Tag Archives: ILMA ARTS STUDIO

MARK 3 THE RIGHTEOUS ANGER OF THE LORD

Posted on by

April 3

MARK 3

Again, he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. – Mark 3:1-6

MARK 3 THE RIGHTEOUS ANGER OF THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Witchcraft is an act of willful disobedience and rebelliousness

When one instigates a revolt, it is a manifestation of unruliness

Those who don’t submit to the appointed authorities given them

They are actually showing their insolence against the Lord himself

The righteous anger of the Lord is what they will surely receive

For the Lord does not put up with any form of defiance or insurgency.

Mark addresses what angers the Lord in this account. This event marks the beginning of the hour of God’s plan for his Son Jesus to fulfill the salvation of mankind. The Pharisees have longed to put Jesus out of the way because the respect and honor they used to receive from people are now threatened by Jesus’ wisdom and miracles. They could not believe that someone could be better than them since they have worked hard to get knowledge and standing for the purpose of being looked up to by society. Despite all the signs and miracles that Jesus manifested, they weren’t able to believe that he is the Son of God. So, they had to use their laws to put Jesus to the test if he was going to follow it. The irony of it all is that Jesus himself is above the law and they were putting him to be under the law since they didn’t see that he was the Messiah himself. They had to prove to everyone that they are better than Jesus. They were dying of envy and insecurity, so they had to plot to put him away for good. In 1 Samuel 15:23, it says “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Why did Jesus respond in anger in this story? Was it because they didn’t see him as the Messiah? Was it because they plotted to kill him? None of these suppositions are correct. Verse 5 says it is because he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. Remember when we were kids and how our parents tell us to obey something so we won’t get hurt but yet we insist on pursuing things that endangers our minds, bodies and spirits. It is because they were using “following the law” to hinder the healing of one man. They used the law to plot to kill Jesus (which of course the Lord already knew beforehand). Jesus marvelled at their unbelief and evil deeds, not because he can change it, but because the Lord knew that if they continued to harden their hearts, they would not receive the promise of salvation.

REFLECTION

  • Can humans have righteous anger like the Lord? Why or why not?

PROVERBS 14 A QUICK TEMPER IS PROOF OF A FOOL

Posted on by

April 2

PROVERBS 14

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
    and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
16 One who is wise is cautiousand turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

                                                                               – Proverbs 14:11-18

PROVERBS 14 A QUICK TEMPER IS PROOF OF A FOOL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

There are only two kinds of people in this life: the fool & the wise

The wise watch and give thought to his steps but the fool is careless

The fool thinks he is wise in his own eyes but cannot see what is right

The wise is cautious and turns away from evil so that he can flourish

The fool is quick to be angry and easily makes a fool of himself in public

The wise is humble and knows his place before a holy and true God

If you are a man of God, stay away from quick-tempered fools

You may learn their ways and destructive schemes which lead to death.

I marvel at how Solomon gives us examples of the fruits of darkness and the works of the Spirit in these following verses. If you have lived your life long enough, you will be a testament to these two kingdoms that are so clearly shown in our lives: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. In 1 John 1:15, we get the revelation that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If you will go back to creation in Genesis 1:3, his first creation is “light”. Prior to light, there was darkness all over.  Through John’s book, we are given this revelation that when God’s presence is there, darkness has no way that it will exist. We know from the bible that darkness is associated with evil. Proverbs 4:19 refers to this when Solomon said “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”

I’d like to highlight one of the fruits of darkness in this account: a quick temper. A fruit is a proof of the kind of tree that bore it. So, let’s take the tree of evil which bears fruits of darkness. One of these fruits is “anger” or “quick-temper”. Psychology names many other anger manifestations such as: irritation/annoyance, frustration/displeasure, fury/rage, wrath/blind rage, fear-based anger, paranoid/manipulative anger, retaliatory/vengeful anger, overwhelmed anger, avoidant/passive-aggressive anger, self-abusive/internalized anger, moral/judgment anger.  Don’t give in to any of these different forms of anger. The root of all anger is pride and rebellion against God. Don’t be a fool.

REFLECTION

·       Which among the types of anger mentioned here is hard to see? How must a believer deal with it?

PROVERBS 22 OBEY GOD’S WORD & AVOID THE ANGRY

Posted on by

April 1

PROVERBS 22

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
    and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
    if all of them are ready on your lips.

24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
    nor go with a wrathful man,25 lest you learn his ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare. – Proverbs 22:17-18,24-25

PROVERBS 22 OBEY GOD’S WORD & AVOID THE ANGRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As you serve your Lord Jesus Christ, you will hear his voice

His followers will listen to the truth that comes from his word

All who belong to him will be faithful to draw near him

They will make no friendship with those who habitually sins

Don’t associate with the angry or you’ll learn their habits

They will keep you trapped in the cycle of iniquities.

The writer of the book of Proverbs gives us an antidote for anger in verse 17. He says that if we listen to the word of God and follow what it says, we will become wise. Even before the enemy attacks us, we already have a weapon because it is the sword of our spirits as Ephesian 6 says. In 2 Timothy 3:16, we are given the importance of Scripture because it says that it is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. In Joshua 1:8, we are also commanded to meditate on the word of God, day and night. In Psalm 1, the blessed man who loves the word of God and takes delight in the law of the Lord is likened to a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruits in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers.

Now that we know the remedy for anger, we are also advised to keep away from those who are prone to wrath. In Psalm 1, we are cautioned not to have anything to do with the wicked and evil one and in the book of James we are instructed to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger because the wrath of man does not produce God’s righteousness. James also reminds us to be doers of the word and not hearers only and to have a humble posture when we receive the word of God because it has the ability to save our souls. Does this mean that anger is bad? No, God has a purpose for anger. Righteous anger is God’s response to sin. We are told to be angry but not sin in Ephesians 4 and not let the sun go down while we are still angry. In other words, God gave us this powerful emotion “anger” for a purpose. It is to expose injustice and sin and to do something about helping and being the voice to those who don’t have a voice or those who are oppressed by such misuse of wrath. It is not to be used to control others or to oppress someone, especially those who are weaker than them.

REFLECTION

·       Share insights on how anger can be easily learned by anyone, especially children.

PROVERBS 11 HUMILITY & WISDOM ARE INSEPARABLE

Posted on by

March 31

PROVERBS 11

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

 but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. – Proverbs 11:2-9

PROVERBS 11 HUMILITY & WISDOM ARE INSEPARABLE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

When one has reverence for God, they will be humble

They won’t have grand ideas about their identities

The meek looks outside himself and bows to his Creator

He is content at the way God has made him into His likeness

The proud distorts the purpose of God’s imprint on his image

He thinks he can change the plan and will of God by whining

His mouth is full of lies, mockery, rebellion and constant lying.

We can clearly see how the writer synonymously uses humility and wisdom interchangeably. One can’t go without the other. Since the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, it only goes to show that those who are in awe and in praise of God are humble enough to acknowledge and bow down to his Almighty, Merciful and All-powerful God.  This is something that the proud can never do. Because their view of God is very little compared to their grandiose view of themselves, they have no honesty to admit their littleness and insecurity. They are trying to be like God by hiding their weaknesses and failures because they believe they won’t be at par with the One true God. They have deceived themselves in thinking that they can be like him. Isn’t this what the deception of the serpent was in the garden? The devil sowed seeds of grandiosity and a plot to overthrow God by making them believe that they had powers greater than the Maker himself.

These following verses are reiterated in Psalm 1 when David distinguishes the wicked from the blessed. Here, we are given the distinction between the humble and the proud. We all know that the origin of sin is “pride.” It is pride that derails us from the path of righteousness and leads us to follow the path to wickedness. The proud dies and perishes like chaff but the humble are like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruits in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

REFLECTION

  • Explain what verse 6 meant when it says “the treacherous are taken captive by their lust?”

PROVERBS 22 THE PRIZE FOR HUMILITY

Posted on by

March 30

PROVERBS 22

3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, 

   but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord 

   is riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;

   whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;

   even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7 The rich rules over the poor,
     and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
      and the rod of his fury will fail. – Proverbs 22:3-8

PROVERBS 22 THE PRIZE FOR HUMILITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Submit to the Lord and you will have the fear of the Lord

Then you will begin to have the wisdom to overcome the world

You will be awed by the grace that has been given to you

You will sow love and harvest peace and overflowing joy

The prize for humility is honor and an abundant life

It is more valuable than any material riches here on earth.

In this proverb, the writer warns us of the consequences of folly and pride. He cites examples of what the wise person would do as opposed to what fools normally do. In verse 3, he models the cautious guarding of their steps when they do something. They do not do anything rash without common sense or careful thought or without asking others for counsel. The fool on the other hand, does thoughtless things without weighing the consequences of their action. Verse 8 explains to us that if they sow recklessness, they will harvest calamity or ruin.

In verse 6, the writer gives us the formula for being wise. The children are trained while they are still young to go the right way so that they would grow up following the ways of the righteous. It is impossible to train old foolish and wicked people to do what is right. They are automated to do what is evil, as the saying goes “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Then the writer focuses on the prize of humility and the fear of the Lord in verse 4 which are riches, honor and life. I think that riches are not necessarily about material possession, but it could be spiritual riches such as love, peace, joy and all the gifts of the Spirit. Honor would be manifested in a life of honesty and integrity and good name. Life would mean the presence of God in their lives.

REFLECTION

  • If the humble are prized with riches, honor and life, what do fools reap instead?

JOHN 3 HUMBLE YOURSELF SO GOD CAN INCREASE

Posted on by

March 29

JOHN 3

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. – John 3:25-31

JOHN 3 HUMBLE YOURSELF SO GOD CAN INCREASE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

For those who belong to God, Jesus modeled humility

He left his divinity and became human to save humanity

The world follows a system where pride dominates

Its focus is on the cravings and lust of the flesh

So, if you are a servant of Christ, you must decrease

Let all you do be about his glory so God can increase.

This account happened among the disciples of John the Baptist (precursor and cousin of Jesus). Prior to this account, John had been baptizing many people in the Jordan river together with his disciples. On this day, John’s disciple became envious of the following that Jesus was garnering. So, just like any of us who are entitled after doing something good, they expected John’s following not to dwindle since they have been popular already until this Jesus came in the picture. Isn’t this automatic with us humans? We work hard for something we want and believe in and when it grows, we forget the purpose of that calling. We become proud of what we have done and gloat over that achievement. We enjoy the position, the success, the expertise of the skill, the adulation we get from such work. We forget that the gift given to us by God is not for our increase but for God to be glorified. When John’s disciples felt threatened by Jesus’ group’s popularity and following, they came to him like childish kids reporting that threat to their group. Envy is a tactic of the devil to create divisions, doubts and confusion. John’s disciples showed so much insecurity and immaturity. But John was solid in his prophecies about the coming of Jesus and was given revelation that the coming of the Messiah was at hand. His perspective was so different from those whom he taught. He declares the sovereignty of God when he said verse 31 “He who comes from above is above all. He who comes from the heaven is above all.” What a glorious revelation! John didn’t listen to their insecurities but instead, he pointed them to the One and only glorious Son of God, Jesus. Because of his humility, Jesus later calls him the greatest of all prophets in Matthew 11:11 when he said “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

REFLECTION

·       Why can someone not truly worship and praise God when he lacks humility?

PROVERBS 16 BE OF LOWLY SPIRIT

Posted on by

March 28

PROVERBS 16

 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. – Proverbs 16:18-25

PROVERBS 16 BE OF LOWLY SPIRIT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The path of righteousness is one that leads to eternity

While the way of the wicked follows pride leading to ruin

It is wise for the believer to be led by God’s word and laws

And it is better for them to have a lowly spirit so they won’t fall

Pride precedes destruction because it prioritizes the “self”

While the meek and lowly focuses on putting God first.

In this wise saying, we are cautioned against pride. How do we know we are proud since it is in our sin nature? It is important that we do not forget that even though we are believers, we are still going to battle with our flesh, the world and the devil. Most people have a wrong notion of Christianity. They think that Jesus has done everything for them and they don’t need to do anything else. They do not take into account “sanctification” which is the constant cleansing of our hearts, minds, souls and spirits in order for it to be “holy”. God requires his people to be holy because he is holy. He cannot be present to you if you are defiled or corrupted by the world, the flesh and the devil.

One of the hardest things to follow that Jesus sampled for us is “humility.” Many believers do not understand why Christ, who is divine, gave up his divinity and became part of humanity. That is precisely why he chose to be born out of humble circumstances. It is to teach us that material wealth or status or power are all meaningless in the kingdom of God. Most unbelievers do not know that there is eternity to be hopeful about. They live their lives for the world’s standards. Since this world is ruled by Satan himself, they have no clue that they do not see that their life’s destination is not on earth but in eternity.

Pride is one of the manifestations of our sinful state. As long as we live for ourselves, we won’t have an expectancy of the new heaven and the new earth. Our lives will be useless because we don’t see where it is actually heading for. We will be chasing things for the sake of pleasuring ourselves. It is a life of futility where we go around in circles and feel empty and never fulfilled. Only God fulfills us and if we don’t have humility, we are not going to acknowledge the One true God, but make ourselves the center of our lives.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights on pride preceding a fall, ruin or destruction.

PSALM 95 THE POSTURE OF HUMILITY

Posted on by

March 27

PSALM 95

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,8 do not harden your hearts,

as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof,

though they had seen my work.10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,

and they have not known my ways.”11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,

“They shall not enter my rest.”– Psalm 95:6-11

PSALM 95 THE POSTURE OF HUMILITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God called his people and made a covenant with them

They were given the gift to hear his voice and follow his command

Because God has given us the free will to choose him

He will not force us to accept and receive his grace

So, if you hear his voice, do not be rebellious and turn from him

Instead, soften your heart to his call so you can overcome sin

Humble your heart and do not follow what your ancestors did

Expose the sins you inherited and remember your covenant with Him.

The book of Hebrews reiterates this psalm of David when the writer mentioned “today” as an invitation of God to his people to soften their hearts when they hear his voice. This is also true for all of believers today. When the Spirit of the Lord teaches, corrects, directs and warns us to follow the right path that leads to praising God, we must heed the call. David wrote this psalm as an invitation for them to recall what the Lord has done for his covenant people. The psalm directs the people of God to stay connected to Him so that they could never forget their part in that covenant. That is, not to harden their hearts when they hear his voice. Interestingly, these events go way back before Jesus was born and the promise of the Holy Spirit living in every believer was not yet fulfilled. Yet, we clearly witness the Spirit of the Lord on David because he knows God very intimately.

There is a posture of reverence in the words in this psalm. He invites the people of God to a posture of humility and true worship to God, who is the Maker of all things. He likens God as the shepherd in verse 7 who leads his flock to acknowledge God and bow down to him alone. What does it look like for us to have a posture of humility? It is an attitude of listening with the heart, mind, soul and spirit to where the voice of God leads us. It is a stance of reverence wherein we see our littleness before a holy and almighty and powerful God. It is a teachable and resilient spirit who obeys and does not resist the counsel given to him by God’s Spirit. It is a posture where it doesn’t look inside himself but look up to rely on God alone.

REFLECTION

·       Can you see this posture of true worship in your church? Do you see it in all churches? Share.

PROVERBS 12 THE HUMBLE LISTENS TO ADVICE

Posted on by

March 26

PROVERBS 12

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
16 The vexation of a fool is known at once,  but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.
21 No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

                                                                                       – Proverbs 12:15-22

PROVERBS 12 THE HUMBLE LISTENS TO ADVICE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

How do you know someone is proud or humble?

The proud is right in his own eyes but the meek listens

Because the humble has a teachable spirit, he is open to guidance

While the proud is foolish, he won’t heed or hear other’s advice

The humble follows what is good and what is right for him

While the proud caters to his cravings and easily tempted to sin

Because the meek is obsessed with wisdom and maturity

He humbly listens to advice from the wise who could counsel him.

The writer of the book of Proverbs gives an illustration of a humble person by distinguishing him from a fool. The book of Proverbs gives us vivid descriptions of the different kinds of people in the world. One of them are fools. It seems like the fool is someone who is wise or right in their own eyes as described in these verses. From this description, we could easily think of a proud or haughty person, one who thinks highly of himself and lowly of others. In verse 16, another trait of a fool is full of anxiety and vexations. It also describes the fool as a reactionary person or easily angered or defensive. The haughty person has a sharp tongue. In other words, they don’t think before they utter a word. They are reckless and quick to speak and react but not listen. When they speak, they destroy or ruin someone or something. The proud constantly lie and deceive others which leads them to their own deception. The proud can never please God in any way since their own god is the “self.”

The humble on the other hand listens to advice. Because he doesn’t think highly of himself, he is very open to learning and being taught. He wants to advance his knowledge and maturity so he would have a teachable spirit. The humble has peace and doesn’t react even to insults because he knows himself and doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. The humble speaks only what is encouraging and only what will build up. They are protected and shielded by God from evil because only the truth comes out of their lips.

REFLECTION

·       Share insights about your own experiences with the humble and the proud.

ROMANS 11 THE FEAR OF THE LORD LEADS TO HUMILITY

Posted on by

March 25

ROMANS 11

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

                                                                                           – Romans 11:17-23

ROMANS 11 THE FEAR OF THE LORD LEADS TO HUMILITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

What causes people to fear and have unbelief?

Isn’t it a lack of knowing truth and a mind anchored on lies?

The unbelievers fear when they don’t live up to the world’s standard

They don’t acknowledge God which leads their hearts to be proud

Those who have the fear of the Lord knows their place and submits to God

They never forget that the giver and maker is God and all are under his control

Since God is love, those who fear God is shielded from folly and sin

Those who live in fear don’t know God and inevitably choose Satan.

In this account, Paul gives the metaphor of an olive tree which was described to have a nourishing root. The root is likened to God being the source of such life and the olive tree is the result of that life-giving Spirit of the Lord. Paul refers to the reason why there were some Jews that he allowed to have unbelief so that he could bring in the Gentile unbelievers into hearing the gospel and believe in God.  In other words, Paul’s mission and calling was to bring the good news to those who have not heard it so that they too can believe as Jews did. Interestingly, Paul, who used to be Saul, persecuted the Christians. How amazing God turns around our sins and uses it to convert the most sinful unbeliever like Paul. That was the plan of God: to use a former unbeliever and persecutors of Christians to be the messenger of the gospel so they too can be saved. When he spoke in verse 20 about being broken off from the tree, he was pointing out to them their “unbelief” which gives a chance for the unbelievers to be grafted into the olive tree. He admonished the new Gentile believer to stay humble and not arrogant or they too will be cut off if they continue to sin despite knowing the truth. The fear of the Lord will keep them meek. When a believer does not acknowledge God’s sovereignty and power, they will produce pride.

REFLECTION

·       Can an unbeliever have the fear of the Lord and be humble on their own?