July 29
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ACCEPTABLE LIFE TO GOD
A poem by ILMA
Give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable
This is truly the way to worship him and don’t copy the world’s behavior
Let God transform you into a new person by the renewing of your mind.
When your mind is renewed, you’ll know what is good, pleasing and perfect
Don’t think you are better than you really are; let’s honestly assess ourselves
Measure yourselves by the faith God has given you and not by other standards
Humble yourselves and do your best not to criticize but to encourage instead.
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function
This is the same with Christ’s body; we are many parts of one body
God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well
No need to feel inadequate and compare yourselves with others.
If God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith has
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give kindly
If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously
And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
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MEMORY VERSE
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. – Romans 12:1
Read: Romans 12:1-8
When someone commits himself to Christ, one becomes part of Jesus’ body. Whether we like it or not, we cannot continue to live the old life we had before we became born again. Each one of us are given a certain function in the body of Christ. If we want to live a life pleasing to God, we need to have our minds renewed and live holy lives.
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REFLECTION
• What compromises do you need to give up in order to live a life acceptable to God?
Tag Archives: spoken word
GOD’S KINDNESS AND SEVERITY Poem Devotional
July 28
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GOD’S KINDNESS AND SEVERITY
A poem by ILMA
Notice how God is both kind and severe; he is severe to the lawless
He is kind all those who continue to trust and rely on his kindness
But if you stop trusting the Lord, you also will be cut off
And if the people turn from their unbelief, they will be joined in again.
God has the power to graft all the rebels back into the tree
You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree
If God was willing to do something contrary to nature
He is able to graft the branches back into the tree where they belong.
Scriptures says “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem
He will turn Israel away from ungodliness and lawlessness
And this is my covenant with them; that I will take away their sins.”
Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News.
God’s gifts and his call and promises can never be withdrawn
Once, you Gentiles were lawless and disobedient to God
When the people of Israel rebelled and turn against him
God was merciful to you instead and you’re given chance to be saved
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MEMORY VERSE
Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. – Romans 11:22
Read: Romans 11:16-36
This chapter reminds us of how God’s kindness and severity were evident towards the Israelites and the Gentiles. It just shows how God hates lawlessness and sin. He gives us a way out of the harshness if we turn to him again and trust him.
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REFLECTION
• Why is trust and faith an expectation of God from his own people?
• How can one avoid the severity of God?
SALVATION EVEN TO THE GENTILES Poem Devotional
July 27
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SALVATION EVEN TO THE GENTILES
A poem by ILMA
Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of the Lord
A few have found favor—the ones God has selected
The hearts of the rest were hardened and God put them into sleep
To this day he has shut their eyes and ears, so they don’t see or hear.
David said in the Psalms, “Let their bountiful table become a snare,
They are trapped to think that all is well and let them stumble
For they get what they deserve and let their eyes go blind
This way they cannot see and let their backs be forever bent.”
God’s people were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles
But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves
If the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer Think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.
God has appointed Paul the apostle to minister to the Gentiles
Since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world
The Gentile’s acceptance of the Good News will be even more wonderful
It will be life for those who were dead and freedom from knowing the gospel.
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MEMORY VERSE
For I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. – Romans 11:14
Read: Romans 11:1-15
What an awesome thing God did when his own people turned their backs on him. He spread his mercy to the Gentile, to those who don’t know him. He was after people’s heart, Gentile or Jew. He will not miss any opportunity to get someone saved.
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REFLECTION
• What does it take to get God’s blessings and approval?
• Why do you think God made salvation available not only to the Jews but also the Gentiles?
MESSAGE ON SALVATION Poem Devotional
July 26
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MESSAGE ON SALVATION
A poem by ILMA
The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach
Declare that Jesus is Lord and believe his resurrection and you’ll be saved
For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God.
As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will not be disgraced”
Jew and Gentile[ are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord
God generously lavishes all those who to all call on him
For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about Christ
And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
How beautiful are the feet of messengers who brings the Good News!
But not everyone welcomes the Good News with open heart
Faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ
God’s case to his people is that all day long he opened his arms
But his people were disobedient and continued to be rebellious.
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MEMORY VERSE
For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. – Romans 10:3
Read: Romans 10
In this letter of Paul to the Romans, he pleads them to heed the invitation of God for them to be saved by declaring that Jesus is Lord and by believing that he was resurrected from the dead. This letter reminds us of our responsibility to bring the Good News to everyone so that the message of salvation will spread all over the earth.
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REFLECTION
• Have you been telling about the message of salvation to all the ends of the earth?
GOD’S MERCY AND POWER Poem Devotional
July 25
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GOD’S MERCY AND POWER
A poem by ILMA
God shows mercy and compassion to anyone he chooses,
It is him who decides who to show mercy and we can’t elect it
He shows mercy to some, and to others, he makes their hearts hardened
His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways.
Though God has the right to show his anger and his power
He is very patient with those on whom his anger falls
He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter
We are among those whom he selected from all his creation.
In Hosea’s prophecy, God declares even those Gentiles as his people
Those who were not his people, now belong to him as well
Those whom he didn’t use to love before, he loves them now
They will also now be called “children of the living God.”
Though the Israelites are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
Only a remnant will be saved for the LORD will carry out his sentence
And if the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children,
All Israelites would have been wiped out like Sodom and Gomorrah.
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MEMORY VERSE
For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So, it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. – Romans 9:15-16
Read: Romans 9
It is amazing to know how some Christians think that mercy can be earned. In this chapter, Paul clearly reminds us of Hosea’s prophecy of how it is at God’s discretion whom he chooses to be saved or wiped out.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think people assume that they can earn God’s mercy and compassion?
• How is God’s power displayed when he forgives us?
• Why do some believers think that they have control over their lives?
NOTHING SEPARATES US FROM GOD
July 24
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NOTHING SEPARATES US FROM GOD
A poem by ILMA
Isn’t it amazing to know that God gave up his own Son to save mankind?
He chose in advance all those who belong to him and gave them life
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one – for God himself gave us right standing through his Son.
Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ died for us
He was raised to life for us and sitting at God’s right hand
If God’s spirit lives inside us, who can ever be against us?
Can anything ever separate us from the love of God?
I am convinced that nothing can ever part us from our Father
No power in the sky above or in the earth below
Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us him
He sent his Son to redeem us while we were all still in sin.
Not even the powers of hell can keep us apart from God’s love
He has promised faithfulness to all those who love him above all
He will never forsake or leave us especially when we have trials
He assures us of his unconditional and unfathomable love forever.
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MEMORY VERSE
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. – Romans 8:38
Read: Romans 8:31-39
Have you ever wondered who can surpass the love of God among all those people you love and who claim they love you? No one can outdo God in terms of love. Love is His make and he made us all into his own image. Let’s always choose love and give up fear.
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REFLECTION
• Share an experience when the love of God was so present and powerful in your life?
HEIRS OF GOD’S GLORY Poem Devotional
July 23
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HEIRS OF GOD’S GLORY
A poem by ILMA
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no duty to follow your cravings
If you constantly think of your selfish desires and live by its dictates, you will die
But if through the Spirit’s power, you die to your sinful nature, you will live
All those who are led by the Spirit of God are true children of God.
You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves
Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children
Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that We are God’s children and since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal later
For all creation is waiting eagerly for a revelation that we are his real children.
Creation looks forward to the day when we will be free from death and decay
For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
We long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering
We wait and hope for the new bodies he has promised us in heaven.
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MEMORY VERSE
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
– Romans 8:17
Read: Romans 8:12-24
When we are given an inheritance, we feel so much loved. The legacy symbolizes the love of that person to us. They cared enough to think about what will happen to us when they pass on. They show how much we are thought of and loved.
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REFLECTION
• Do you take suffering as a part of sharing your inheritance in Christ?
LIVING IN THE SPIRIT Poem Devotional
July 22
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LIVING IN THE SPIRIT
A poem by ILMA
There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus
Because you belong to him, you were freed by his life-giving Spirit
The power of sin that leads to death has lost its control over you
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of our sinful nature.
God did what the law could not do by sending his own Son among us
In that body God declared an end to the power of sin and the law
We can no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things.
Those who live by the Holy Spirit think about pleasing the Spirit
Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death and decay
But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God and never obeys.
As believers of Christ, you have no obligation to do what your nature says
For if you live by its dictates, you will suffer and struggle and will die
But if through the Spirit’s power, you put to death the deeds of your nature
You will live, for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
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MEMORY VERSE
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. – Romans 8:9
Read: Romans 8
How do you know if someone is really an authentic believer? In this chapter, Paul explains what it means to be living a Spirit led life. When one becomes a follower of Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord lives in their hearts. They no longer follow the dictates of their sinful nature. They choose to be led by what the Spirit says.
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REFLECTION
• Do you live under the leading of the Spirit or do you follow all the dictates of your flesh?
FUTURE GLORY Poem Devotional
July 21
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FUTURE GLORY
A poem by ILMA
What we suffer now is incomparable to the glory He’ll reveal to us
For all creation is eagerly waiting to know who his children really are
Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse
But with eager hope, creation looks forward when we join him.
We believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit
We long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering
We eagerly hope when God will give us our full rights as adopted children
We were given this hope when we were saved and believed in Jesus.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and tells us what to pray for
He shows us to pray with groanings that cannot be expressed in words
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is say
For the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s ways.
God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him
God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like Christ
And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself
And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
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MEMORY VERSE
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28
Read: Romans 8:18-30
When we become Christians, we have hope that the promise of God for a future glory is going to happen. Unlike unbelievers, we can see that God causes everything, even the bad things to work for God’s glory. How loving our heavenly Father is, he gave us his son so that we can have right standing with him where Jesus is the oldest and all believers have the same right as him.
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REFLECTION
• What should we remember when we encounter hardships and trials in life?
STRUGGLING WITH SIN Poem Devotional
July 20
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STRUGGLING WITH SIN
A poem by ILMA
The trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good
The problem is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right
Yet I don’t do what’s right but I do what I hate.
But if I know that what I am doing is wrong
This shows that I agree that the law is good
So, I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t
I want to do what is good, but I don’t
I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway
But if I do what I don’t want to do I am not really the one doing wrong.
When I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong
I love God’s law with all my heart but there is another power within me
It is at war with my mind which makes me a a slave to sin
All this struggle is still so alive within me and I am bound to it.
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MEMORY VERSE
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. – Romans 7:15
Read: Romans 7:14-28
Do you ever struggle with sin? Don’t we all go through this at some point of our lives if not always? Paul was explaining to the Romans that we all struggle with sin, but God is always there to win over this battle.
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REFLECTION
• What do you do each time you get into a conflict inside you, to do what is right instead of doing what is wrong?
• How can the battle between right and wrong be resolved for believers?