December 1
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WHEN YOU LOVE THE WORLD
A poem by ILMA
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you,
When you love the world, you don’t have the Father’s love
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure,
A craving for everything and to be proud of achievements and possessions.
These cravings are not from the Father, but are from this world
And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave for
Anyone who does what pleases God will live forever and have eternal life
So, make it your goal to please God so you are ready when Christ returns.
As believers, you know the difference between truth and lies from his word
Watch out for anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ for that is an antichrist
Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist
Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either.
So, you must remain faithful and in fellowship with the Son and with the Father
And in this fellowship, we enjoy the eternal life he promised us long ago
You have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you
You don’t need anyone to teach you for the Spirit teaches you that is true.
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MEMORY VERSE
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you. For when you love the world, you don’t have the Father’s love. – 1 John 2:15
Read: 1 John 2:15-27
It is interesting how some Christians think that they can coast along loving the world and being a Christian. They say they are believers but they still follow the world system so easily.
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REFLECTION
• Why can’t we love the world and the things it offers especially if we have committed our lives to Jesus?
• Why is it important to constantly be in relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
Monthly Archives: December 2019
OBEDIENCE: SIGN THAT WE KNOW GOD Poem Devotional
November 30
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OBEDIENCE: SIGN THAT WE KNOW GOD
A poem by ILMA
I am writing this to you so that you will not sin, but you have a Helper
We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father
He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for the sins of the whole world.
We can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments
If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t follow what he says
That person is a liar and is not living in the truth
Those who obey God truly show how completely they love him.
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did
We are commanded to love one another as has been told to us before
If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer
That person is still in the dark and has been blinded by the darkness.
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MEMORY VERSE
If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. – 1 John 2:4-5
Read: 1 John 2:1-11
There is a big discrepancy between saying we know God and claiming we are believers and yet fail to obey God’s commands. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot actually walk in truth and obedience. It is only the Spirit of the Lord that can convict us when we do wrong and show us a way out, or we get stuck in the sin. Those who say that they know God and yet don’t put into action the truth, they are only lying to themselves and are still living in darkness and does not live in the light.
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REFLECTION
• Why is obedience to God’s commands one of the hardest things to do in this world?
• Why is action an important part of being a Christian?
• What happens when we don’t do what we hear in the word of God?
• Why are we lying when we claim we are Christians and hate a fellow believer?