June 13

                                                                         ZEPHANIAH 3

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!
   Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;

   he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord,

   is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not,

    O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
    he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love;

    he will exult over you with loud singing.

¹⁸ I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,

     so that you will no longer suffer reproach. – Zephaniah 3:14-18

ZEPHANIAH 3 GOD’S LOVE CANCELS FEAR

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you only knew how much God loves you

You wouldn’t listen to the lies from this world

The prince of this world creates fear of many things

By accommodating this fear, we become prone to sins

If you believe in God, you will discern what is wrong and evil

You will not entertain lies, but expose every tactic of the devil

God’s love cancels fear in every part of your being

It replaces fear with overflowing love and assurance.

According to bibleproject.com the prophet Zephaniah lived during King Josiah’s reign in the southern kingdom of Judah. Josiah attempted to bring change in the land with the removal of idols and restoration of the temple but by that point, however, Israel was already too far gone, as the worship of other gods was too entrenched in the people’s lives. Josiah’s pride led him to a tragic death on the battlefield (2 Chronicles 35:20-25) and so Jerusalem was set on a collision course with Babylon. Zephaniah had seen all this coming and had been warning the leaders of Jerusalem for years. 

The third section of this book, which chapter 3 is, explores the hope that remains for the nations and Jerusalem on the other side of judgment.” Zephaniah talks about the love of God for Israel despite their rebellion and idolatry. God pulled out the evil ones among his people and left those who were faithful to him. In this last chapter, the prophet declares to the remnant of Israel the hope that comes with their faithfulness to God. God cancels out their fear and reassures them in verse 15 that he set them aside by clearing their enemies. In verse 17 the prophet reassured them that the Lord will never forsake them and be appeased by God’s love. In verse 18, they were promised that they won’t be shamed anymore.

REFLECTION

·       What reassurances can a believer derive from this account in the book of Zephaniah?

June 12

1 JOHN 3

¹⁶ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.¹⁹ By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; ²⁰ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; ²² and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴ Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. – 1 John 3:16-24

1 JOHN 3 PROOF OF TRUE LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

How do you know if you are truly loved?

It is easy to say so but you need proofs

When someone says they do love you but don’t show it

That isn’t true love according to the Holy Spirit

Laying down one’s life for the beloved is clear evidence

It shows that they’ve made the other more important

When you truly love someone, you make them first

You begin to prioritize the beloved more than yourself.

So many marriages fail because someone or both of the persons in the relationship have no clue what true love really is and a lack of proof of that love, they claim to have for the other. The world has corrupted the concept of “love” with romantic jargons and unrealistic love. The television, movie, social media and literary industries have lied to us about what love is. We grew up in fairy tales with the happy ever-after endings which have greatly distorted our view of love since we were kids. I am a testament to this world system’s corruption of the true meaning of love. If only the world presented “love” the way that God meant it to be, there would probably be less damaged relationships. We live in a broken world with a corrupt system, so we need a true navigation system that will lead us to the right path to love.

John gives us the true meaning and proof of love in this account. He says in verse 16 that the evidence of true love is in laying down one’s life for the loved one. In verse 17, he mentions that being sensitive to the needs of the beloved and attending to those needs is highly indicative of the presence of God’s love in that person. In verse 18, the other proof is by manifesting in their deeds what they claim to be love to that person. In verse 23-24, faith and obedience are the other proofs of love for the Lord. Why did John mention these two proofs? Without God’s gift of love, we cannot believe or obey him, thus, we cannot manifest true love without knowing and serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

·       How can a believer correct his wrong notion of love? Can an unbeliever understand true love?

June 10

MATTHEW 22

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” ⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,⁴⁴ “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? ⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. – Matthew 22:34-45

1 JOHN 3 LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you were called by God to serve him

You ought to love him above everything else

Making him priority aligns your life to him

This is your shield against all evil and sin

If you put God first in all that you do

Your life will have order and not chaos

Peace will permeate your whole being

You will discern what is corrupt and evil.

In this account, we witness the Pharisees’ devious plot to test Jesus so that they could find some excuse to crucify him. They felt threatened by Jesus’ popularity, authority and miracles undermining their honor and accolades. They gave Jesus a trick question asking him which is the greatest commandment of all. They wanted to catch Jesus in ignorance because they knew that Jesus wasn’t as schooled as they were. What they didn’t know was that Jesus was God himself who knows everything and created all things. The answer of Jesus to their question exposed their hearts. Their rule-keeping minds couldn’t fathom why they had to put God first above all things. Their priority is to follow laws and rules instead of a covenant -based relational faith.

Another question posed to them by Jesus exposed their limited understanding of who Christ is when he asked them whose son was Christ? Their minds were blown when he had a follow-up question to them as to why David calls his own son Lord. This just shows how limited their minds were because it was filled with legalism. They couldn’t hear what Jesus was already revealing to them about the Christ they don’t truly know. It exposed their priority to worship wasn’t God at all, but their own idols of knowledge and their leadership positions. If their hearts truly worshipped the Lord, they would get what Jesus said.

REFLECTION

·       Share what might happen to believers who do not prioritize God above all things?

June 9

ROMANS 13

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

                                                                                        – Romans 13:8-14

ROMANS 13 LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God made us all in his image so we are created for love

Each one of us, man and woman, bear the image of God

The only debt we should owe is to love one another

This is the only kind of obligation that doesn’t enslave us

If you love yourself, then you can also love others

Each believer is called to love his sisters and brothers

The act of loving your neighbor as yourself is the way to freedom

It doesn’t get you enslaved or bonded to idols or anyone.

It is interesting how Paul talks about debt in the context of love. We usually think of money or riches when we think of debts. I think he is alluding to the importance of living in freedom as Christians. He points out debts that aren’t visible such as relational ones. He talks about the importance of being free from any debts because they will enslave the person who is the lender. Solomon talks about this in Proverbs 22:7 that the borrower is a slave to the lender. How do we become slaves to someone in a relationship? We can engage in transactional love where we only give love to those who give it to us. When we give away only for the sake of getting something in return, we are the borrower and the one who receives what we give, is the lender. Therefore, we can be enslaved by watching the result of our act of love like a business that earns gains from the capital it put into. This is why Paul talks about this in terms of love. What we value can also be turned to idols and when they become idols, we are enslaved to it.

In verse 8, he instructs the believers to have no debt but to love one another. If we truly love one another as God loves us, we are actually fulfilling the law of liberty. We won’t do transactional love but unconditional love. We won’t love for the sake of gain but for the good of those whom we give love to. When we do this, we are manifesting the real purpose for our lives, that is, to love sacrificially.

REFLECTION

·       How do you think loving others as ourselves results in freedom?

June 7

JOHN 3

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”– John 3:16-21

JOHN 3 THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Have you ever been loved so unconditionally that it feels awe-inspiring?

Only the Lord God can give you that full commitment that is breathtaking

This love is not what the world gives because it is unconditional

It is not transactional or depending on anything else but is sacrificial

The greatest love of all is that God sent his only Son to give us eternity

Nothing else will give us assurance that will complete our whole being

There is nothing that can compare with this generous act of giving

Only God can provide us with overflowing love that is unending.

This verse sums up the whole Christian view: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But what does this really mean? It is actually a complete confession of who God is, his nature and character and what his plan for mankind is. All of these truths are covered in this verse. Do all Christians understand this truth? If they do, it will manifest in their lives. If they don’t, it will show the discrepancy in their hypocritical lives. The books written by John expounds these truths that no other epistles and books in the bible could explain.

In the first phrase “For God so loved the world”, John described God as a loving God. In 1 John 4:8, he actually says that God is love. God is described as love himself and created the world out of his love for his creation, specifically for mankind since we were all made in his image. In other words, God loves us all because he loves himself too. “That he gave his only Son” verse gives us an image of a generous and loving God. He shared the most beloved Son he had to mankind. It also shows how he would offer anything for the sake of his beloved created human beings. The last part of the verse “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” gives us a picture of a promise-keeper and a God who is a great provider. This last part of the verse also tells us his expectations and requirements from his people: to believe that he is the only one who can give the greatest love of all. He is the Maker, the Provider, the Giver, the Lover and the Promise-keeper. What an awesome God we serve. No other gods from other religions could surpass or compare to our One true God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think each Christian should ponder on and live the John 3:16 verse in their lives?

June 6

GALATIANS 5

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! ¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.  – Galatians 5:7-15

GALATIANS 5 LOVE FULFILLS THE WHOLE LAW

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a servant of the Lord, he paid the price to free you from sin

You no longer are a slave to sin but have been freed from it

Your freedom is not to be used anymore to cater to your flesh

Instead, you are called to use it to fulfill the whole law of love

If you follow this perfect law by loving one another, you will win

You will be able to fulfill the law and overcome Satan’s tactics

Do not use your freedom to make your flesh thrive

Instead, apply this freedom to bring others to Christ.

In this account, Paul reminds the Galatian believers that since Christ has died for them, they are now free from sin. There is however an expectation from all those who are followers of Christ. They need to follow the laws that God commanded them as part of their covenant with him. This covenant is a result of God promising to his people that he will be their God and they will be his people if they obey the commands stipulated for them. In any agreement we make with someone, there are requirements from the two parties. In this case, God will free them from bondage and they will have to serve God and be faithful to obey all the laws he gives them. There is a reciprocity in this covenant because God is fulfilling many more responsibilities than the people he chose are. In fact, if you think about it, what does God get on his end from his people? Actually, there is nothing much that God gains. So, these laws are not a form of control on God’s end. It is a protection for them to be free from the snares of the devil so they can fulfill what God has made them for. Probably many unbelievers would cringe at this covenant because they don’t understand what benefits do Christians have when they follow the Lord. They’ll only know God’s promises if they believe in him. The promises fulfilled are the eternal benefits that no worldly kingdom can give anyone. If you are a Christian struggling to follow God’s laws, you must be viewing the covenant wrongly. All the things God required for us to follow is actually for our own benefit. If we follow the way of love, we will be able to fulfill and follow such laws without much trouble.

REFLECTION

·       How does walking in love and following God’s Spirit fulfill the perfect law of liberty?

June 4

JOHN 15

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another. ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.  – John 15:12-21

JOHN 15 SACRIFICIAL LOVE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

To love someone truly is to lay down your life for that person

Jesus died for us all so that we can be free from our sin nature

When God chose you as his own, you can now bear fruits of love

You are now capable of giving that same love he gave you

Christ sampled for us the greatest love of all when he died for us

Giving up your life for someone is the true sign that you love God

When you love someone, you are willing to do what benefits him

You don’t prioritize yourself but serving that friend is your priority.

John explains what it truly means to love in this account. It seems impossible to love others as God has loved us, doesn’t it? But in verse 12, we are commanded to do so. Because God made us all in his image, we have that potential innate in us to give that same love that he gave us. In fact, many of us think of love as a transactional thing (that’s because Satan has twisted the meaning of true love). Because of sin, we think that we only give love to those who can give it back to us. When God created us, he wasn’t expecting us to love him back for his own sake. He was commanding it from us so that we can follow the law of love and be able to fulfill the purpose of our lives: to love and be loved.

What does it mean to lay down one’s life for a friend in verse 13? It is not literally to die for someone but it is defining the sacrificial aspect of loving someone. By sacrificial, it means that your priority has shifted from making yourself first to making that other person first. Imagine, if we all practice sacrificial love. How wonderful the world would be if each person thinks less of himself and thinks of his friends’ welfare first! There will be less narcissists in this world, won’t it?

REFLECTION

·       Share some ways sacrificial love manifests in relationships.