February 14

JOHN 8
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. – John 8:48-59

JOHN 8 IF YOU KEEP GOD’S WORD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Those who claim to believe in the Lord must keep his word
If you do not follow his word, you will be consumed by the world
It is the word that will bring you discernment from what is not true
It exposes what lies the enemy uses to destroy and kill you
So, keep being faithful to seek the truth in God’s word
It will free you from the bondage of sin propagated in this world.

We continue to witness the violence that the Jewish leaders are throwing at Jesus. They are so mad that they don’t hear anything Jesus says. They were hyper-focusing on arresting him and killing him. As Jesus continued to expose their unbelief and not understanding what he was saying, they got more and more violent to the point at picking stones to throw at him. But, of course, we know that God won’t allow that as it is not yet Jesus’ hour at that time. They aren’t able to hear the truth because they are of the devil.

REFLECTION
• What benefits have you enjoyed when you keep God’s word?

February 13

JOHN 8
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” – John 8:39-47

JOHN 8 WHEN YOU BELIEVE LIES
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The devil is the source of all deceptions and lies
If you believe his lies, you will surely die
Because he is the father of lies, there is no truth in him
So, when you follow his mindsets, you will always sin
If you believe lies, you won’t hear the word of the Lord
Because you will be held captive by the system of the world.

It is sad that many people cannot distinguish a lie from truth. Because the world system has penetrated our thinking and because we do not really hunger for truth that only comes in God’s word, the devil has a big playground in our minds to twist and give us half truths just like he did in the Garden of Eden when he enticed Adam and Eve.
Jesus was telling the Jewish leaders that because their father is the devil who is the father of all lies, they were unable to hear the truth and believe that he comes from the Father up above. They can’t hear because they do not belong to God.

REFLECTION
• How do we discern lies from the truth? In what form do lies hide?

February 12

JOHN 8
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”– John 8:31-38

JOHN 8 ONLY TRUTH SETS YOU FREE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you justify your sins and continue to practice it
You are definitely a slave to sin and you need Jesus
If you believe in Christ, you will follow his word
When you do so, you will be set free by the truth.

There are some followers who truly do not understand what being a true Christian means.
When you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart and you will be changed. You will no longer long to follow your sinful nature which wants to cater to pleasures of the flesh. You will become aware of sins because the word of God will expose it and lead you to do what is right and true. You will no longer make a habit of sin. Even though you are still a sinner, you no longer are bent to follow it. Because the Holy Spirit leads you to give glory to God and to Jesus, you will become aware when you are being self-focused.
In this account, Jesus promises freedom to all those who will believe in him and follow his word. The Jews claimed that they are offspring of Abraham and thought they weren’t enslaved to anyone but Jesus was talking of spiritual slavery to sin which they didn’t understand. He identified the slave to sin by saying they practice it, meaning they make a habit of it. Jesus confronted them that they are unable to be free because their Father is not God but he was referring to the devil as their father.

REFLECTION
• What may hinder a Christian from being truly set free?

February 10

JOHN 8
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
– John 8:12-20

JOHN 8 THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you are confused and living in the dark
There is a way for you to walk in the right path
Jesus is the light of the world, come to him
He will free you by exposing all kinds of sin.

In this account, the Pharisees continue to find fault and press charges on Jesus. Each truth that Jesus declares, they get obsessed with grilling him. When Jesus declares that he is the light of the world and that whoever follows him will no longer walk in darkness, you already know how the Pharisees were going to take this. Of course, they rejected it and further nailed Jesus’ identity by asking “Where is your Father?” They wanted to arrest him, but they had no idea that it wasn’t Jesus’ hour yet. They thought they could control all these things and plot against Jesus at the exact time they wanted to, but they were so wrong. So many people may claim that they are believers but they live in darkness and confusion. How can they not have the light of the world if they truly believe in Christ?

REFLECTION
• How can you see if a believer has the light of life that comes from Jesus alone?

February 9

JOHN 8
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
– John 8:1-11

JOHN 8 NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
All those who believe in Christ will be free
They are not going to stay guilty or condemned
They will have the power to overcome sin through the Spirit
Because they belong to Christ, they have assurance in Him.

Many theories and speculation about what Jesus wrote on the ground in this account were more focused the contents of what he placed on it. Some say that he wrote the sins of the Jew, while other commentaries claim that since the woman was caught in adultery, she must be naked and Jesus concentrated on the ground to lessen her shame.
I think that the point of this account is the exposure of the evil manipulation of the Jews to use a sinful woman to catch Jesus to make a mistake, so they can charge him. But according to the law of Moses in Leviticus 20:10 says that both the adulterer and adulteress must be put to death. There is no man in this scene, only a woman.

REFLECTION
• What do you think is the point that Jesus was making in this account?

February 8

JOHN 7
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
– John 7:37-39

JOHN 7 INVITATION TO RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Jesus gave an invitation to anyone who believes in him
The Son of God promises rivers of flowing water and eternity
The Spirit will dwell in every heart who believes He is God’s Son
Their hearts will be filled with joy, peace and fruit from his Word.

Have you ever been thirsty that all you can think about is to quench this thirst with water? According to healthline.com “With no food and no water, the maximum time the body can survive is thought to be about a week. With water only, but no food, survival time may extend up to 2 to 3 months. We can deduce from this information how important water is to our bodies.
In this invitation, Jesus is referring to the thirst as a spiritual craving for a relationship with God the Father. All humans were created to experience the love of the Father. He made us in His own image because we all belong to him and our purpose is to worship Him and be united with Him. This is why He gave us that thirst which He alone can quench.
Jesus’ invitation here is a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy on chapter 14:8 which says
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. Isaiah prophesied too in chapter 44:3 when he said “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” This invitation is to all mankind from different races, cultures, nations and
Backgrounds. God is impartial and this promise will be fulfilled in all those who believe.

REFLECTION
• How have the rivers of living water been manifested in your life?

February 7

JOHN 7
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
– John 7:32-36

JOHN 7 JEWS OBSESSION TO STOP JESUS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus spoke the truth about the hour that is coming
The Jews got more obsessed to stop him from speaking
They called officers to arrest and stop Jesus from exposing them
They were baffled with his statements and had to end his declarations.

As Jesus continued to declare his true identity, the Jewish leaders became angrier and obsessed to put a stop to his claim that he is the Christ. So, officers were sent to arrest him. But they still couldn’t help but hear his declarations. They were so intrigued about where he was going and it heightened their fear that Jesus would also go to the Greeks to spread his teaching. They think that if Jesus was arrested and killed, they can protect their image as honorable leaders.
What can pride, envy and insecurity do to people? In this account, we clearly witness that their pride was poked by the exposure of Jesus of their true character. They couldn’t share the limelight with this man who was not as learned as them. Their envy led them to have him arrested and later on killed. Their insecurity led them to manipulate and control the situation that they have no clue about. They had to know where Jesus was going to stop him from further being popular because that would show their phoniness. They had to have control over the situation so they could put a stop to their competition.

REFLECTION
• How has pride, envy and insecurity visited your life and what did it do to you?

February 6

JOHN 7
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”– John 7:25-31

JOHN 7 JESUS DECLARES HIS ORIGIN
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As Jesus continues his public ministry
More and more people were questioning his identity
Jesus’ teachings and signs left many people baffled
Some believed he was the true Christ, others didn’t
When he declared his origin, there was a commotion
They couldn’t believe it and they wanted to kill him.

In this account, Jesus was in the feast of Booths and many Jews were around. As he continued to teach in the temple, many were amazed and also confused about who he truly was and why he taught with much authority. They were shocked to witness how Jesus confronted the Jewish leaders openly and they said nothing to him.
Many think they recognized him because they knew his family of origin, but they only saw one side of Jesus, his humanity. So, when Jesus declared that he came from the Father who sent him, it stirred an uproar among the Jewish leaders which will later be the reason for their plot to kill him. Some believed that he was the Christ and was expecting him to do more miracles. Aren’t we like some of the many Jews in this account? They already heard the truth and saw signs that Jesus did and yet did not believe.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think some people who have heard the gospel still do not believe?

February 5

JOHN 7
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
– John 7:19-24

JOHN 7 JESUS CONFRONTS THE JUDGMENTAL JEWS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus exposed the legalistic Jewish leaders
They reacted angrily saying Jesus has a demon
When confronted with circumcising during the Sabbath
The leaders felt ashamed at being called out.

It is interesting how legalistic people react when they are exposed with their judgmental and narrow one-track mindedness. They had to retaliate to the confrontation that exposed their hidden agendas. No one who is power hungry would want to be seen as evil, so they hide their true meanness by appearing righteous when they are actually self-righteous. The manipulation to hide their shameful unrighteous act is the covering for their evil deeds. This clearly is demonic. What an irony it is that they accuse Jesus of having a demon when they are actually the demons themselves. It is a projection of what is truly inside them that they keep hiding in order to have the respect of others. They are only concerned with their reputation and will do anything to keep it intact. No one dared to question their integrity as far as they are concerned. They think highly of themselves and have instilled fear in those who are not as learned as them. They have muted the lips of those who they think are lesser than them. Imagine how angry they must have been when Jesus exposed their true character. No one has dared to question them. They need to retaliate and stop this man to further expose their unrighteous acts. They need to save their honor and crush this man who dares question their integrity.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important to confront what is evil and expose them?