addresses the issue of loving the world and all things in it. According to Baker’s Evangelical dictionary, the biblical concept of “world” falls into five categories: the physical world, the human world, the moral world, the temporal world, and the coming world. In this account of John, we can surmise that it refers to the physical and human concept. John reminds us of the importance of keeping ourselves pure in order to move forward with our salvation. Holiness is something that God requires from His chosen people. Because God has set His people apart from the world, He requires them to stay pure for Him. Because He Himself is holy, He wants all believers to be in that state of righteousness as well.
In this letter, John emphasizes the importance of keeping our priorities intact. We need to live focusing on Jesus first and keeping ourselves out of distractions that come so easily in the world surrounding us. Since Satan rules the world, everything in this world is controlled by him. God created everything in the universe and gave dominion and authority on humans, but Adam and Eve gave it to Satan when they committed the first sin against God.
The world is passing away, unlike the eternal life that God created for humans to have. Because God loves us so much, He gave us a “will” to choose Him and does not force us.
It is up to us to choose God rather than be corrupted by the world and its system.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What does “loving the world” means in God’s economy?
Tag Archives: Christian devotional
THOSE WHO LIVE IN DARKNESS ILMA’S VLOG
September 15
________________________________________THOSE WHO LIVE IN DARKNESS
2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
– 1 John 2: 1-11
________________________________________
In this gospel account, John mentions the things required so that we may not sin. By believing in Jesus and abiding in Him, we will come to know His word and commands. If we keep His word, we will have the love of God in us and He will dwell in us. With Jesus, we will have Light and the darkness will be gone. Jesus is the true Light and when He shines, love happens. Those who abide in Jesus, they will have the light shine on them. They will also learn to love their brother. Those who love his brothers exudes the Light that comes from the Lord but the one who hates his brother is walking in the dark and does not know where he is going.
The manifestation of Jesus’ light in those who believe in Him is the love that they have for their brothers. Those who does not know Jesus is blinded and living in darkness and therefore cannot love their brothers.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we shine the true Light of Jesus to unbelievers? Why is hating your brother considered living in darkness?
SEEK AND PRACTICE THE TRUTH ILMA’S VLOG
September 14
________________________________________SEEK AND PRACTICE THE TRUTH
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. 5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. – 1 John 1:1-8
________________________________________
In this account, John reveals to us who God is. Because he is the disciple whom Jesus loved, God revealed to him His character. In this chapter, John gives a testimony of experiencing Jesus, the Son of God in his own life. He has heard, seen and even touch the Lord Himself. He was privy to the nature and character of God. He stresses that God is the Word of life and the Giver of eternal life. Only in Christ Jesus will we experience life to the fullest. Without Him, nothing can come to life. His Word has power, for it can bring forth life itself. Another attribute of God in this chapter is that God is light and no darkness is in Him at all. We can only have fellowship with each other if we have God, who is the only source of light.
The Word which is truth itself is what will keep us all in the light and continually have life. When we seek and practice the truth, Jesus shines His light on us. Otherwise, we will believe lies from the world and live in darkness. When we abide in truth, we learn to expose lies and have the humility to confess and repent of our sins. Since only God is good, we can never say that we are without sin or else we are lying.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we practice truth in this corrupt world?
FORESHADOWING OF PETER’S DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
September 13
________________________________________FORESHADOWING OF PETER’S DEATH
18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” 20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. – John 21:18-25
________________________________________
In this account, Jesus talks to Peter, giving him a prophecy of what is to come in his life in the coming years of his ministry. Verse 1 gives us a picture of Peter being crucified from the words “you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Someone will bind his hands just like when one is crucified. Verse 20 shows Peter’s personality who always want to be ahead and know things. He likes to boast and take control. He wants to know who among them will betray Jesus. In verse 21, we also see Peter’s insecurity as he asked what is going to happen to John and we see his boundarylessness. Jesus confronted him and put him in place letting him know that it is none of his business to know what His plans for John is.
Can we all relate to Peter? Aren’t we all humans proud and arrogant, wanting to know everything and taking control over things we have no responsibility for? Most humans want to be able to control situations beyond their capacity and end up being controllers and manipulators. What a mess we all are. And yet, Jesus uses all messy people like Peter and like sinners and haughty people like us, to bring glory to God.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is boundaries very important in relationships?
DO YOU REALLY LOVE ME?
September 12
________________________________________DO YOU REALLY LOVE ME?
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. – John 21:12-17
________________________________________
In this account, Jesus visits His disciples for the third time after His resurrection and had breakfast with them that day. After they had finished eating, He asked Simon Peter the question “Do you love me?” three times. Why did Jesus ask Peter several times? It was also three times that Peter denied Jesus when He was questioned by the Jews if He was a disciple of Jesus. In verse 15, Jesus’ first question was comparing Peter’s love for Him in comparison to what He used to do, which was fishing. It was a question of priority. A paraphrase of that question would have been “Do you love me above all compared to what you do and all the other things and people you love?” It was a loaded question that addresses what is really in Peter’s heart when He easily answered that he loved Him. Jesus had a condition after the first question: tend My lambs. In other words, Jesus was requiring Peter to look after those who are His followers. Following Jesus requires commitment and endurance. We all know that as long as we live in this world, we will have many things that can pose as idols that will compete with the love that we actually profess. Love requires commitment and faithfulness. It is not enough to say that we love the Lord. We need to prioritize Him and make Him first in every aspect of our being. The cost of being a disciple of Jesus is high. It needs giving up of all the things we love in this world and a willingness to suffer for Christ. If we are true Christians, are we really able to make Jesus our Lord and Master? Will we give up our lives for Him and for His people?
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it so easy to say “I love you” and not really recognize the cost of such act?
WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THE OLD LIFE ILMA’S VLOG
September 11
________________________________________WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THE OLD LIFE
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.– John 21:1-11
________________________________________
The disciples must have been feeling so lost and without purpose after Jesus died. They probably didn’t know what to do after three years of giving up their old occupation and gave up everything to follow Jesus. Simon Peter’s old job was fishing, so he decided to go back to it and the others followed Peter. They fished and caught nothing that night. At daybreak, Jesus came and asked if they caught any. Of course, he knew very well that they didn’t. Going back to fishing was what most of the disciples did before Jesus called them to join Him. He turned them to be fishers of men, but right after He left them, they wanted to go back to their old lives. When Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right-hand side of the boat, they finally got the big catch without even tearing the nets. The big catch with Jesus’ instruction probably symbolized that without Jesus, they will not be able to get anything done. Jesus may not have wanted them to go back to their old lives since He has given them a new life in Him. Believers have a tendency to go back to their old lives when they feel that Jesus has left them or when they grieve.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why should believers not turn back to their old lives once they find Jesus?
BELIEVE IN CHRIST SO YOU MAY HAVE LIFE
September 10
________________________________________BELIEVE IN CHRIST SO YOU MAY HAVE LIFE
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.- John 20:24-31________________________________________
This is the story of the disciple of Jesus named Thomas who didn’t believe that his Master has resurrected until he saw with his very own eyes the imprint of the nails in His hands. Because Thomas wasn’t around when Jesus first showed Himself to His disciples after His resurrection, he didn’t believe Jesus came back from the dead. It was over a week when Jesus came again and Thomas was among the disciples that time. Jesus approached Thomas right away and placed his hands on His sides. Then, Thomas finally believed. Aren’t we so much like Thomas? We don’t believe until we see. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. So, Thomas had unbelief. This is why Jesus addressed his lack of faith and commanded him to let go of unbelief. Faith is trusting what it true even if there is no evidence.
We are fallen people and we have very limited minds. When we don’t actually see proof of something, we won’t be convinced to have faith in that thing or person. In this account, Jesus teaches us the true meaning of believing. It is trusting Him despite the absence of a sign. We don’t always have to be convinced of something or someone before we make a decision to put our trust on it. Faith is putting trust first without knowing the outcome. It is the hope that what you expect is going to happen.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why do you think people focus so much on the validity of something or someone?
PEACE FROM CHRIST ILMA’S VLOG
Start atSeptember 9
________________________________________PEACE FROM CHRIST
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” – John 20:19-23
________________________________________
After Jesus died, his disciples were all in hiding and were scared of the Jews. It is in this account that we witness Jesus showed himself to His disciples after he died. He watched them living in fear, so He told them to have peace. Showing His presence and the parts of his body that were pierced during his crucifixion made the disciples comforted. They now see with their own eyes that their Master conquered death and the promise of resurrection is right in front of them. It is during this time that Jesus makes them aware of the gift of the Holy Spirit which will now live in them because He is now with the Father in heaven. Jesus emphasized that they can only have peace through Him. Because He was sent by God, the Father, He also sends them out to bring the same peace He gives them. Another reminder that He gave His disciples in this conversation is the importance of forgiveness. He stresses that if they forgive those who hurt them, they too, will be forgiven their sins.
In this first meeting of Jesus after He died and rose from the dead, we are given hope. The promise of a life eternal from believing in Jesus has been fulfilled. There is no more room for fear or apprehension. Jesus assured them of the power that is vested on all those who believe Him. There is no reason to entertain fear because Christ has conquered the grave. Jesus made the disciples see the spiritual realm which at first, they could not understand. They couldn’t fully comprehend what Jesus taught them because they were limited to grasp it. But, since Jesus has already made them aware of the Holy Spirit living in them, they will now be able to recognize things in the Spirit. They no longer live in fear and darkness. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, they will now have power to conquer fear and evil.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we have the peace even if we are surrounded by suffering and evil?
WOMAN, WHY ARE YOUR WEEPING?
September 8
________________________________________WOMAN, WHY ARE YOUR WEEPING?
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. – John 20:11-18
________________________________________
This account of Jesus showing Himself to Mary after He rose from the dead. It gives us a peep into the power of Jesus’ overcoming the grave and also how He watches those whom He loves. Why was Mary weeping? Her answer in verse 13 clearly exhibits how little we actually see the spiritual realm. The reason for her tears was because her Lord was taken away from her. In other words, she lost that person who she has been serving. She seemed lost after this person whom she looked up to so much is now dead. She must have felt confused not knowing what to do when all she did was follow her Master. Because of grief, she forgot all the teachings and promises Jesus has given her. Sometimes, grief can overcome and consume our lives when we lose something or someone. We get derailed as to what our real purpose is. Jesus showed himself first to a woman. That is how important women are to Jesus. He wants Mary to be the first to witness to his resurrection. He saw Mary’s faithfulness and grief and He wanted to console and comfort her. He wants to reassure her that though she doesn’t see Him, He will always be there for her. Jesus also warned her not to touch Him yet until he goes to His Father. It reminds us to keep ourselves pure for our heavenly Father.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can grief sometimes derail us from focusing on Jesus?
JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD ILMA’S VLOG
September 7
________________________________________JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes. – John 20:1-10
________________________________________
When Mary Magdalene came to visit the tomb of her Master on that first day of the week after Jesus was crucified, she was shocked to find that the stone had already been taken away from the tomb. The Gospel of John and archaeology support the interpretation that the tomb of Jesus would have been sealed with a cork-shaped blocking stone. In Mark 16:4 it says that “the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” Even a passage in the apocryphal Gospel of Peter states that Pilate sent Petronius the Centurion with soldiers and they rolled there a great stone and laid it against the entrance to the sepulcher. Naturally, when Mary saw that the stones have been moved, she assumed that the soldiers have taken Jesus’ body away. So, she ran to the disciples to announce what she saw and they didn’t believe her. They had to see for themselves so they ran to the tomb to check whether Mary was right. When they saw the linen wrappings all empty, they finally believed. It is interesting to see from this account that the disciples and Mary forgot what Jesus told them about Him rising from the dead. Their limited minds didn’t fathom what Jesus has foretold before He was crucified. We also often times forget the promises and words of Jesus to us through Scriptures.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why do you think the disciples didn’t believe Mary’s report of Jesus’ body missing?
• Why did they have to see with their own eyes that Jesus’ body wasn’t there?