Author Archives: ilmaarts

PROVERBS 3 HOW TO PROLONG YOUR LIFE

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September 7

PROVERBS 3

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good successin the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your fleshand refreshment to your bones.

                                                                     – Proverbs 3:1-8

PROVERBS 3 HOW TO PROLONG YOUR LIFE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you want to add days and years to your life

Do not forget the truth from God’s words and his laws

Never allow love and faithfulness to leave you

Trust always in the Lord with all your heart and soul

Do not rely on your own understanding, be renewed by his word

When you follow all his commands, your life will be prolonged.

Many people think that they can control the length of their lives. Solomon tells us the secrets to a long life in these following verses from his wise sayings. He says that it is important for us to keep God’s laws in our hearts and follow them faithfully. He also says that we must walk in love and be devoted to the Lord. One of the most interesting pieces of advice he said in this book is that we must never trust our own understanding and that we must always look up to the Lord for he alone can guide us towards the right path.

The fear of the Lord is another key ingredient to prolong our lives. When we revere and acknowledge God in all our ways, we will automatically turn away from evil. Our wounds get healed and our hearts are refreshed.

REFLECTION

  • How is the world’s formula for prolonging life different from God’s view?

PROVERBS 2 WISDOM DELIVERS YOU FROM IMMORALITY

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PROVERBS 2 WISDOM DELIVERS YOU FROM IMMORALITY

September 6

PROVERBS 2

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
    from the adulteresswith her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
    and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.– Proverbs 2:16-22

PROVERBS 2 WISDOM DELIVERS YOU FROM IMMORALITY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you heed the truth that only comes from the word of God

You will be delivered from any immorality who will deceive you

The truth will always expose any evildoing that will come your way

It will ensure your path will be the way of the upright and just

Why would Solomon caution young men from the forbidden women? These women represent seductresses and anyone who follows immorality. We could still get some wisdom from taking this wise saying even if we are not young men. This could be good advice for those who are new in the faith. They ought to be in the word of God so that they can be wary of these traps that Satan uses to lure us from false teachings and from following the corrupt ways of the world.

REFLECTION

  • How should believers take this advice in terms of being warned staying away from immoral women or persons?

PROVERBS 2 WISDOM PROTECTS US FROM EVIL

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September 5

PROVERBS 2

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways. – Proverbs 2:9-15

PROVERBS 2 WISDOM PROTECTS US FROM EVIL

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Whenever we seek wisdom from God’s truth

It leads us to discern and understand what is true

The absolute source of wisdom is the Lord God himself

He gives us his word so we can embrace light and forsake darkness

When we seek God’s word, we begin to see the lures of the devil

It protects us from being ensnared and helps us see the enemy’s tactics.

Many people sin because they have not pursued wisdom. By nature, we are sinful and corrupt. We cannot change our tendencies to sin by relying on our own understanding. In the past, when I didn’t truly know the Lord, I used to think that I could pursue human knowledge and solve all my problems myself. I didn’t understand that the source of knowledge was God himself. I got entangled with the darkness of this world and believed all the lies that the systems of this world offered. Culture, traditions and generational beliefs became my go to. It wasn’t until the Lord gave me that desire to hunger for his word, that all the lies I was born into got exposed through his truth. I was freed.

REFLECTION

  • Share an incident where wisdom saved you from sin.

PROVERBS 2 ON TREASURING GOD’S WORD AND HIS LAWS

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September 4

PROVERBS 2

My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
    and watching over the way of his saints. – Proverbs 2:1-8

PROVERBS 2 ON TREASURING GOD’S WORD AND HIS LAWS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When one accepts the laws of the Lord and follows it

They are inclined to be attentive to wisdom and insights

If you search for “understanding” like it is a hidden treasure

Then you will come to know God and begin to fear him.

Treasuring God’s word and his laws brings promises. In verse 5, the promise of understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God is one of those benefits that a truth seeker will receive. In verse 6, God promises wisdom in such a way that they will be able to speak wisely and understand his truth. In verse 7, his promise to enrich the righteous with lots of sound wisdom and integrity. In verse 8, God promises protection and justice and guidance to all those who live uprightly. So, how come some Christians fail to treasure God’s word and his laws as if it were a prized possession? We live in a corrupt world where we are in constant battle with our own flesh and the devil.

REFLECTION

  • Share the ways you manifest treasuring God’s laws and his word.

PROVERBS 1 WHEN ONE HATES KNOWLEDGE

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September 3

PROVERBS 1

27 when terror strikes you like a storm
    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
    and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
    and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
    and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”– Proverbs 1:27-33

PROVERBS 1 WHEN ONE HATES KNOWLEDGE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When one defies wisdom and embraces the ways of the wicked

Anxiety and distress are not far from their lives; it imprisons them

Because they hate knowledge and did not choose to revere the Lord

They won’t have fruitful lives but will be destroyed by the ways of the world.

In this book of Proverbs, Solomon continues to warn us of the consequences of not heeding the call of wisdom in our lives. He mentions that anxiety and distress will be constant visitors in those who do not heed such wise counsel. As a result of hating knowledge and not fearing the Lord, they will be left on their own foolishness and be destroyed by such rebellion against wisdom. Verse 32 points out that those who do not heed wisdom will be killed and those who are complacent will be destroyed. It sounds harsh but it is true that the foolish will never produce any good outcome because they refuse to see the good. On the other hand, the wise will be secure and safe.

REFLECTION

  • Share someone you know who defied knowledge and its outcome in their lives.

PROVERBS 1 WISDOM CRIES OUT

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September 2

PROVERBS 1

20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof, behold,

 I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,

                                                                – Proverbs 1:20-26

PROVERBS 1 WISDOM CRIES OUT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord announces his wisdom by giving us his words

He cries it out loud so all people can navigate this world

He pours out his Spirit so we can be able to walk in love and truth

He wants us to allow all things written in his word to take root in us.

It is interesting how Solomon personified “wisdom” as a woman in this chapter. It is like a woman who is so concerned for her people and constantly warning them to follow what is good for them. In the following verses, especially in verse 23-26, the “wisdom” is like a very caring mother warning her children to follow her instructions and advice.

Why does Solomon talk about wisdom’s voice out loud in the markets, noisy streets, city gates entrances? According to bibleref.com the reason for staging this image in the marketplace is visibility. The market is a crowded, public area, one where everyone in the community needs to go. In other words, Solomon is suggesting that wisdom is accessible to anyone and everyone who actually wants it. And, because she “cries aloud” and “raises her voice” in a public place, even those who aren’t specifically seeking her are going to encounter her, at least by accident. Wisdom does not hide itself. It is clear and present. Even those who don’t seek wisdom will stumble into it, at times. The only way to completely avoid wisdom is to purposefully ignore it.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think some people ignore wisdom when it’s available to all?

PROVERBS 1 ON OBEYING YOUR PARENTS

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Sept 1

PROVERBS 1

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil,  and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

 it takes away the life of its possessors. – Proverbs 1:8-19

PROVERBS 1 ON OBEYING YOUR PARENTS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord God assigned parents to give you life

He chose your father and mother according to his plan

Obey your father’s instruction and neglect not your mother’s teaching

If you follow their guidance and honor them, you will live a long life.

The only command with a promise is the fifth commandment stated in Exodus 20:12. Why do you think God commands us to obey and honor our parents? What if they are neglectful and abusive or unhealthy? When God assigned parents to us, he already knew what to become of us. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘”-Jeremiah 29:11. You may wonder why God allows bad things to happen to a child when parents are not responsible and not bringing up their children in love. God knows all this and he can change the hearts of anyone or use the bad things for good. Verse 9 says they are graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think God wants us to obey and honor our parents?

PROVERBS 1 THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

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August 31

PROVERBS 1

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

                                                         – Proverbs 1:1-7

PROVERBS 1 THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Every form of knowledge and wisdom is from the Lord

No one can claim that they are wise when they don’t know God

God is the giver of life and only though him can we receive wisdom

Without the fear of the Lord, we will be foolish, ignorant and dumb.

In our current information age, many people assume that gathering and having information is enough for them to navigate this corrupt world. Sadly, this is a big lie. Having information isn’t the same as knowledge and wisdom. In the book of James, he mentions that we cannot just be hearers of the word, but we must also be doers of the word too. What good is it to have knowledge and not put it into use?

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon gives us the source of wisdom. It is the fear of the Lord that begins wisdom. In other words, those who do not know God may never experience wisdom. They may have head knowledge of something, but they do not know absolute truth which only comes from believing that God is the source of all things. He is wisdom himself, so, if we acknowledge and believe and serve him, we automatically become wise.

REFLECTION

  • What do you think is the difference between being intelligent and being wise?

EXODUS 36 GOD PROVIDES THOSE WHO SUPPORT HIS KINGDOM

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August 30

EXODUS 36

25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold

                                                                   – Exodus 36:25-34

EXODUS 36 GOD PROVIDES THOSE WHO SUPPORT HIS KINGDOM

According to the inspired scriptures.com website, the symbolism of the building supports the Tabernacle in the context of giving is that each aspect of the support system pointed toward Jesus. The acacia wood symbolized His incorruptible body (Ps. 16:10(b); Acts 13:35). The gold symbolized His divinity, which makes our salvation possible (Jo. 1:1, 14; 3:16). The silver symbolizes redemption (Matt. 26:14-16). It is only through Jesus that our redemption is possible. The bronze symbolizes judgment (Ex. 38:2; Rev. 1:15; Rom. 16:20). He bore the judgment for each believer (2 Cor. 5:21; John 1:29; Acts 3:19; 1 John 2:2). He is the boards and the sockets which hold the Church together. He is also the veil or door which leads into the Tabernacle and fellowship with both Jesus and the Church in heaven (Jo. 14:6). When God’s people generously gave to build the tabernacle, God will provide for all those who supported to build his kingdom. All the materials he required to be used for frames and supports for the tabernacle were very specific. It symbolized how God’s provision for all those who contributed in building his kingdom were going to have stability and firm foundation. All these materials pointed to Jesus. He is the firm foundation that we need to anchor our lives on so that we will have that stability we need to navigate the very corrupt world we live in. God wants us to anchor our whole existence on Jesus.

REFLECTION

  • Share a time when God blessed you more than what you offered for his church.

EXODUS 36 CURTAINS FOR THE TABERNACLE

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August 29

EXODUS 36

14 He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. 19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.

20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. – Exodus 36:14-24

EXODUS 36 CURTAINS FOR THE TABERNACLE

In Genesis 27:11,15;37:31-34;1 Sam.19:12-17, they talk about the goat skin symbolizes sin. During Atonement Day, the high priest cast the sins of the nations upon a goat and drove it away as Lev.16:10,20-22 indicated. This account foreshadows our Lord Jesus Christ who cast our sins away as 2 Cor. 5:21 says: Like the goat, he will carry away our sin. “The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29; Acts 3:19;1 John 2:2).

According to inspiredscriptures.com, the fact that there are 50 bronze clasps signifies the freedom from judgment that comes from Christ’s completed work on the cross. In Romans 8:1, we are no longer condemned because of our sins since they were already taken away by Jesus’ death on the cross. In Hebrews 8:12, God even promised that he will forget your sins.

The rams’ skins dyed red symbolized the substitution of guilt that is made for every believer. According to Matthew Henry, the shelter and special protection that the church is under are signified by the curtains of hair-cloth, which were spread over the tabernacle and the coverings of ram skins and badger skins over them. God has provided for his people a shadow from the heat and a covert from storm and rain which Isa.4:6 mentions.

REFLECTION

  • Share a time when God covered you in his protection.