February 8

ACTS 4

³² Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵ and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶ Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. – Acts 4:32-37

ACTS 4 OVERFLOWING GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When they were called to be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ

They became part of a family of believers who constantly witnessed

By the grace given to them, they testified to the resurrection

It is in this testimony that they come together in communion

They began to fill each other’s needs and stayed connected

Therefore, grace abounded because they were committed

By living this way, they encouraged and built one another

They became strong and ready to grow their faith together.

Luke’s account focused on how the disciples lived their lives in a community. It showed the accountability of each of the believers and manifested how they loved each other and built one another. In verse 33, Luke mentioned the powerful witnessing of the apostles to the resurrection of Jesus. Because of such faithful praise to God, they were overflowing with grace. In verse 34, one of the proofs of the fruit of grace is that there was nobody who was poor or needy in that community of believers. Those who possess properties and houses, shared whatever they have with those who didn’t have much. They all brought to the apostles whatever they have so that as all the gifts and contribution were gathered together, they met all the needs of the whole community. Luke specifically mentioned Joseph who was a Levite and native of Cyprus who sold a field he owned and gave the proceeds of that property to the apostles. It seemed like it was a big and generous act of giving. As a result of such loving and caring for each other, they abounded in God’s grace. Their needs were all met and they abounded in love and fellowship with each other. The result of such building each other up and being responsible for one another grew their church and community. That is overflowing grace!

These sharing and caring for one another in the believers’ lives is still practiced in our Christian churches now. They followed that same format of giving. This is why we have offerings and tithes that we give so that the people of God will be provided for. Even the act of giving is a manifestation of grace that we received when we were chosen to be God’s people.

REFLECTION

• What overflowing grace have you received when you became a believer?

February 7

TITUS 2

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. ¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. –  Titus 2:11-15

TITUS 2 THE BENEFITS OF GOD’S GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God gave us grace because we cannot cleanse our sins

Only Christ’s blood made it possible to reconcile with Him

By the grace of God, we are able to train for righteousness

We can now have control over our desires and ungodliness

By the sacrifice on the cross, we no longer follow our cravings

Instead, we renounce our worldliness and seek godly living

With the grace granted to all those whom he has elected

Every believer is now able to praise God instead of pleasing self.

In this letter, Titus gives the church a guideline for the believers to follow by spelling out to them the benefits of God’s grace. It is almost like giving an instructional manual as to the profits of being granted salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Here are some of the results of God’s grace in a believer’s life according to Titus:

• The believer is saved from the damnation of sin – no one can save himself from God’s wrath so

             God gave us Jesus to do that. He paid for our sins because we cannot pay it ourselves.

• It trains the believer to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions – by being freed from the

             wrath of God, we can now let go of all the sins we habitually do. We are now alive in Christ and

             no longer slaves to sin.

• It allows the believer to have self-control and upright lives – since the Holy Spirit lives in

             every believer, he is now able to take over the out-of-control lives they used to live.

• The believer now posses a blessed hope -the hopeful expectancy of the fulfillment of the

             promise of God to his own people. They no longer believe in lies from the world but looking

             forward for the coming of Jesus.

• The believer is now purified from his sins when he believed in Jesus – this means that he is now able to see himself as the temple of God and that everything he does is going to keep that temple pure and holy since God himself is holy.
• The believer is now able to do good works because he is now a slave of righteousness and no longer in bondage to sin-his heart is changed from the sinfulness to the righteousness of Christ.

REFLECTION

• Why is it important for us to understand the benefits of God’s grace as Christians?

 February 5

ROMANS 5

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespassled to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord – Romans 5:15-21

ROMANS 5 GRACE ABOUNDS WHERE SIN INCREASED

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Do you not know that Jesus came to pour out his grace on you?

Even though Adam made you sinful, Jesus made you righteous

Sin has made you guilty and exiled you from the presence of God

But Jesus has paid the price so you won’t experience his wrath

When sin increased, God’s grace overflows more

His steadfast love endures forever and his mercy abounds.

In this letter, Paul states the difference between the aftermath of Adam’s sin and God’s grace. When Adam rebelled and disobeyed God, he was banished from the garden and removed from God’s presence. The consequences of his sins were to work for his own livelihood and toil the ground where he came from. God kept the garden guarded with cherubim and a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24) so the tree of life will be protected from Adam and Eve, who are now defiled. This is what happens to us when we sin. We shut ourselves when we sin and hide from God’s presence because of our filthiness. We become spiritually dead and continue to be unable to cleanse ourselves.

But because God’s love for us is so vast and indescribable, He gave us a way out of that deadness to come back to life through Jesus. His perfect sacrifice on the cross was God’s solution to the problem of man’s sinful state. His anger over our sins cannot be appeased by unholy and defiled people, so he sent us his only Begotten Son to cleanse us from sin, while we are still sinners. Jesus didn’t die for the perfect people who are sinless since there is no such person. Jesus died for all those who need to be cleansed and reunited with God. Even though Jesus died for the whole world to be redeemed from sin, only a few are given the gift of faith. The invitation is open to all people, but only a few are given the ability to receive, accept and serve him. Many are called but only a few are chosen.

REFLECTION

• Give insights when sin increased and grace flourished.

February 2

1 PETER 4

⁶ For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:6-11

1 PETER 4 STEWARDS OF GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you declared Jesus as your Lord and Savior

It is because of his grace that you were able to do so

It is an unmerited favor that He gave you his grace

It is not for your own benefit but solely for his praise

Since he gave you such undeserved favor

You ought to use it to serve one another.

In this account, Peter teaches the believers the reason why the gospel was preached to them. He emphasizes the state of the sinner’s life which is dead. In other words, he wants them to recognize that it is the grace of God that saved them from their own sins. There is nothing that they can boast about when it comes to their salvation. It is all the Lord’s work that freed us from God’s wrath. By his grace, we are freed from the bondage of sin.

Peter gives the church instructions as to how to be stewards of God’s grace. He pointed out the following:

• To be self-controlled and sober-minded- they must not be following their flesh and gratifying their own selfish desires. They must be able to control their urges and pleasure seeking self.
• To keep loving one another earnestly so their sins will be covered- this means that they no longer live in fear or mistrust. They will choose the path to love instead of fear so that they are not bound to be slaves of sins.
• To show hospitality to one another without grumbling- to welcome and be open to carry each other’s burdens and exercise generosity to others.
• To be stewards of grace for the praise of the Lord- to manifest giving grace to others especially those who need it most and who are not deserving. Because we were given amazing grace when we don’t deserve it, we also ought to give such grace to those who are difficult or treat us badly.

By following these guidelines that Peter gave the believers, they can walk in love and steward the grace that they received from God while they didn’t deserve it. This way, they bring God all the glory.

REFLECTION

• How does grace and love work hand in hand in a believer’s life?

February 1

2 CORINTHIANS 12

⁶ Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

2 CORINTHIANS 12 THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD’S GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be content

He gave his grace freely to all whom he has chosen

We do not have to prove that we are worthy of it

God gave us his Son freely, we just need to believe Him

We do not need to be afraid of hardships and difficulties

When we are weak, we are strong since his grace is sufficient

By his grace alone can we be free from the world’s corruption

Let us then rely only on his grace so we can avoid deception.

Before I was born again, I didn’t understand the meaning of grace. The Roman Catholic church where I was born and grew up in didn’t make the concept of grace very clear to me. I think it was messed up by false teachings on earning salvation through works. As a young girl, I was made to believe that if I go to communion and attend mass and confess to a priest, I would be okayed by God. I prayed the rosary daily and regularly confessed and heard mass, but my life was still full of habitual sins. We weren’t encouraged to read the bible, but just to listen to the stories about Jesus in our religion classes.

When I became reformed, it took me a while to understand grace because I was focused on works. If I am good, I will be worthy of God’s love. I wasn’t taught that I can do nothing to change whom God has elected to be his people. I had no understanding of covenant promises of God. In the Heidelberg Catechism, it explains that only by true faith in Jesus Christ am I righteous before God. It emphasizes that there is no merit in whatever I do but that it is only out of mere grace that I am credited the righteousness and holiness of Christ. It also explains that good works cannot be our righteousness before God, since our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin. It took me years to realize that every good work that I do also comes from the Lord himself. Even my decisions to live a life of service to the Lord also comes from his grace. There is nothing to be merited to me at all. When my false beliefs were straightened out by wrong doctrines from the Roman Catholic church and replaced by truth that God’s grace is sufficient for me as Paul highlights in this letter to the Corinthian church.

REFLECTION

·       How can a believer manifest living in the sufficiency of God’s grace?

January 30

EPHESIANS 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

EPHESIANS 2 DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS THROUGH CHRIST

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Once you were by nature children of wrath, like all humans

But Christ freed you and changed your nature to please God

You are now dead in your trespasses and sins because of Christ

You are not slaves to sin anymore but are now dead from it

Walk in the guidance of the Spirit and never follow your cravings

Instead, aim to focus your mind and heart to what is righteous.

In this account, Paul explains the concept of being in control of the believers’ bondage to sin. He says that since Jesus died for them already, there is no reason for them to live sinful lives anymore. The grace given to them through their faith is not based on what they do and how they perform but on the gift of God when He sent his son to die on the cross. Because of this, no believer can boast about any of these gifts of grace since they received them from God even while they were still sinners and don’t deserve to be given such privileges.

Paul focuses on God’s being rich in mercy and love for mankind. Because we are loved by a faithful God, Paul wants the believers to learn the way of living free from the bondage of sin. This means that we follow that which is the opposite of the systems of the world. We aim to live under the law of love and liberty instead of the systems of greed and covetousness. It also means living a life of starving the passions and desires of our flesh which are all against God.

In verse 10, he points out how we are the workmanship of God. In Genesis 1:27, we know this to be true since he made both man and woman in his own image. The problem lies in the fall when sin twisted the purpose of our make. Sin changed the trajectory of our love from God to ourselves. So, Paul teaches the believers to go back to the way God made us for. It was for us to bring him glory and not ourselves.

REFLECTION

·       How can we live a life of freedom from sin instead of bondage to it?

January 27

JOHN 5

Now that day was the Sabbath. ¹⁰ So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” ¹¹ But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” ¹² They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” ¹³ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. ¹⁶ And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” – John 5:9-17

JOHN 5 BE WELL & SIN NO MORE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are directed by the Holy Spirit

You will begin to clearly see how you are living

Your sins will be exposed and you will need to repent

This will be the beginning of your soul’s recovery

You will be healed and all will be well with your soul

Jesus will restore all aspects and every part of you

So, sin no more and wear your new nature in Christ

Your old self has died and now you are free and alive again.

In this account, John narrates one of the most famous miracles of Jesus during his public life. It was the healing of an invalid man for thirty-eight years on a Sabbath day. In the earlier verses before these following verses, we hear how Jesus asked the man who had been crippled for so many years the question “Do you want to be healed?” Why on earth did he have to ask that when he is God and he is all-knowing? The question is not about Jesus not knowing what they want but is about our admission of our need for being healed or saved. It is the humble act of recognizing that we cannot heal or fix our illnesses or sins. We need a Savior higher and mightier than us. Jesus cannot overrule the free will that God gave every human being. He needs from us the acknowledgement of that need. Jesus never overstepped the boundaries that the Lord God created. He cannot go against our will. We are given free will to choose him. He will never impose anything on us without our free will.

In these following verses, it is amazing how Jesus picked this man out of the many people who were ill in that place. I am sure, many are wanting to be healed like this man, but why him and not someone else from the crowd? We don’t know what made Jesus select this man. I think Jesus had so much compassion on this man who suffered that long. We will not be able to fathom whom God chooses to save and he won’t save. He is God and can do whatever pleases him. But when the man was healed, he was told not to sin anymore. Interesting how sin overlaps our illnesses in this account.

REFLECTION

• Enumerate some sins that manifest as illnesses in the lives of many and share insights on them.