January 6
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WHO SHALL DWELL ON YOUR HOLY HILL?
O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved. – Psalm 15:1-5
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In this psalm, tent and holy hill refers to God’s sanctuary. In other words, the psalmist talks about who are allowed to be in this holy place. Blameless living instead of a life of wickedness is the pre-requisite for that dwelling place of God. He enumerates them as those who do what is right, speaks truth, rends their tongue and does no evil.
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ADORATION: You are worthy of praise for you are the only one who deserves to be lifted up high on a hill. You are majestic in your lovingkindness.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord, when I forget to keep holy and follow your ways. Give me a repentant and humble heart always.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you that you always provide many second chances to walk back to your path.
SUPPLICATION: I pray for all believers who are constantly bombarded with a battle with their own flesh and the attacks of the enemy to stay pure.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to keep yourself pure for the Lord?
• Do you think you will be allowed to dwell in the Holy Hill by how you live your life?
Tag Archives: spoken word
THE EXCELLENCY OF BROTHERLY UNITY Poem Devotional
January 3
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THE EXCELLENCY OF BROTHERLY UNITY
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever. – Psalm 133
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David stresses in this psalm the excellency of brotherly unity. Many churches have fallen because of the lack of brotherly unity. Unity is borne out of love. Division comes from selfishness. When there is division in a person’s heart or in a relationship or church, there is a lack of surrender to love. In this psalm, David illustrates what results from oneness in spirit. It allows us to display the pursuit of peace and genuine love for God and his people.
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ADORATION: Praise be to you God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. You are three in one God, all united to bring glory to the Almighty. Since the beginning of time, you have operated in harmony with each other.
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I separate myself from you by independent thinking and following the dictates of my selfish nature. Forgive me whenever I do not submit to someone who has authority over me when I know they are believing lies.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the gift of brotherly love. Without it, there will be more chaos in this already corrupted world.
SUPPLICATION: I pray for all those who are at war with themselves, with others and with authorities. Remind them of the example of humility you showed the world when you came and lived amongst humans. Warn us each time we succumb to conflict or proving we are right and others are wrong.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think we are called for unity in the church?
• What happens when division and selfish ambition corrupts the body of Christ?
CHILDLIKE TRUST IN THE LORD Poem Devotional
January 2
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CHILDLIKE TRUST IN THE LORD
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever. – Psalm 131
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Children are special in God’s eyes. Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This clearly indicates the importance of having a childlike perspective in life. Children are pure and innocent. Adults have a tendency to be corrupt and tainted with the world. The psalmist comes to the Lord with a childlike attitude and rests in God like a child to his mother.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord for his amazing grace and love. He is the king of all kings, Lord of all lords. He is mighty and full of compassion and understanding. He is omniscient and omnipotent.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord for not guarding my mind and heart and allowing the standards of the world and human traditions to color the way I see things. I have judged others and thought that I was better than them.
THANKSGIVING: I am grateful for your provision of having a comfortable home despite a divided marriage. Thank you that my husband has a job that allows me to fully be at home and serve you Lord.
SUPPLICATION: I pray that all believers will see things like a child who is like a sponge, absorbing all that you are saying and teaching us. May peace permeate the hearts of all men and may they come to you Lord for every little thing they ask for. Give us a heart that constantly depend on you for all things.
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REFLECTION
• Why is a childlike attitude important in approaching God?
A PSALM OF PRAISE Poem Devotional
January 1
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A PSALM OF PRAISE
Praise the LORD, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.
Praise the LORD!
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This is the shortest Psalm which is only two verses short. Despite its briefness, it is loaded with the character of the God we serve. Our world is so corrupted with much idols every which way you look. The sad thing is that a lot of us do not even realize that these modern- day idols that we cannot really see is so real. This psalm was written after the Lord has shown so much faithfulness to the psalmist. Psalm 116 was a list of the things that God did for him and he doesn’t know how to thank him. What more can God ask from us but Praise and worship. He wants us all to declare to all the nations of the things he has done for us. He wants us to bring his lovingkindness for everyone on earth to glorify Him.
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ADORATION: Lord, you are the source of all lovingkindness. Your truth is everlasting and I praise you for all that you are. You gave us all and we glorify you for your generosity. You are the God of promises and provision. You are love and in you alone can I know how to love.
CONFESSION: Forgive me that I forget at times how you have unconditionally loved me and cared for all my needs. You walked me through tough times, always faithful to deliver.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being there when I need you most. I wouldn’t survive all these trials and suffering if I don’t give you praise and focus my all to you. Thank you for your provision even when I miss the things you do for me because of my busy-ness.
SUPPLICATION: I plead you to give me an awareness of your lovingkindness so I can be more like you on that regard. It is a struggle to die to my flesh, but I know anything is possible with you. Help me to remember to always pray for others who also go through such suffering. Show me how to carry my cross without complaining. Teach me to be humble and patient and gentle to others.
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REFLECTION
• How can a Christian develop an attitude of true worship to God?
THE GOOD SHEPHERD poem devotional
December 31
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THE GOOD SHEPHERD
A poem by ILMA
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep
All who came before me were thieves and robbers
Yet, the true sheep, unlike the others, did not listen to them
Yes, I am the gate and those who come in through me will be saved.
The true sheep will come and go freely and will find good pastures
While the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy
A good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep and does not leave his flock
A hired hand runs when he sees a wolf coming and abandons the herd.
Because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd
And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock
The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money
He couldn’t care less and doesn’t really look after about the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me
Just as my Father knows me and I know the Father
So, I sacrifice my life for the sheep and I have other sheep, too,
They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.
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MEMORY VERSE
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so, the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. – John 10:11
Read: John 10:7-14
This chapter of John’s letter gives us an illustration of how Jesus cares for the sheep. He tells his listeners the importance of having a shepherd who cares for his flock and compares it to hired hands, who only does it for money.
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REFLECTION
• Do you recognize the good shepherd from the bad one?
• Why is it important for us Christians to be able to protect ourselves from evil?
PRAY AND ASK USING JESUS’ NAME Poem Devotional
December 30
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PRAY AND ASK USING JESUS’ NAME
A poem by ILMA
“In a little while you won’t see me anymore, but later, you will see me again”
Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean by that?”
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me
But as you are mourning over me, the world will rejoice.” Jesus replied.
You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy
It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor
When her child is born, her anguish will become rejoicing
That is because she has brought a new baby into the world.
You have sorrow now, but I will see you again
Then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy
At that time, you won’t need to ask me for anything
If you ask the Father directly using my name, it will be given to you.
The Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe I came from him
Since I came from the Father into the world, now I will return to the Father.”
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
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MEMORY VERSE
At that time, you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. – John 16:27-28
Read: John 16:16-33
The name of Jesus is so powerful that when you ask God anything in his name, it will be granted to you. Some people don’t get the answers they want but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t answered. It must be that they have missed looking at it in God’s perspective.
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REFLECTION
• Why is going directly to God using Jesus’ name very effective way to pray?
INFINITE VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST AS SAVIOR Poem Devotional
December 29
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INFINITE VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST AS SAVIOR
A poem by ILMA
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord
I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith
We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us and not in human effort
Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own labors, I have even more!
I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin
a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees
These religious group demands the strictest obedience to the Jewish law
I harshly persecuted the church and as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless
Because of what Christ has done for us, everything else is worthless
Nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as trash.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law
Instead, I become righteous through faith in Christ and knowing him
I want to experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead
I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that I can be resurrected.
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MEMORY VERSE
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. – Philippians 3:7-8
Read: Philippians 3:1-11
Before I was born again in Christ, I engaged in doing so much effort on my own flesh. I was misled by religion to think that I can contribute good works to add to my salvation. I didn’t live in grace and in knowing that the work is finished on the cross when Christ died.
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REFLECTION
• Why do some believers think that they can add to the finished work of the cross?
THINK MORE OF OTHERS Poem Devotional
December 28
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THINK MORE OF OTHERS
A poem by ILMA
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind
Regard one another as more important than yourselves
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests
Make sure that you look also after the interests of other people
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Jesus Christ
Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God.
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death
For this reason, God highly exalted Him, gave him the name above every name.
Do all things joyfully and without grumbling or disputing
This way, you will prove to be blameless and innocent children of God
When you do this, in the day of Christ you will have reason to bring God glory
I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
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MEMORY VERSE
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 2:3-5
Read: Philippians 2:1-18
One of the marks of a true disciple is when one forgets the self and think highly of others more. Humility is another sign of a good Christian. Looking after other people’s interest is something that believers would do as well. All these attitudes show that they are Christlike.
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REFLECTION
• How can a Christian develop humility?
• How can we empty ourselves of arrogance and think more about others?
OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Poem Devotional
December 27
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OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A poem by ILMA
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place
Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm
It filled the house where they were sitting that looked like tongues of fire
It appeared and settled on each of them and all were filled with the Holy Spirit
They began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem
When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running and were bewildered
They were amazed to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
“How can this be, these are Galileans speaking our own languages
They spoke Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus
Some uttered the languages from the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia,
Others spoke languages from Egypt, Libya, Cretans, Rome and Arabs
We hear these believers speaking about the wonderful things God has done
They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each one.
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MEMORY VERSE
Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
– Acts 2:2-4
Read: Acts 2:1-13
The day of the Pentecost marks the time that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came about to the believers. It was miraculous since they spoke languages they never knew before. It was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that when he resurrects, the Holy Spirit will come and dwell in their hearts.
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REFLECTION
• Have you experienced the Holy Spirit using you to speak in other languages?
BEHOLD THE MESSIAH Poem Devotional
December 25
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BEHOLD THE MESSIAH
A poem by ILMA
At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon
He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah
The Messiah was to come and rescue the people of Israel
The Holy Spirit was upon him and revealed to him about the Savior.
Simeon prayed that he won’t die until he had seen the promised Messiah
That day the Holy Spirit led this righteous man to the Temple
When Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus, he was there
His prayer was answered so he took the Lord in his arms and praised God.
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.
He is the promised Redeemer; he is a light to reveal God to the nations
He is the one that will deliver us; He is the glory of your people Israel!”
Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about their baby
Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother
“This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise
As a result, the hearts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your very soul.”
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MEMORY VERSE
That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So, when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God. – Luke 2:27-28
Read: Luke 2:25-35
What an honor it was for Simeon to be granted his prayer to die only when he beholds the Messiah. That day was a special day for him as he holds in his arms the Son of God. What a privilege that was! Imagine the surprise of Mary and Joseph as this man talks about the prophecy about their child.
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REFLECTION
• Why did God let Simeon see and hold the baby Jesus?
• Why did Simeon pray for his life to be taken after he has seen the Messiah?