June 24

NAHUM 1

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
  he knows those who take refuge in him.

  ⁸ But with an overflowing flood
  he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
  and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
⁹ What do you plot against the Lord?
    He will make a complete end;
    trouble will not rise up a second time.
¹⁰ For they are like entangled thorns,
    like drunkards as they drink;
    they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
¹¹ From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord,
    a worthless counselor. – Nahum 1:7-11

NAHUM 1 GOD’S LOVE TO HIS PEOPLE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord is always good especially to those who love him

He ensures that they are protected from the tactics of the devil

God defends his people completely by ending the enemy’s schemes

Their conspiracies will never rise because God will destroy them

God manifests his love to his people by being a shield and protector

He strengthens them and no weapon formed against them will prosper

The Lord is your shield and defense against all rulers and oppressors

Without God’s love, you won’t overcome foes and be the conquerors.

One of the most important aspects of any form of relationship is the state of being “safe.” Without safety, we become on guard to scan for dangers. A key component to loving someone is to keep them safe and secure in your relationship. With that security comes trust and assurance. So many people in our world today have experienced neglect and abuse which lead to many insecurities and mental health challenges. When a child grows up without being cared, loved and nurtured, that child learns to cope with the deficits in his/her life. She/he learns to mistrust and scan for unsafe people and the environment. They become hyperfocus and always on guard and ready to either fight, flight, freeze or fawn. It is very different for those who love the Lord. If you know God, you are secure in his love and at peace even with the most challenging of circumstances. Because you know that the Lord is your shield and your defender.

In this account, the prophet Nahum pronounces the wrath of God against the Ninevites. In verse 7, the prophet reminds them that those who belong to God need not be afraid, for God will spare them from his wrath over Nineveh. He will defend and ensure that their enemies never triumph over them.

REFLECTION

·       How does God’s love towards you differ from any human love you have experienced?

June 23

JOHN 14

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. – John 14:15-24

JOHN 14 IF YOU LOVE GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you love God, you will obey and follow his commandments

It is a clear sign that you truly love him with your heart, soul and mind

You can’t claim you love God and have a rebellious attitude

If you question his authority, it is impossible to show gratitude

If you love God, you will emulate Jesus in his love for others

You won’t be self-focused but think of your neighbor’s welfare

If you love God, you will hunger for his word and seek counsel

You won’t rely on your own understanding but depend on him.

Has anyone declared their love for you but failed to show it? Many marriages end in failure because one of the spouses failed to follow through with their vow to love each other forever for better or for worse. Once the honeymoon phase dies down, the relationship goes down on a spiral of let downs and disillusionments set in. The “self” wins and tries to claim what they expected from the spouse which sometimes were never even discussed. Many marriages and other relationships were all based on transactional agreement. “I’ll give you something if you also give me what I want from you” is the unspoken mindset from these kinds of relationships. No wonder, they don’t last. They have no clear notion of what true love is.

Jesus gives the disciples true and tested proof that they are his followers. He tells them that those who obey his commandments are those who truly love him. He also mentions the importance of keeping God’s word in their hearts. Without God’s words, we won’t know how to follow his laws and navigate in this corrupt world. Without his truth, we will continue to be deceived and an easy target for the devil to manipulate and tempt. Saying you love God and not obeying his word and laws show that you don’t love God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think “obedience” is the requirement of Jesus to prove they love him?

June 19

ISAIAH 43

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;   I have called you by name, you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
  when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,  

  and the flame shall not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes,   and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,   peoples in exchange for your life.
⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;  I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you.⁶ I will say to the north, Give up,
    and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the end of the earth,⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,  whom I formed and made.”– Isaiah 43:1-7

ISAIAH 43 GOD’S ASSURING LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

There is no other love greater than how God loves us

It is a love that is precious and makes us so secure

It protects the loved one from harm and destruction

It does not condemn nor judge our unintentional actions

God’s love treasures those whom he has chosen

It always thinks of what is best for his beloved people

God’s assuring love will cast all kinds of fear

It strengthens his children & to depend on him.

How do you know if you are truly loved? With human beings, we can never truly know because we are all fallen and sinful in our nature. But God’s love is assuring. We know this when we have peace about our lives despite all that is happening around us. If God has chosen you as one of his own, he will make his love present in your heart. Your mind may not know it but deep inside you will have contentment. God’s love fills you. You won’t feel empty despite all that you are going through. You have a sense that you are not alone because he is always there to protect, guide and provide for you.

This account gives us a glimpse of God’s assuring love for his people. All the “fear nots” promises given in this prophetic book are evidence of how much we are all loved. If only many of us know who God is and how much he has provided and given us, we probably will never complain or whine or be dissatisfied. We will be ecstatic to know that we are precious in God’s eyes and considered his prized possession.

REFLECTION

·       What assurances from God’s love have been clearly manifested in your life as a believer?

June 18

LEVITICUS 19

⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. ¹⁰ And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.¹¹ “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. ¹² You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

¹³ “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. ¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.¹⁵ “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶ You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. ¹⁷ “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. ¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.– Leviticus 19:9-18

LEVITICUS 19 WHAT LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR IS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you are a child of God, you will love your neighbor

You will think of others’ welfare and help them prosper

You will not take advantage of them or steal from them

You’ll give them what they deserve and never delay your help

To love your neighbor is to never be impartial towards them

You must treat them fairly and do your best to show justice

Never revenge or bear a grudge against one another

God has loved you; so, make sure you pass on this love to others.

Some scholars believe that the book of Leviticus was written by Moses but some claim that it may have been a compilation of ancient laws. If you know the Lord your God, you will probably recognize that this is the voice of God talking through Moses about what his law of loving your neighbor actually means.

By giving detailed examples of how this law looks like if followed, we get a clear picture if we are truly going to follow this law of love. In verses 9-10, Moses talks about leaving some of their harvest for the poor to glean on or gather from. According to sources, in ancient times, gleaning is a mandated agricultural practice of leaving leftover crops in the fields, vineyards or orchards for the widows, the orphans and foreigners to collect.  It only shows their love and concern for those who are unable to provide themselves because of their status in life. Verse 11 mentions stealing and lying and not deal falsely with each other. Verse 12 talks about not taking God’s name in vain. Verse 13 speaks about oppression and verse 14 is not cursing others but fearing the Lord. This account also mentions injustice, slandering, hating and avenging. This is an explanation of the ten commandments of God given to Moses.

REFLECTION

·       What among the prohibitions in this account have the world taken for granted?

June 17

PSALM 63

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,    beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;  in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

⁶ when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

⁷ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings,

 I will sing for joy.⁸ My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

                                                                                – Psalm 63:1-8

PSALM 63 THE STEADFAST LOVE OF THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you have been chosen by the Lord to be his child

You will experience his amazing grace and infinite love

The steadfast love of the Lord is much better than life

If you experience it, you will never be the same again

God loves you with a faithful and unwavering love

It is an unfathomable love that overflows with grace

You will hunger and thirst for this love that he gives

It will make you praise him for as long as you live.

If anyone who do not know God reads this psalm of David, that person would maybe liken it to two lovers or a husband and a wife’s relationship. It is undeniable from the tone of the psalm the wonderful love between the two people. There is reciprocity in that ardent and passionate affection and admiration they the two have for each other. Isn’t this why Christ and his bride, the church, is always referred to as a relationship as in a marriage. In Revelation 19:6-9, we hear of the marriage supper of the lamb in which the saints will be clothed in white linen to be married to Christ. This must be the reason why God himself instituted marriage when he made Adam and Eve when the two becomes one.

In this psalm, David gives us a sense of a passionate and ardent love he has for God where he constantly longs and pines for his Lord. He declares his love for God as if he wouldn’t be able to live without his presence. This is what two people get into when they vowed to love one another in marriage. They are no longer two but one. This must be the reason why widows’ and widowers’ losses are considered one of the gravest losses one can ever experience because the oneness becomes dissolved from death. Even divorce between the couple can bear much painful grief because of the breaking of the union.

REFLECTION

·       How does God’s steadfast love lead a believer to worship and praise the Lord?

June 16

DEUTERONOMY 7

⁶ “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ⁷ It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, ¹⁰ and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. ¹¹ You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.

                                                                                        – Deuteronomy 7:6-11

DEUTERONOMY 7 IF YOU LOVE YOU CAN COMMIT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord God loves you and is committed to stay faithful

Because of that love, he will never abandon you

If you were chosen by him, you will be able to love him back

He is the giver of everything including your ability to love

If you love God, you will commit to serve and obey him

That is the sign that you are renewed to resist sin.

This account written by Moses was about God’s command to the Israelites to conquer the land that he had promised his people. They were instructed by God to completely annihilate the Canaanites and prohibited them from yoking with them so they can be pure and holy as God intended them to be. Do you ever wonder why God didn’t just give them the Promised land that had no inhabitants in it? I think that God has provided everything for them when he freed them out of the land of Egypt and throughout their journey in the wilderness. Since God made a covenant with them, they had a part to play in the relationship. God has equipped all his people with all the abilities to conquer these pagans, so the part that Israel was required to do as part of this agreement was to obey God’s laws and instructions so that they can finally occupy the land that was promised to them. God isn’t an enabler and a spoiler. He had to teach them to depend on him, but the obedience and trust was what was expected of them. But we know how this story went; they disobeyed God and mixed themselves with the pagans. This resulted in their unfaithfulness to God by serving the other pagan gods of those whom they intermarried.

Moses reminds them of the faithful and steadfast love that God has for his people and how God keeps his promises to them. Their obedience and loyalty are what is expected of them.

REFLECTION

·       How do you manifest your commitment as a child of God?

June 15

JEREMIAH 31

“At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”² Thus says the Lord:

“The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness;
 when Israel sought for rest, ³ the Lord appeared to him from far away.
  I have loved you with an everlasting love;

 Therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.
⁴ Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel!
Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines

and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
⁵ Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria;
   the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.

                                                                                        – Jeremiah 31:1-5

JEREMIAH 31 GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Because God is the Maker of the heavens and the earth

He is the Only One who can give us a love that is everlasting

When you acknowledge him as your God, you will grow

He will make sure that you will reap what you have sown

He is a God of promises and he always keeps them all

He will restore you if you were broken and went through trials

His everlasting love will heal your wounds and give your life back

Come to him and you will experience his everlasting love.

In the world, we can never find any kind of lasting love. That is because we live in a fallen world. But in this account, Jeremiah pronounces how God is getting back his beloved people and restoring them from all the judgments they have experienced from their own unfaithfulness to him. We witness a God of restoration here. We see the merciful and loving God that the Lord is. No matter how far gone his people were, he still kept his part of his covenant promise. He promised them restorative years after all that they have gone through.

If we can only have that kind of love, this world will be a better place to live in. Many of us find it very hard to forgive those who have wronged us, let alone restore the relationship to how it was. God promised that he will forever love his people. As David says in Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Can you ever forgive someone who has wronged you? If you reflect and meditate on how God gives us that merciful and everlasting love, wouldn’t you also give that same grace that he gives his people so generously?

REFLECTION

• How should God’s people receive such everlasting love of God?