Monthly Archives: March 2025

JOHN 15 THE GREATER LOVE

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March 21

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. – John 15:12-17

JOHN 15 THE GREATER LOVE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Jesus laid down his life to show love that is unconditional
The greater love he showed is one that is sacrificial
He doesn’t love like the world does which is transactional
It looks after its own self and isn’t selfless to serve others
God commands us to love one another if we truly love him
By this, we will manifest the result of being freed from sin.

Jesus continues to reassure his disciples before his sacrifice on the cross. He gives his last will to them. They were commanded to love one another. The love he expects from them is the same love as he will give them when he sacrifices his life on the cross. What does it truly mean to lay down one’s life for a friend? It doesn’t literally mean that we kill our bodies or save them from death. It is a figure of speech which means for us to be selfless and not selfish. Because our nature wants to focus on the self and not on others, it can be truly challenging for us to follow the Spirit’s call. Jesus explains to his disciples that God chose us first so that we are able to love because it flows from his own love for us. He calls his disciples friends and no longer servants because they now know what the Father wants them to do and servants are usually not privy to their master’s motives or activities. Jesus taught them everything that the Father commands them so that they can continue to live like his own children too. It can be challenging to love one another especially those difficult people, but if God’s love flows in your heart, you will be able to.

REFLECTION
• What are the challenges of loving someone when they don’t know God?

JOHN 15 PRUNE WHAT DOESN’T BEAR FRUIT

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March 20

JOHN 15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15:1-11

JOHN 15 PRUNE WHAT DOESN’T BEAR FRUIT
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, follow his word
If you do, you will decode lies coming from the world
If you stay faithful in doing what Scripture says
You will bear fruits in your life in abundance
When you recognize parts of you that isn’t productive
You may have strayed away from our heavenly Father.

In this account, Jesus likens his relationship to his disciples to a vine and its branches. The vine is Jesus and the branches are his followers. When the branches are not cut off from the vine, they will produce fruits. So, Jesus advises them to make sure that they are constantly in relationship with him so that they will bear fruits. When the Father, who is the gardener or vinedresser, sees that they are not producing fruits, he will prune them. To prune in gardening means to cut off or remove parts of the branch for better shape or more fruitful growth.

REFLECTION
• How has God pruned you when you are fruitless or unproductive?

JOHN 14 LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED

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March 19

JOHN 14
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
– John 14:25-31

JOHN 14 LET NOT YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you will only know how much your Father in heaven loves you
Your hearts will not be troubled for he loves unlike the world
His love is unconditional, steadfast and never lets you down
The world’s love is transactional, selfish and conditional.

In this account, Jesus reiterates his former promise of the Helper, the Holy Spirit and the peace that he alone can give. It is not a “peace” that the world gives. Usually when we humans think about peace, it is more about an act of avoiding or not talking about something that will spark up a confrontation. Most people want to keep the peace just so they do not rock the boat and still appear good. The peace that Jesus was talking about here is a result of the flow of the love of God in those who believe in him. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit rather than a manufactured kind of peace that we humans do.
When Jesus told them to rejoice now that he is soon going to his Father and leaving them, he was reassuring them that the hour is coming when all these promises will be given to them because of his coming death. He foretold them that the purpose for his coming on earth is now going to happen and that Satan has now begun to use Judas to betray him. So, he knew it was coming, so he asked them to come to the garden to pray with him.

REFLECTION
• What troubles your heart in this world that you need to bring to the cross?

JOHN 14 THE PROOF OF YOUR LOVE FOR GOD

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March 18

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 THE PROOF OF YOUR LOVE FOR GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
To love God, we are expected to keep our covenant with him
That means that we strip off our old nature and habitual sins
To say you love God and keep your old thinking is a lie
The proof of that love is your obedience to his word and laws.

In this account, Jesus gives his disciples the promises that the Father has for them when he leaves. He was assuring them that even though they won’t see him and be with him as they did, they will have more benefits. They will have the Helper which is the Holy Spirit to be with them forever. The Spirit of truth is another promise that he assured them with. The world won’t know it, but they will. The other promise is that they will not be orphans for the Father in heaven has adopted all those who believe in him.
There are conditions that Jesus laid down on them to keep the covenant promise between God and his people. If they love God, they need to follow his commands and his word. A covenant has two parties that comply with the agreement in order for the promises to happen. If God’s people cannot keep their end, it is to their own detriment.

REFLECTION
• What can you say about Christians who live double-lives by keeping sins close by?

JOHN 14 ASK WHAT GLORIFIES THE FATHER

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March 17

JOHN 14
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. – John 14:8-14

JOHN 14 ASK WHAT GLORIFIES THE FATHER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you pray, ask for anything that is lined up with truth
You are glorifying your Father in heaven when you do
If you ask for something that gratifies only your wants
You may not receive it for it won’t always be good for you
Your Father in heaven knows what is best for your growth
As a good father, he will not let anything hinder His love.

In this conversation between Philip and Jesus, we see how our minds can hinder our ability to see and discern. It sounds like Jesus was a little bit sad that after all those years he had been teaching them, they still do not get it. Of course, everything that happened was according to the plan of God. We will always be limited in our comprehension of the mind of God. I think Jesus wanted them to listen more with their hearts and follow and do what they heard. Doubts and unbelief can hamper our ability to act out our faith. Jesus also reassured his disciples of the generosity of his Father. He told them that if they ask anything in his name, it will be given to them by the Father. Many of us do not ask. “Asking” is the humble act of going to God for our needs. Some of us think since God knows our needs so what’s the point of asking. Some of us think he is a genie who’ll grant us our wishes and wants as we demand or command him to do so.

REFLECTION
• What does the book of James say about asking in chapter 4?

JOHN 14 THE ONLY WAY

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March 16

JOHN 14
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
– John 14:1-7

JOHN 14 THE ONLY WAY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Believe in Jesus and you will be led to the truth
When you know the truth, you will bear fruit
Sin, that is natural to humans lead them to darkness
The only way to get out of that pit is through Jesus Christ.

These following verses are transitional in my life because when I reflected on the promise that Jesus has a room for me in His Father’s house, I felt so reassured. Growing up without much assurance of unconditional love, made me blind to the concept of true love. In this account, Jesus reassures his disciples of God’s promise of a place in his kingdom. Can you imagine how that would look like to have your own special room in that palace of God?
Doesn’t that make you feel special and loved? For traumatized people, that is a foreign thought.
Thomas was another disciple who struggled with unbelief. He asked the question “How can we know the way?” He has this notion that he needed to understand first before he believed and follow the way. Jesus answered him with “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” In John 20:24-29, this unbelief of Thomas was illustrated when he didn’t believe that Jesus ascended and visited the disciples after he died on the cross. He wanted to be assured that it was really Jesus who came to see them. Jesus had to let him touch his wound for him to believe.

REFLECTION
• What are the hindrances in believing that the only way to God is through Jesus?

JOHN 13 CONFRONTING THE SIN OF DENIAL

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March 15

JOHN 13
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. – John 13:36-38

JOHN 13 CONFRONTING THE SIN OF DENIAL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you have a role and responsibility and deny it
Are you not showing unfaithfulness and idolatry?
When you dismiss and deny giving love to others
Are you not depriving love to your sisters and brothers?
To dismiss someone’s value, abandon or neglect caring for others
Are clear manifestations that you live for yourself only.

Jesus knew each one of us, especially his disciple Peter. He cautioned Peter by foretelling him that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows. It was a response to Peter’s highly emotional reaction to what Jesus said about laying down his life.
Let us have a character sketch of Peter based on some bible verses such as Matthew `6:22-23. When Jesus predicted his suffering and death, Peter reacted that he won’t let it happen. This verse shows Peter’s impulsiveness and how quickly he reacted to his own idea instead of accepting what Jesus said. In John 13:6, we witness again another personality of Peter. He is assertive and quick to protest when Jesus begins to wash his feet. He has this grandiose act of making sure his intentions were loud and clear. In John 18:10-11, we witness again another impulse reaction to protect Jesus with violence when he drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priest. In these following verses in John 18:15-19, we see his weakness in faith when he denied Jesus for fear of being arrested. But there is a positive trait of Peter in John 21:7 when he jumped out of the water to meet Jesus. He exhibited much enthusiasm, courage, faith and eagerness to be with Jesus.

REFLECTION
• What do you think are some reasons why people deny someone or something?

JOHN 13 THE GREATEST LOVE

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March 14

JOHN 13
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
– John 13:31-35

JOHN 13 THE GREATEST LOVE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you love God, you will also love one another
God is love therefore you must love your neighbor
Give up your life for the sake of giving God the glory
Just as Jesus gave up his life for the praise of his Father.

In this account, Judas Iscariot has left the last moments that the disciples had with their Master. It won’t be long when Jesus’ impending death on the cross will happen. He is now lovingly giving his disciples instructions on what they need to be prepared for. First, he declares that he is now glorified, meaning that the purpose that he came here on earth for is now nearing its completion. This was to appease the wrath of God of the sin of mankind. We witness how loving Jesus was when he used “little children” as an endearment to his disciples. He loved them as a father would love his children. He explained to them that they cannot come to where he is going just as he said it to the Jews. Jesus was talking about his coming death on the cross and his ascension.
Just as a dying person would give instructions to his loved one before they pass on, Jesus tells them his last will. He wants them to love one another as he loved them. This will be their distinguishing trait from everyone else around them. He was preparing them for the work that they needed to do to follow the work that he had begun. Love is the purpose of his coming, therefore his followers also need to follow through that same function.

REFLECTION
• What kind of love did Jesus show us that is not the same as the world’s love?

JOHN 13 IDOL BEHIND BETRAYALS

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March 13

JOHN 13
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
– John 13:21-30

JOHN 13 IDOL BEHIND BETRAYALS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you betray someone, your heart will feel guilt
No matter how you dismiss it, it will catch up on you
To betray someone is to go against your loving nature
You have begun to listen to the lies that are thrown at you
When you betray someone’s trust, you also hurt your own self
Repent and turn away from it or you’ll open doors to more lies.

“Mammon” is an Aramaic word that essentially means “riches” or “wealth”. In a religious context, it’s often personified as a money demon or false god, representing the worship of material possessions and the desire for gain. We witness here that it was the spirit of Mammon that led Judas to betray his Master Jesus. In John 12:5-6, we know that Judas was the treasurer and helped himself with the money and he was angry that Mary used expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet. Judas betrayed Jesus over money. But if we look at the spiritual context of this betrayal, it was about idolatry of money. He gave up his service to the Lord and served his mammon god.

REFLECTION
• Share some insights on your experience of someone with the spirit of mammon.

JOHN 13 DO AS I HAVE DONE

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March 12

JOHN 13
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
– John 13:12-20

JOHN 13 DO AS I HAVE DONE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus bowed down to wash his disciples’ feet
He was expecting them to do the same with each other
In God’s kingdom, we are to humble ourselves and be a servant
There is no room for pride and entitlement in his kingdom.

When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he was showing them how different it is in God’s kingdom as compared to the world around them. He explained to them how a servant is never greater than his Master and a messenger than the one who sent him. He was giving them a picture of how the power-hungry world is very different from God’s kingdom. Humility is the key difference in these two warring kingdoms. In the world system, power is what runs it. In God’s system, love is the driving force that brings everything to Himself.
Competition is usually an offshoot of the corrupted world we live in. In God’s economy, there is no room for striving against who is better or best. He sees us all differently but we all have one common thing: we are made all in God’s image. Humility is the solution to combat this power-hungry world. Jesus sampled that humility when he became flesh.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think humility is a novelty in this world we live in?