December 24
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PROOF OF LOVE
A poem by ILMA
The Father will give you an Advocate, who will never leave you
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads all believers into all truth
The world cannot receive him, because it doesn’t recognize or look for him
But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you
I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you
Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me
Since I live, you also will live and you are in me, and I am in you
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.
And who claim they love me, my Father will love them
And I will love them and reveal myself to all those who believe me
All who love me will do what I say and follow all that I set for them to do
My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home in their hearts.
Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me for it shows they don’t know me
When the Advocate comes, that is, the Holy Spirit—he’ll teach you everything
He will remind you of everything I have told you and he will give you gifts
I am leaving you peace and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
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MEMORY VERSE
Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. – John 14:23
Read: John 14:15-27
When someone tells you that he or she loves you, do you believe right away? It takes a proof for us to believe their love for us, doesn’t it? In this exchange between Jesus and his disciples, he assures them of God’s great love to those who believe when he promised the Holy Spirit to live in them as soon as he dies on the cross and is resurrected. On the other hand, he expects all those who believe to obey him for that is the proof that we do love him
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REFLECTION
• How have you proven your love to your Lord and Savior? Is it evident in your life?
Tag Archives: spoken word
PROOF OF FAITH Poem Devotional
December 23
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PROOF OF FAITH Poem Devotional
A poem by ILMA
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled; trust in me, also trust God
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home
Why will I tell you that I’m going to make a place for you if it weren’t so?
Be patient, when everything is ready, I will come and get you
This way, you will always be with me wherever I am
Do you have an idea the way to where I am going?”
“We have no clue where you’re heading; how can we know the way?”
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father but by me.
“If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is”, Jesus said
From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied”
“Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
So why are you asking me to show him to you?
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
Anyone who believes in me will do the same as I’ve done, even greater works.
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MEMORY VERSE
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. – John 14:12
Read: John 14:1-14
In this exchange of Jesus with his disciples, he tells his followers what is awaiting them in the Father’s house and the promise of eternal life. It seems though that despite the many years that they have been with Jesus, they still do not understand many things. Jesus reminds them that his presence should make them know the Father already and that if they truly believe in him, they’ll follow his works and even do greater than him.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it that even though Jesus promised his disciples many eternal things, they still were wanting to see God the Father? Are they unbelieving?
SIN NO MORE Poem Devotional
December 22
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SIN NO MORE
A poem by ILMA
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but the next day he was back at the Temple
A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them
As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law brought a woman
Since she had been caught in the act of adultery, she was put in front of a crowd
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery
The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” trying to trap Jesus
Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger
They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again
So, Jesus said, “But let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one
Beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd
Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers?
Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more”
And the woman walked and repented and was freed.
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MEMORY VERSE
All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” – John 8:7
Read: John 8:1-11
In this story, we see how much compassion and mercy the Lord Jesus had for this woman caught in adultery. We also saw how these religious leaders wanted to punish her and stone her to death as that was the verdict on such sin. They were trying to trick Jesus if he was going to follow the law of Moses. In this scene, we witness that love is stronger than the law. When he challenged them to throw the stone if anyone is sinless, they all went away and left. There were many theories as to what Jesus was writing in the dust, probably their own sins.
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REFLECTION
• Why is compassion and forgiveness powerful for repentance to happen?
MULTIPLICATION OF THE BREAD Poem Devotional
December 21
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MULTIPLICATION OF THE BREAD
A poem by ILMA
Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee
This sea It is also known as the Sea of Tiberias
A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went
Because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.
Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him
Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him
Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”
He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
Philip said, “We can’t afford to feed them even if we work for months”
Then Andrew spoke that there’s a young boy with five barley loaves
Then he asked Jesus, “what good is that with this huge crowd?”
“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said, so they all sat down.stia
The men alone numbered about 5,000 Then Jesus took the loaves
He gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people
Afterward, he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted
Then Jesus said, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”
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MEMORY VERSE
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.
– John 6:11
Read: John 6:1-14
This miracle of Jesus was based on what a little boy had to contribute. He was open enough to volunteer his five loaves of barley to the disciple and this is probably what the Lord wants us to do. When we give whatever little we have to the Lord, he can always multiply it.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it that some people do not see miracles even if it’s right in front of them?
DO YOU DESIRE TO GET WELL? Poem Devotional
December 20
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DO YOU DESIRE TO GET WELL?
A poem by ILMA
Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days
Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, the pool of Bethesda had 5 covered porches
Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the entrances
One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight long years.
Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time
He approached the lame man and asked him “Would you like to get well?”
“I can’t, sir for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up
Someone else always gets there first ahead of me and I don’t get a chance”
Jesus approached and told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!
But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath!
The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”
The cured man said, “The one who healed me told me to ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they asked but the man didn’t know for Jesus left
Later, Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you’re well; so, stop sinning
The man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.
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MEMORY VERSE
When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” – John 5:6
Read: John 5:1-15
It is interesting in this controversial miracle of Jesus on the Sabbath that angered the Jewish leaders that he asked a question that he already knew the answer. “Would you like to get well?” Why? When we desire to get well, God wants us to have an active part in it and a desire to do so before He can actually heal us.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it necessary for us to have an active part in getting well before we even ask for healing?
LIVING WATER THAT BRINGS ETERNAL LIFE Poem Devotional
December 19
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LIVING WATER THAT BRINGS ETERNAL LIFE
A poem by ILMA
Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee for on his way to Samaria
Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar
Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk sat beside it
Well about noontime, a Samaritan woman came to draw water
Jesus approached the woman and said to her, “Please give me a drink.”
He was alone; his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to deal or talk with Samaritans
“You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman, why are you asking me for a drink?
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to
Then you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said
and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?
Do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well?
How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again
It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
“Give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, then I won’t be thirsty again.
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MEMORY VERSE
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” -John 4:10
Read: John 4:1-15
This story tells us the character of Jesus. He is a radical person who goes against what society dictates. He didn’t care what people said or think, he wanted to save that Samaritan woman from her unquenchable thirst for water that doesn’t last.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think people continue to feed on what the world offers instead of what the Lord does?
CHRIST PURIFIES THE TEMPLE Poem Devotional
December 17
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CHRIST PURIFIES THE TEMPLE
A poem by ILMA
It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem
In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices
He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money
Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple.
He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor He turned over their tables and went over to the people who sold doves
He told them, “Get these things out of here all of you who have defiled this temple
Get out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures
The Son will have “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”
The Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing?
If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”
“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
“It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you’ll rebuild it in 3days?”
But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body
After he was raised from the dead, he rose and was resurrected.
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MEMORY VERSE
Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. – John 2:19-21
Read: John 2:13-20
We witness the passion of Jesus in this account. He was full of righteous anger for having the Temple of God defiled by money making vendors. He was cleaning up a holy place that the people desecrated for their own gains. He was rightfully angry that they tainted the Most Holy Place of his Father.
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REFLECTION
• How can righteous anger keep us pure and holy?
THE WORD BECAME HUMAN Poem Devotional
December 15
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THE WORD BECAME HUMAN
A poem by ILMA
Before anything came into existence, the Word was already there
The Word was with God and the Word was God and already existed
God made all things through him, and nothing was made except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to all.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so all might believe
John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into our lives.
He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him
He came to his own people, and even they, mocked and rejected him
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to belong to God
They are reborn—not with physically but a birth that comes from God, our Creator.
So, the Word became flesh and made his home here on earth
And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another
For no one has ever seen God. But the Son is revealed God to us.
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MEMORY VERSE
God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1:3-5
Read: John 1:1-18
The essence of Christianity is the truth that the Word, who is Christ, has already existed even before the creation of all things. God made all things for him and through him. When a believer’s life is focused on the Alpha who is also our Omega, we are living the truth.
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REFLECTION
• Why does the epistle of John calls Jesus as the Word?
• Do Christians really understand the meaning of God making creation through Christ, with Christ and for Christ? How should that manifest in their lives?
MICAH’S PROPHECY OF THE FUTURE REIGN Poem Devotional
December 15
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MICAH’S PROPHECY OF THE FUTURE REIGN
A poem by ILMA
In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will reign
It will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth
It will be raised above the other hills, and all will stream there to worship
People from all nations will say “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD
Let’s go to the house of Jacob’s God, There, he will teach us his ways,
The LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
The LORD will mediate between peoples and settle fights between strong nations
They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks
Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore
Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
There will be nothing to fear for the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!
Though the nations around us follow their idols, we will follow God forever and ever.
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MEMORY VERSE
Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!
– Micah 4:4
Read: Micah 4:1-5
Micah’s prophecy is a promise that the people of God need to look up to. It is important to focus on God’s promises especially when we are going through a lot of trials and challenges in our lives. What is interesting in this prophecy is how God mediates between people of God and the strong enemies from different nations. But the promise of peace and prosperity and the absence of fear are the most hopeful of all the future prophecies.
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REFLECTION
• Why should believers make God the main focus of their lives? What happens when they don’t?
• Why is important for us to give up any idols that will compromise our relationship with God?
JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL’S LEADERS Poem Devotional
December 14
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JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL’S LEADERS
A poem by ILMA
“Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong
But you are the very ones who hate good and love evil
You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones.
Yes, you eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin.
Then you beg the LORD for help in times of trouble and expect him to answer?
After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!”
The LORD says: “You false prophets are leading my people astray!
You promise peace for those who give you food, but not on those who don’t.
Now the night will close around you, cutting off all your visions
Darkness will cover you, putting an end to your predictions
The sun will set for you prophets, and your day will come to an end
Then you seers will be put to shame, and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced.
You leaders of Israel, You hate justice and twist all that is right
You are building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption
You rulers make decisions based on bribes, priests teach God’s laws only for a price;
you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid Yet you claim to depend on the LORD.
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MEMORY VERSE
You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. – Micah 3:1-2
Read: Micah 3:1-11
The prophet Micah warned the leaders of Israel about the wrong and evil things they are doing and confronted them. When we are leaders, we are expected to be more responsible and set an example to the rest of the ones we were leading otherwise, we are going to corrupt those whom we lead.
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REFLECTION
• Why does the Lord expect much from those who are in leadership position?
• Why is it wrong to ask the Lord for favors when you don’t follow him?