January 1

JOHN 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
– John 1:1-9

JOHN 1 THE WORD WAS GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Before the world began, the Word already existed
The Word was Jesus and He was infinite and eternal
Every part of creation was made through him and for him
Without Christ, everything will be in chaos and in the dark
The Word brings true light that destroys the darkness
In his presence, there are no lies that are not exposed
The Word brings order in the chaos surrounding mankind
He frees all men from the bondage of sin and leads him to life.

Why did John call Jesus as “Word?” Psalm 33:6 David says “The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. According to gotquestions.org John is introducing Jesus with a word or a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with. The Greek word translated “Word” in this passage is Logos, and it was common in both Greek philosophy and Jewish thought of that day. For example, in the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will.
It makes perfect sense that God physically manifested himself in Jesus when he became human, who spoke his word so that his will and plan will be revealed to mankind.

REFLECTION
• If the Word was God and he gave us his word, how should we handle it?

December 28

PROVERBS 24
19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
– Proverbs 24:19-20

PROVERBS 24 FRET NOT BECAUSE OF EVIL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As you live in this sinful and corrupt world
You will encounter all kinds of evil around you
Remember that there is a spiritual battle constantly
Guard your heart, mind and soul so you’ll have victory
When you are aware of the tactics of the devil at play
You will not fret over such tricks that come your way
Because Jesus already won the battle on the cross
Be at peace that wickedness will be cut off and not last long.

Solomon reiterates his father David’s Psalm 37:1-6 in these Proverbs. David compares those who do evil to grass that will wither like the green herb. He recommends the antidote to fretting as follows in this Psalm:
• Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
• Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
• Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
• Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
• Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
With all the solutions to fretting that David laid out in this psalm, why do we still fret over evildoers? Should we look into our hearts and uncover the source of such fretting? Couldn’t we instead lean more on God since he is our shield and defender?

REFLECTION
• What possible causes are there for believers to be fretting over evildoers?

December 26

PROVERBS 24
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
– Proverbs 24:13-16

PROVERBS 24 THE RESILIENCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The righteous have their Lord as their defender
They are equipped with wisdom and character
Because they have the truth that sets them free
They usually are able to rise up from calamities
Watch out you wicked and evil men!
If you plot evil or prey on the righteous one
You will not succeed because of their resilience
Though they may stumble, watch as they rise up.

Resilience is defined as the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. Another definition says that it is the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape. In psychology, resilience is the ability to adapt to and overcome challenging life experiences. It involves being flexible and adjusting to internal and external demands, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral means.
When someone is resilient, we witness strength of character. In the book of James, we are advised to be joyful in various trials of every kind since trial produces steadfastness. When steadfastness is complete, a person will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

REFLECTION
• How would you describe someone who lacks resilience?

December 25

JOHN 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
– John 1:1-14

JOHN 1 THE WORD BECAME FLESH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When God created the world, he was with the Word
He made all things for the sake of His Son, our Lord
All things came into being because of Christ
Through him, the whole mankind will have life
It is the Word that saved us from the wrath of God
If we believe in the Word, we will have peace, joy and love.

Those who do not know God cannot understand what true love is. It is the unconditional and sacrificial love of God that is incomparable with any other form of love that humans know. The creation of the world had a purpose, and that is to give glory to God and to his Son. When Adam and Eve sinned, the plan to give glory only to God and the Son was corrupted. Humans could not give glory to God because he wanted glory for himself. This has made God’s wrath stirred. But because God loves his image bearers so much, he couldn’t resist to resolve the sin problem, so the Word became flesh to free us from sin.

REFLECTION
• Explain how the Word and the Son refers to Jesus Christ from these verses.

December 24

PROVERBS 24
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
– Proverbs 24:10-12

PROVERBS 24 SHOW COMPASSION TO THE LOST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to have compassion
We cannot be indifferent to those who have fallen into temptation
As members of the kingdom of God, we are called to bring the gospel
It is apathetic not to care for those who haven’t heard the good news
Show compassion to those who have been enslaved to sin
They are also created in God’s image; let us show kindness to them.

As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are expected to follow his footsteps. Jesus never showed partiality to anyone. We have an account in Matthew 9:10-13 that shows that Jesus hanged out with sinners. It says that as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
If Jesus showed much compassion for those who are sinners and are lost, aren’t we also to emulate that kindness to those who have fallen and have lost their way or have never heard the gospel?

REFLECTION
• Why do you think some Christians can be apathetic to the lost and have fallen?

December 23

PROVERBS 24
8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
– Proverbs 24:8-9

PROVERBS 24 AVOID SCHEMERS AND SCOFFERS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you serve the Lord Jesus Christ
Think and speak only of things that bring life
Do not associate with those who are wicked
Avoid schemers and scoffers; they plot evil
Strengthen your heart and mind with God’s truth
Meditate on it day and night so it is able to take root
When you stay away from these kinds of people
You will be on your way to grow and bear fruits.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, a schemer is someone who makes clever, secret plans, often to deceive others. He is someone who always finds a way of getting what he wants. A scoffer is one who mocks, ridicules, or scorns the belief of another. In the bible, he is also called the arrogant, the haughty or the prideful. They have overly inflated opinions of themselves. They do not care about anyone but themselves. In our pop culture, these people are called “narcissists.” They are those who manipulate others in order to get their wants and needs met covertly. They do not ask for what they want or need. They hide it for shame of being found out how insecure and phoney they are. They want others to view them as perfect. This way, they can keep their false image and not have to be accountable to their responsibilities and roles.
Solomon warns us to stay away from schemers and scoffers. They destroy lives and perpetuate the cycle of power and corruption and evil. They have no empathy for others but they only use people to get their needs and wants fulfilled. They use and abuse others.

REFLECTION
• Share some experiences you had with schemers and scoffers.