July 8
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THE WORLD HATES IF YOU TESTIFY TO ITS EVIL
After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. 6 So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. 8 Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” 9 Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee. – John 7:1-9
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In this account, we saw Jesus avoid the Jews wanting to kill Him. How can the Son of Man be afraid of these leaders? When he avoided them, it doesn’t mean he was afraid. It just meant that he does not do impulsive things, but always consults His Father and ensuring that nothing He does will interfere with the fulfillment of the will of God. The Jews were telling Jesus to leave and go to Judea so that the other disciples may see the works He is doing. They think that Jesus thought like them, wanting all the attention and honor. They are actually suggesting to Jesus things that they themselves clamor for such as recognition by the public. Jesus humbly answers them in verse 6 that His time hasn’t come yet. How many of us think and act in line with God’s will and timing? Jesus was following the Spirit of God even though He himself had all the powers that God and the Holy Spirit have. He expounds on verse 7 that the world cannot reject them if they do what they want but He will confront evil, so the reactions of the people for Him will be very different from what it would be for those who actually propagates wickedness. The Lord replied to their suggestion very differently from how humans would respond. In verse 8, he says that he will abstain from being in these feasts as He won’t dishonor the timing of His Father. After telling them these truths, he remained in Galilee. What an amazing wise person Jesus was during the time He was here on earth. He never operated on His own, but ensured that He wasn’t messing up any of the plans of God. Do we even consult God’s Spirit in making small or big decisions? Do we always act in behalf of God the Father like Jesus did? These verses tell us how believers need to isolate themselves from evil ways of the world.
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REFLECTION
• Why do unbelievers hate to be told about their wickedness?
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MANY DISCIPLES WITHDREW FROM FOLLOWING JESUS ILMA’S VLOG
July 7
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MANY DISCIPLES WITHDREW FROM FOLLOWING JESUS
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” 71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
– John 6:66-71
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The previous verses before this led to many disciples withdrawing from following Jesus. They heard Jesus’ revelation of how everything comes from God and that He is the one who chooses who will be his people. Unbelief consumed some of the other disciples that hindered them from hearing truth. Isn’t this so true today with some Christians? We commit our lives to Jesus without counting the cost of what it takes to be a true disciple. Many of us heard wrong gospels that do not speak truth about who really Christ is and what are the requirements of being a disciple. It is sad to watch many churches cater to numbers to rise up instead of bringing the true gospel. I have observed many churches that looked more like organizations and clubs rather than a place for the body of Christ to grow in order to bring glory to the Lord. Many just grow in population, some members come and go as they please, other churches just have programs and fund-raising or projects to achieve. In a church I became a member of for six years, there was even no vision. In verse 67, Jesus asks the twelve disciples whom he personally chose if they also wanted to go? It is a test whether despite what he revealed to them, they will still choose to continue to follow His way. Once again, we witness Jesus’ divinity when he made a statement in verse 70-71 about Him personally picking the twelve of them and yet, one of them is going to betray Him. Of course, He knew already who was to betray despite Him not telling them which one of them is of the devil. This revelation leads us to a deeper analysis of the character of Jesus worth emulating. It shows that despite His deity, He never boasts about it. He kept quiet because He is operating in God’s timing, it wasn’t the right time yet. We also see how He does things in accordance to God’s will and never on impulse or of His own will. Obedience, humility and total surrender to God are evident here.
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REFLECTION
• Have you count the cost of being a disciple? What are your struggles as a disciple?
NO ONE CAN COME UNLESS THE FATHER GRANTS IT ILMA’S VLOG
July 6
________________________________________NO ONE CAN COME UNLESS THE FATHER GRANTS IT
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62 What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
– John 6:60-65
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There were many of Jesus’ disciples who cannot comprehend the truth He was revealing to them. Jesus was also aware of the grumbling taking place among them. He told them that if these truths He was laying down on them cannot sink into their hearts, how can they be able to see the Son of Man go up to heaven right before their very eyes. In verse 63, he explains that they cannot understand spiritual things by the physical alone. Unbelief causes them not to understand the truth. Once again, in verse 64, we are presented with Jesus’ omniscience. He knew already who would betray Him even before they do the act. He spoke that He knew who are those who believe and those who didn’t. He reminds them that it is not their choice to believe, it is the heavenly Father who chooses who are His and who aren’t. In other words, we cannot do anything unless it comes from the Father’s will and unless we are chosen by God, we cannot even come close to Jesus.
Isn’t this a fact and truth that many of us, even those who claim to be believers, fail to understand? Many religious individuals and unbelieving people don’t accept truth because they are not in the first place chosen by God. We think that it is our choice, when really, it is God’s. We have no power to meddle in God’s plan. What we experience in life is because it is the will of God. We are given free will to accept His gift of salvation and obey what He commands, but it is up to us to take it or leave it. Even the will to accept Him does not only happen because we choose Him, but even our unbelief is also an act of God. In other words, humans have no power. Only God has.
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REFLECTION
• Why do some Christians think that they are in control of their belief in Jesus?
• What are the proofs that God is the only one in control?
TRUE FOOD AND DRINK ILMA’S VLOG
July 5
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TRUE FOOD AND DRINK
52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
– John 6:52-59
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Once again, in this account, we get a glimpse of the unbelief and blindness of the Jewish leaders who claim to be knowledgeable about the laws and doctrines of their religion. Despite Jesus’ revelation of Him, being the bread of life earlier, they still grumbled and expose their narrow minds and continued unbelief. They take the statements of Jesus superficially and literally. Their hearts are not involved when they hear the truths because they are so concerned with self-protection. They wanted to ensure the people’s esteem and honor are on them and not on anyone else. They couldn’t bear the thought that what Jesus was saying was true and they are wrong. No matter how much Jesus explained to them about the requirement to have eternal life, they still couldn’t understand it.
Jesus declares that life forevermore is only through partaking of His body and blood and those who do so, gets to know Him deeper. He explains that it is only by doing so can we claim that we abide in Him and He in us. His flesh is the true food and His blood is the true drink that leads to life everlasting.
Do we partake of the true food and drink that only comes from Jesus’ sacrifice of his body and blood? So, often, we fail to partake of Christ’s body and blood which draws us away from being intimate with Him. We fail to get close to Him, so that we can remain intimate with Him. We lose life when we forget to abide and commune with Him. The world has corrupted and distracted our main purpose in life: to be united with Jesus and thus glorify the Father. We become so immersed in living isolated from Him and we begin to build walls to protect our own images and agendas.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to feed on the true food and consume the true drink?
GRUMBLING AND UNBELIEF ILMA’S VLOG
July 4
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GRUMBLING AND UNBELIEF
41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” – John 6:41-51
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In this part of the story, we witness once again the inability of the Jewish leaders to comprehend what Jesus was saying. Because they studied for so long to understand the laws and history of their forefathers, they cannot believe anything Jesus said. It is ironic that they spent many years of studies so they can maintain their prestige and honor yet they fail to understand truth that Jesus reveals to them. They knew that Jesus was a carpenter’s son who didn’t have the education and accomplishments and prestige that they have. It is beyond their understanding to accept what Jesus had been saying to them. They were stuck in the narrowness of their thinking because their minds are only focused on power, law and to get the respect from others. Jesus didn’t think or act like them. He thinks out of the box. They couldn’t accept someone who didn’t have accomplishments because they have worked so hard to get where they were. Their legalistic thinking and prejudices made them fail to see truth. Isn’t legalism the reason why we fail to get revelations? Their minds and hearts were all hardened because they clung to control and power. In verse 44, Jesus kept telling them that only God chooses whom to give such wisdom. He had been telling them all along that He is the Son of God, but they are blind to see it.
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REFLECTION
• Share an experience that shows legalism can hinder one from knowing truth?
THE BREAD OF LIFE ILMA’S VLOG
July 3
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THE BREAD OF LIFE
30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”– John 6:30-40
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In this revelation of Jesus, he corrects the belief of the people that it was Moses who gave them the bread out of heaven and told Jesus the story of their fathers who ate the manna in the wilderness. In verse 32, Jesus reveals to them that it is His own Father who gives the true bread out of heaven and not Moses. He himself is the bread of life. In verse 36-38, Jesus reminds them that despite all the signs he made for them to believe, they still didn’t believe. Christ reveals the will of the Father in verse 39-40, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and will be resurrected by Him on the last day.
It is interesting how Jesus spoke the truth to all these people who wanted to have the bread of life so dearly and yet fail to understand what Jesus was actually revealing to them. Don’t most of us fail to get the meaning of the truth presented to us? Sometimes, we don’t understand things because we allow the worldly things to hinder us from those teaching moments that Jesus gives us. We do not see the spiritual side. We fail to understand spiritual things unless we believe that Jesus is the only One who can actually reveal truth and make us understand it as well. It is a divine work, not human.
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REFLECTION
• How can believers constantly feed on the bread of life?
EVERLASTING NOURISHMENT ILMA’S VLOG
July 2
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EVERLASTING NOURISHMENT
22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. 23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” 26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”– John 6:22-29
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There were five thousand men and probably women and children as well, who were fed by Jesus during the multiplication of bread. It must have been hard to get some quiet time to spend with his Father in seclusion from everyone else. The crowd wouldn’t stop following and looking for Jesus because they want more signs and wonders. What was really in their hearts? Was it because they wanted eternal life or they just wanted to be fed again? In verse 26, Jesus reveals their hearts. They didn’t seek Him because of the wonders and signs that he was doing. Jesus exposes their motives for going after Him; the need to get more nourishment. He warned them and told them not to be concerned only with earthly matters, but to care more for what is important: to feed their spirits with foods that do not perish. Once again, Jesus reveals His divinity in verse 27. He told them that He is the source of such food and if they believe in Him, they will have everlasting nourishment. He reveals God’s will to them which comes from doing the works that God wants them to do; to grow their faith in Him.
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REFLECTION
• What kinds of food lead to everlasting nourishment?
July 1
________________________________________JESUS WALKS ON WATER
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. – John 6:15-21
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In this account of John, we hear and get a deeper understanding of how Jesus is. In verse 16, we see his omniscience, knowing already what people were going to do after feeding over the five thousand men plus women and children. We see how He values time to withdraw from the crowd and be by Himself alone. Do we do this as followers of Jesus? Do we come out of the world and spend time alone with the Father. I am sure, Jesus wanted to have time with His heavenly Father and be renewed. After all, he was in a human form. A lot of people don’t even know how to be still and recharge after a long day of work. We don’t prepare ourselves to change our busy lives and learn to rest in the Lord.
The next scene was night. The disciples got into the boat to cross the sea to Capernaum. The wind began blowing and getting stronger. Four miles later, they saw Jesus walking on water but they didn’t recognize who it was so they were afraid. Isn’t this very true of us as well, we get fearful when we do not recognize what we are seeing? Why do you think Jesus showed them that He was walking on water? What was the lesson he was teaching him here?
In verse 20, we also see another angle of Jesus’ assurance of his love, he made sure that they knew who he was. So, they calmed down and let him into the boat and another miracle happened, they reached the boat faster than they could have gotten there. They witness miracle after miracle this day and yet, they didn’t see it at that time. There are times that a blessing or a favor was given to us and sometimes we fail to praise the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to be still and recharge as Jesus did here in this account?
MULTIPLICATION MIRACLE ILMA’S VLOG
June 30
________________________________________MULTIPLICATION MIRACLE
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So, the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise, also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”– John 6:1-14
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In this wonderful miracle that Jesus did to a massive number of people, we become witnesses to God’s power and provision. We see how Jesus tested his disciples what to do and how to solve the problem of feeding the multitude of people who had been following Jesus for a miracle in their lives. Philip laid the financial side of the problem while Andrew couldn’t fathom how five barley loaves and two fish can suffice for the many hungry mouths. There were five thousand men but I am sure, there were also women that came along with these men, so let’s presume that we double or triple the size. It must have been ten to twenty thousand people present to witness and be recipients of Jesus multiplication of two fishes and five barley loaves. This is massive and probably one of the miracles that many were witnesses and recipients of the bread and fish. This greatly shows Jesus’ divinity and provision.
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REFLECTION
• How can some people miss the miracles of Jesus even though they are recipients?
YOU DO NOT HAVE THE LOVE OF GOD IN YOU ILMA’S VLOG
________________________________________YOU DO NOT HAVE THE LOVE OF GOD IN YOU
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
– John 5:39-47
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In this account of John, we hear Jesus reveals the heart of the Jews. He exposes the condition of their hearts. In verse 39 he narrates how they have searched to gain eternal life in Scriptures but don’t believe Him who is the actual subject of the whole Scriptures. In verse 40, Jesus identifies the reason why they continue to live in darkness. In verse 41, Jesus separates himself from the nature of humans, he is not concerned about what they say about Him and in verse 42, He gets to the reason why they haven’t accepted Him; they do not have the love of God in them. This explains the reason why their hearts are hardened and they cannot see revelations that He had been speaking to them. In verse 43-44, Jesus further expounds on the reason why they keep on rejecting Him even though He claims that He is sent by the Father; they are only after getting credit for what they do instead of bringing glory from the One true God. Jesus gives a true sketch of their character; they are only concerned with power and accolades for themselves so they can be looked up to by others. They do things for showing off humbling themselves and loving God and others. They idolize themselves too much for them to believe God. This was a warning to all those who have unbelief. One of the reasons why we may not be able to get revelations is because we are so busy prioritizing our own selfish nature. We are so concerned with our own achievements and reputation that we fail to bring glory to the only One who deserves it all, God himself. 2 Corinthians 4:4 reiterates the same thing Jesus was talking about where the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers who fail to see the true image of God.
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REFLECTION
• Who are those people who do not have the love of God in themselves?