September 23
________________________________________PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in 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, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one 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, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. – 1 John 4:15-21
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In this gospel account, we get more revelation regarding perfect love. Those who declare that Jesus is the Son of God belongs to God and they have His presence in them. Since God is love, those who believe and commit to Him surely have His approval and Spirit in them. John expounds on what perfect love is in verse 17-18. God’s perfect love is manifested by sending His only begotten Son so we can all be saved and receive salvation and be reconciled with Him.
John further tells us that in perfect love, fear is absent. He also explains that when one fears, it is because of the punishment tied up to it. No wonder God says many times in the bible “Do not fear.” Fear is the opposite of love. When we fear, we lack trust in the God who is in control. Fear was a result of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned for the first time, they became fearful of the consequence of their sins, which gave birth to it. Fear is something that the enemy wants us to be in bondage to. When we become slaves of fear, the enemy can paralyze us or hinder our closeness to God. It makes us tainted and corrupted.
Another detail of the perfect love discussed in this account is that the only way we can show that we love God is that we are able to love our brother. When we claim we love God and can’t even love our brothers, we are lying and only do lip service. Shouldn’t we manifest our love to our brothers in order to prove to God that we really love Him.
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REFLECTION
• Can someone be loving and fearful simultaneously? Why or why not?
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LOVE EACH OTHER AND GOD WILL ABIDE IN YOU ILMA’S VLOG
September 22
________________________________________ LOVE EACH OTHER AND GOD WILL ABIDE IN YOU
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. – 1 John 4:7-14
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In this gospel account of John, he focuses on one of God’s attribute. God is love. This is the reason why He requires us all to love one another. Verse 9 shows us how much God loves us. He gave his only Son into the world so that we have life through Him. When He created us all, He made us all in His own image, so we are all made out of love. This is how we are made, so when we operate in fear, we are not maximizing the loving person God made us to be. Verse 10 tells us that we are loved by God first and it is impossible for us to love if He didn’t love us first. John further explains that if God loves us, we must love each other as well. Verse 12 says that though no one has seen God, we can know He is in us if we abide in Him. He gave us the Holy Spirit as a proof that we have His presence if we believe in both the Son and the Father. John witnesses to the Son because he himself saw Him and was loved by Him.
We are all commanded to love, but the world doesn’t want us to love the way God loves. In Genesis, sin came about and the idea of love was corrupted as well. From loving God, it became wanting to be like God and loving and pleasing the “self.” The world twisted the meaning of true love from unconditional love to conditional love. From a love that is sacrificial to selfish love. It is a love that is only concerned with what they can get from the other person, a love that is a transaction. So, the minute they cannot get what they expect from the other person, they leave or let go of them, just like disposing some object that they have no more use for. What a sad fate our world is facing now. God made us for the purpose of love but the enemy has corrupted that.
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REFLECTION
• How can we keep true love alive in this corrupt world?
September 21
________________________________________GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN YOU
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. – 1 John 4:1-6
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John reassures all believers that God is above all things in this world. He warns us all Christians to test the spirits that come upon us and ensure that they are from God and not from the world. The manifestation of the Spirit’s presence is the acknowledgement that Jesus Christ came and became flesh to follow His Father’s work of salvation. Anyone who doesn’t believe that Jesus came from God and is God Himself is the antichrist.
In this account, John stresses the importance of setting us apart from the world. If you are a Christian, you do not follow the ways of the world. You are governed by the Holy Spirit and understand spiritual things. You know God and understand that He is greater than any spirit living in this world. You recognize God’s voice and follow His commands. As children of God, we hear His voice and knows His ways. We do not follow the world, instead, we obey God in all things. The unbelievers or worldly people, on the other hand do not comprehend God’s ways and do not heed His words. They live in darkness and they do not know the spiritual realm. The believer knows the spirit of truth because He is given the word of God and anything that is not from God’s words, he doesn’t pay attention to.
It is such a blessing to know that we can count on God’s power and sovereignty. He is greater than any force or power that is in the world. No need to worry about people hating or punishing you. God is your defender. He will never let any of His believers to be defeated. You may still be persecuted but God’s promise is that He will never forsake those who love Him. He is bigger than any spirit in this world.
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REFLECTION
• How do you know if you are being deceived or controlled by evil spirits?
LOVE NOT ONLY WITH WORDS BUT IN DEED AND TRUTH ILMA’S VLOG
September 20
________________________________________LOVE NOT ONLY WITH WORDS BUT IN DEED AND TRUTH
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
– 1 John 3:11-24
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In this account, John reminds us what love really means. Christ truly loved us because He gave up his life for us. As committed believers, we are asked to do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The proof that we are God’s children is that we love not just in words but more in deed and truth. When we say we love and not really show it in our actions, we are really not loving. God commands us to love one another as he loves us. He also wants us to do what is pleasing in His sight. Believing in Jesus means you follow His commands and what He does.
John also reminds us not to be surprised if the world hates you because they do not really know who God is and what love really means. God is love and those who do not know how to love do not know God.
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REFLECTION
• What is the difference between true love and the world’s concept of love?
THE CHILDREN OF GOD & THE WORLD ILMA’S VLOG
September 19
________________________________________ THE CHILDREN OF GOD & THE WORLD
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. – 1 John 3:1-10
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In this account, John focuses on the children of God and how the Father has shown so much love for them. John explains the reason why the world doesn’t recognize the people of God. They do not understand the hope that God’s people have because they do not belong to the Lord. Everyone who fixes their eyes on Jesus become cleansed. Because Jesus is pure, they themselves become clean. He came to free us from sin.
John, once again warns God’s people to ensure that they are not deceived. As long as they abide in Jesus, they will be righteous because He Himself is righteous. However, those who practice sin is of the devil for that is what he does from the start. The purpose of Jesus’ coming is to oppose the devil’s works. The children of God do not make a practice of sinning but the devil’s children do what their father does, they lie and sin habitually. The clear manifestation of God’s children is their holy lives. They don’t ever want to displease God by disobeying Him. Instead, they practice righteousness and follow Jesus. They love their brothers and they follow Jesus’ footsteps. The ones who sin continually do not have God’s righteousness in them
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REFLECTION
• How do you differentiate the world from God’s children? What makes them so different from one another
WARNING ABOUT ANTICHRISTS ILMA’S VLOG
September 17
________________________________________WARNING ABOUT ANTICHRISTS
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
– 1 John 2:18-24
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In this account, John warns us of the last hour when antichrists will appear. The antichrists are those who deny the Son of God. They are the counterfeits. They pretend to belong but since they do not acknowledge the Son, they are liars and do not have the truth in them. This letter is written to those who believe that Christ is the Son of God. Abiding in Jesus is a true manifestation of those who belong to God Himself. Liars are those who operates against the kingdom of God. This is a reproach to those who confess the Father and the Son are one. They need to watch out for those wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to enter and steal the sheep from the Shepherd. Their purpose is to steal, kill and destroy those who are entering the narrow path to God’s kingdom.
Isn’t this admonition already clearly happening in our world today? Churches are full of false teachers misleading people. Many people who are in power are all usurping their positions to propagate evil and control. Many counterfeits are running world systems so they can generate more wickedness in this world. They are all serving Satan, who is the ruler of this world. They lie in order to get what they want.
Those who are faithful on the other hand and abide in the Son and the Father will have everlasting life. The promise of God to all those who love Him is that they are going to have a room in His house.
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REFLECTION
• What are the signs that the end of days is coming?
LOVING THE WORLD FORFEITS GOD’S LOVE ILMA’S VLOG
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
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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.
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REFLECTION
• What does “loving the world” means in God’s economy?
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
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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.
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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
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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.
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REFLECTION
• How can we practice truth in this corrupt world?
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
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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?
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REFLECTION
• Why is it so easy to say “I love you” and not really recognize the cost of such act?