January 26

MATTHEW 5

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

                                                                                        – Matthew 5:27-30

MATTHEW 5 CUT OFF ANYTHING THAT CAUSES SIN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you believe in God, you will do anything to please him

You will let go of the desires and the cravings of the flesh

No longer will you feed your lusts but starve it instead

Lose anything that will cause you to sin and renew your mind

Make every thought captive into the obedience of Jesus

Whatever it is that makes you tempted to sin, cut it off

Don’t let your whole body be corrupted by any part of it

Do not give in to the worldly systems but walk by the Spirit.

In this account of Matthew, Jesus expounds on the requirements that was needed to be met by those disciples who want to follow him. He just finished giving the sermon on the mount prior to these verses. The theme of the verses is “cutting off” any source of sin. “Nip it in the bud” is an expression that means exactly what Jesus is saying here. It means to put a quick end to something before it grows. The term originated in the garden. When a flower or a leaf has a problem, gardeners are told to nip it in the bud before the disease or ailment of the plant spreads throughout the whole plant. Just like our whole spiritual self is that plant, we need to cut off anything that would contaminate and corrupt our whole being.

Jesus uses some examples of the law and in verse 27, he points out adultery. He expounds on verse 28 as the beginning phase of sin when they are lusting for someone as they look at that object of desire. Jesus explains that it is the same as having the physical act of unfaithfulness done just by lusting with the eyes. The source of it is wanting to gratify the desire of the flesh, wanting to covet that which one does not possess. It is a sin of covetousness which is the last commandment. It is also a sin of stealing someone else’s possession. Looking at someone with lust is a form of stealing because the person wasn’t given the option to be used as an object of someone else’s desire. It was taken from them without their knowledge. Verses 29-30 is not a literal advice to follow. It doesn’t mean to cut your body parts that sins but it means that we should “nip it in the bud” before sin spreads and lead to more sins until it reaches a point of no return. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit so if we don’t walk in the Spirit, we will be in bondage to sin  and it can lead to many other sins.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights as to the aftermath of sins when we don’t nip it in the bud.

January 23

1 PETER 2

¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperoras supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servantsof God. ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. ¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.  – 1 Peter 2:13-20

1 PETER 2 SILENCE THE IGNORANCE OF FOOLISH PEOPLE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you have truly believed in Christ, you no longer live in the old life

You seek the truth constantly and you no longer speak lies

You fear God and submit to every human authority given to you

When you are mindful of pleasing God, you will endure sorrow

You no longer avoid suffering unjustly for the sake of Christ

It becomes an occasion to endure and grow your faith

You learn to silence the ignorance of foolish people

You expose their minds that are captured by the devil.

In this letter, Peter emphasizes the importance of submission to authorities. He says it is the will of God.

When we obey those leaders whom God has put in our lives to follow, we are also exercising obedience to God himself. But Peter mentions an interesting value of obedience and doing good in verse 15, he says that it silences the ignorance of foolish people. When we live obedient lives, we become free from many sins. We do not let ourselves be enticed by rebellion, entitlement and bitterness. We also learn to think less of our own beliefs and preferences. It makes us humble and lessens our pride.

In 1 Samuel 15:23, the prophet Samuel rebukes King Saul for disobeying God. It is self-will that made him disobey God’s will. There was idolatry in the form of controlling situations, so he can get to do what he thinks is better than what is being asked by God from him.  Samuel calls the sin of rebellion the same as witchcraft. Witches manipulate to control events or people whom they want to submit or bow down to them or to their whims. When we rebel, we don’t want the control of God but we want that control for ourselves. We defy what is good and do what we want to attain or achieve. When we disobey, it clearly shows that we do not fear the Lord or honor him. We love ourselves so much that we do not want to bow down to authority. Peter gives us a way out of rebellion or disobedience in verse 19. It is to keep your eyes on the Lord and be mindful of him. By doing so, you will endure sorrow and suffering.

REFLECTION

·       Why should Christians silence the ignorance of foolish people?

January 22

GENESIS 4

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” ² And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. ³ In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴ and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵ but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. ⁶ The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.”– Genesis 4:1-7

GENESIS 4 SIN CROUCHES AT THE DOOR

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you do not honor the Lord your God with your best offering

You’ll be tempted to restrain your giving; sin is at the door waiting

When you give back to God the best of what he has blessed you with

You are acknowledging him and recognizing his meeting your needs

When you hold back to honor God and keep the best for yourself

You are truly opening that door for the enemy to enter your heart.

The bible didn’t specify the time lapse from the fall of their parents up until Abel and Cain were born. It could have been many days, months or years since they were evicted from the garden, but it wasn’t mentioned in Moses’ account. We clearly witnessed how the original sin of Adam and Eve manifested in their children. It is interesting that one of them was a tiller of the ground (a farmer) and another, a keeper of the sheep (a shepherd). One of the curses of the sins on Adam was that he will till the ground for food which he didn’t have to do before the fall. Adam was given the authority to name all animals and be the caretaker of them. After the fall, he needs to get from these animals their clothing. Before the fall, they didn’t need clothes, they were naked and didn’t have shame to hide their bodies.  

So, what was the sin addressed in this story? They still didn’t have the law that required the first fruits to be offered to God at this time.  They both had been called to work the ground and the animals for the source of their needs. How come God favored Abel and not Cain even though they both gave God an offering? The difference lies in their heart’s intentions. Abel honored God by giving the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. Cain, on the other hand, just got a fruit from his land which probably wasn’t the first fruit or the best of his harvest. His heart was not honoring God. It was just offering for the sake of it. There was no regard to his Lord. In fact, it sounded like he was dismissing and withholding from God what blessing he was given and keeping the best to himself. Then Cain was mad that his offering wasn’t accepted by God. Then God rebuked him that if he had given his best, it would have been accepted as well. Because of his greedy heart, Cain opened the door for the devil to work further on his heart to be envious of Abel and to kill him later in the story.

REFLECTION

·       How was the curse of sin over mankind clearly manifested in this story of Cain and Abel?

January 21

PROVERBS 28

¹³ Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
¹⁴ Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
    but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
¹⁵ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
¹⁶ A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
    but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
¹⁷ If one is burdened with the blood of another,
   he will be a fugitive until death;
    let no one help him. – Proverbs 28:13-17

PROVERBS 28 WHEN SINS ARE HIDDEN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you fear the Lord, you will no longer hide your sins

You will confess and admit that it is God you displeased

But if you do not revere the Lord, your sins will be hidden

You will constantly avoid taking responsibility for your sins

As you continue to run from the truth that you’ve disobeyed

You will find it hard to resist doing what the devil says

And you will begin to follow and believe all his lies

Then you will be stuck in that pit of darkness.

In this wise saying, Solomon gives the young men advice as to how to succeed and progress in life. In verse 13, Solomon gives them advice on how to obtain mercy from God. It is to confess their sins. When they hide their sins, prosperity and forgiveness will evade them. It is human nature to hide sins. It is the consequence of Adam and Eve’s fall.  In Genesis 3:8-11, we witness the aftermath of sin. When they disobeyed God, they realized they were naked and then they were ashamed of what they have done and hid. Their sin altered their view of God and they began to see themselves as dirty to be in the presence of God.  Before the fall, they were innocent and pure but the fall changed that perspective. Shame came into life. Hebrews 4:13 says that no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. So, after the fall, God expects man to admit his sin and give an account of what they have done.

An example in the Old Testament speaks to the danger of trying to hide one’s sins. According to bibleref.com “in Joshua 7, Achan violated God’s command not to take spoils from Jericho. He confiscated a cloak, silver, and gold, and buried them in his tent. However, the stolen items and his sin were not hidden from the Lord. Achan did not prosper. He was executed for his sin, and therefore did not inherit a single grain of sand in the Promised Land.”

REFLECTION

·       What are some of the other outcomes of someone who hides his/her sins from the Lord?

January 20

2 TIMOTHY

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3:1-7

2 TIMOTHY 3 PLEASURE LOVERS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Watch out for the times when the end is coming

There will be an abundance of pleasure lovers

Difficulties will be so rampant because of self love

Sins of greed, violence, rebellion are just to name a few

Other sins focus on arrogance, abuse, envy and adultery

There will be deceivers who will bring about idolatry

There will be those who will suppress the truth

They will spread false teachings and lie to destroy you.

Timothy prepares the believers for what they are going to experience during the last days. He enumerates the different sins that are signs of the end times. There will be an abundance of pleasure lovers. In other words, these people will only be concerned with satisfying their own cravings. They will do everything in their power to gain control of some sorts that they can satiate their desires and be supplied with ego boosting supply. Because of their obsession to fulfill their wants, they will not recognize the presence of God. They are too busy catering to feed their wants that they will be blind to what is spiritual. They only think of the earthly things they see and will fail to recognize the true calling they have that God planned for all humankind.

Not only do they love pleasures, but also money. They usually go hand in hand. Having riches usually means indulgences of the senses. Each person who seeks to have the pleasures in life will automatically crave to have enough money to sustain their lusts. Disobedience to parents is a norm in these end times. They will rule and overpower their parents since they lack understanding of the authority of God. They do not know the value of respect and honor that usually comes with acknowledging God and his laws. There will be countless crimes since each person would only care about what they want instead of showing love for one another. Can you imagine the chaos and confusion all these sins will bring about when that time is near?

But aren’t these signs present in our world today already? Isn’t there so much hatred, killings, manipulation, greed, power, conflicts, wars and too much self-indulgences in our society now?

REFLECTION

• What was verse 7 referring to when Timothy said “always learning and never arriving at truth?”

January 19

2 CORINTHIANS 5

¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. –  2 Corinthian 5:14-21

2 CORINTHIANS 5 THE SINLESS CHRIST MADE TO BE SIN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Because God knew that man cannot save himself

He gave His only Son who knew no sin to be sin for all man

When Christ died on the cross, he fulfilled reconciling us with God

We no longer have to carry the sin that is where shame resides

The sinless Christ made to be sin has become our Mediator

He is the one who paved the way for God to grant salvation

All those who believe in him are welcome to his kingdom

While all those who reject him, will not experience freedom.

In this letter, Paul explains to the church in Corinth the importance of Christ’s death on the cross for all those who believe in him. Since they are now newly born in the Spirit, they no longer have to live for themselves but for Christ. Even though Paul wasn’t part of the twelve apostles whom Jesus chose when he was still alive, he is considered also to be an apostle also chosen by Christ to minister to the Gentiles. He was a Pharisee who persecuted believers until on the road to Damascus, Jesus showed himself and called him to stop persecuting him. Paul was converted from oppressor to a slave of righteousness.  No one else is good enough to give witness to unbelievers than Paul who used to be an executioner of Christians. This is how God uses anyone to save his people.  He is a testament to the power and control God has over anyone he desires to change. God can show his power to change a God-hater to a servant of the Lord. Who else can qualify to be the most suitable witness to the mercy of God?

He expounds to the Christians that they now have a new life where they are no longer the center of attention. He points to the value of the cross by letting them know how God gave the solution for the sins of mankind. He gave humanity the sinless Christ to be sin for us so we can reconcile with God through his Son Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His blood allowed God’s wrath to melt and grant us mercy.

REFLECTION

• Why is it hard to understand how the sinless Christ became sin for us?

January 15

ROMANS 1

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. – Romans 1:24-25,28-32

ROMANS 1 SINS BRING ABOUT A DEBASED MIND

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Whenever you do not take off your old nature

You will be automated to do what your flesh craves for

Your mind will be filled with covetousness and greed

You will find ways to satisfy such cravings and needs

As you continue sinning, you will develop a debased mind

It is a mind that does not retain anything that comes from God.

In the following verses, we hear the phrase “God gave them up”. It doesn’t mean that God’s has forsaken his people as he promised them. Notice that preceding this phrase are two sins that God hates. In verse 24, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity and in verse 28, it was their debased mind to do what was not to be done. It is what they did that God was abandoning, not the person himself. God cannot tolerate sin because He is love. Sin is unloving acts. The Lord God cannot allow evil to continue when he knows that his children will suffer the consequences of their sins. But since God gave us a will to choose and decide what is good for us, he cannot force us to stop doing what we want that is hurting us. It is baffling when we confuse needs with wants and when we follow our sinful nature instead of listening to the Spirit’s guidance.

The aftermath of a believer who does not honor his own body or who constantly serves his lusts is that they become the thing they want. They do not see that their bodies are not their own, but God’s property, so they do with it what they want. Remember that we are the temple of God if we believe in Him. We will be adulterous and have loyalty to ourselves instead of to our Lord.

Another consequence of continually not acknowledging or honoring God is a debased mind. The Lord will not force them to choose the righteous path since he has already given his laws and his word to them. To continue to satisfy their desires and whims shows that they do not love the Lord and that will lead to loving themselves and all the things they love. In other words, God gave us a will to choose him, but will never force us to do so. His love for us is enough for us to honor, obey and love him back.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think God gives up on his people on these two occasions in verses 24 and 28?

January 14

ROMANS 1

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. – Romans 1:18-23

ROMANS 1 ON SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you do not honor or thank the Lord

You will surely suppress the truth

Since the truth sets us free

Suppressing it will bond us to sin

Those who twist and pervert the truth

Will become futile, deceived and utter fools.

According to the ESV study bible, the wrath of God mentioned here by Paul refers to his personal anger against sin. God’s anger is his holy response to rejection of his love and law. Enduring.com defines ungodliness as man’s offenses against God and unrighteousness refers to the sins of man against man. Paul is addressing the Christians and the Gentiles in Rome in this letter. Paul writes this letter to a particular church in Rome. His letter applies the eternal truth of the gospel to their real-life concerns. Paul’s mission is to bring about the obedience of faith.

When we become followers of Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit so we can walk in love and in truth. Scriptures are truth and if we follow it, we would bear fruits of righteousness. Paul addresses those who are suppressors of truth in these following verses. Who is actually suppressing the truth? Apparently, the whole of humanity does. How do humans hinder truth? Throughout the history of mankind, both believers and unbelievers have somehow suppressed truth by fighting against it, disregarding it and deliberately concealing it. Because of the original sin, we automatically do not serve God but our own selves. By not following his commands, we are also guilty of suppressing truth. By not spreading God’s word, we are also hiding it. By twisting its meaning and making it our own, we are actually defying truth.

Verse 19 tells the Romans and also all of us believers that there is no reason for us not to know God because he has shown himself to all of mankind in his creation and within the mind and heart of man. So, there is no excuse for us not to acknowledge God or suppress his truth or God’s wrath is what we will eventually reap. We become foolish, futile and deceived.

REFLECTION

·       Share some insights on suppressors of truth and its aftermath on their lives.