March 10
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PSALM 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
– Psalm 121:1-7
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PSALM 121 THE LORD IS OUR KEEPER
A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
Doesn’t our help come from the Lord who made heaven and earth?
Trust in him alone, for he is our keeper and our deliverer
He provides for all our needs and watches over us always
He never lets us be overcome by evil and leads us to righteousness
Do not fear the enemy’s plots, tactics, schemes and attacks
He has promised protection to all those whom he loves
Remember what he has done in the time of Moses?
He will do the same for all those who serve him
Continue to press on for our keeper is faithful
He never lets his people make a habit of being sinful.
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REFLECTION
• How do you feel knowing that your keeper or guardian is actually the Lord himself who made heaven and earth?
Tag Archives: Christian blogs
PSALM 119 WHEN YOU MEDIATE ON GOD’S WORD & PROMISES
March 5
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PSALM 119
145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD!
I will keep your statutes.146 I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O LORD, according to your justice give me life.
150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.151 But you are near, O LORD,
and all your commandments are true.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have founded them forever.
– Psalm 119:145-152
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PSALM 119 WHEN YOU MEDIATE ON GOD’S WORD & PROMISES
A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
My mind and heart can be full of concerns with the world
O Lord, grant me a constant longing to meditate on your word
Hear my plea for deliverance from distractions and wickedness
Make your path straight before me so I will choose righteousness
Let me reflect and remember all your promises to those whom you love
Keep my anxiety minimal and change it to rely and constantly trust.
Give me wisdom to discern spirits and guide me to do what is right
Help me to exercise love and gentleness when things don’t seem bright
When I meditate on your word, I begin to understand what seems unclear
When I stand on your promises, I let go of despair and become hopeful
Come close to me Lord as I draw nearer to you each and every moment
Let me grow in the fear of you and in my reliance in your omnipotence.
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REFLECTION
• How often do you meditate on God’s word and his promises? Why is it essential to do this as a Christian?
PSALM 44 THROUGH GOD WE PUSH DOWN FOES
September 26
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PSALM 44 THROUGH GOD WE PUSH DOWN FOES
O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah– Psalm 44:1-8
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A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
Do you take credit for things that happen in your life?
Do you not know that every good thing is from God?
Have you not heard of the wondrous deeds the Lord has done?
He has delivered his afflicted people from the evil one
Do you remember how he set free his chosen people?
He led them out of Egypt into the land of milk and honey
It is not by their own strength that they were victorious
It was through God that they were able to push down their foes
Boast only of God’s work and never take credit for anything
He alone is able to do what’s impossible and can create all things
Praise the Lord who is the Almighty, all loving and merciful God
Without his steadfast love, it is unlikely that we can do good
Only through God’s mercy and grace that we can defeat the enemy
His love is unconditional and he delivers and save his chosen people.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think some people take credit for what only God can do?
PSALM 115 TO THE LORD BE ALL THE GLORY
March 13
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PSALM 115 TO THE LORD BE ALL THE GLORY
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
– Psalm 115:1-9
________________________________________THE FOLLY OF IDOLS by ILMA
To God, our Lord and Master be given all recognition
No other gods would be deserving of adoration
He made heaven and earth and all creatures on it
Without a doubt, we won’t have anything if not for him
Why would any man even think of making their idols?
It is futile to compete with a God who owns all things
How could man-made compare with divine creation?
It is pointless to even think of attempting competition
Though idols may look exemplary on the outside
They are hollow, empty and powerless on the inside
If you think that idols can make you be satisfied
What a lie it is to even think that it will gratify!
They may seem to meet your cravings for now
But it will only lead you to destruction and doom.
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REFLECTION
• What do idols represent in the heart of man? Why is it futile to hold on to idols?
GOD CHOSE THE FOOLISH, WEAK AND INSIGNIFICANT ILMA’S VLOG
June 29
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GOD CHOSE THE FOOLISH, WEAK AND INSIGNIFICANT
26 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God. 30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “LET THE ONE WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
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In this letter, Paul summons the believers to examine their calling. This letter encourages those who feel weak, foolish and those who feel insignificant. Paul is clearly addressing the problem of arrogance of those who are powerful and try to manipulate to rule the church. The weaker members of the body of Christ must have been discouraged by this power hungry and arrogant members. In this letter, Paul stresses the preference of God to choose the foolish, weak and insignificant. Why would God choose them instead of the elite, educated, rich and powerful? Remember the parable of the young rich man in Matthew19:16-22? A young rich man approached Jesus and asked what good deed must he do to have eternal life. Jesus corrects this young man because his concept of good by doing something to grant everlasting life is twisted. In verse 17, Jesus says there is only one who is good. Then Jesus told him to follow all the commands and the proud young man says that he has already done that. When Jesus finally told him, to sell all that he has and give it to the poor, the young man was so sad because he owned a lot. This is probably why it is hard for the rich, the powerful and the wise to let go of their attachments. They have too much to lose. Whereas the foolish, the weak and those that are insignificant have nothing more to lose. It is easier for them to receive the invitation of God to enter his kingdom. Paul further confronts the proud members of the church with their boasting because he reminds them that nothing they have comes from their own. Everything they have belongs to God, so what is the point of boasting? God did it all so why would they take credit for something they never did on their own? Once again, we see how Paul challenges the all member to care for one another especially the weak and vulnerable.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it dangerous to aim to be intelligent, strong and powerful, and important?
ON FALSE TEACHINGS AND DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES
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June 18
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ON FALSE TEACHINGS AND DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES
But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. – 2 Peter 2:1-3
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In this letter, Peter warns the believers of what is going to come in the church and the Christian community. He tells them about being infiltrated by false prophets and false teachers whose purpose is to mislead people from following truth. Peter brings this prophecy to the followers of Jesus so they will be prepared when these kinds of people inch their way into body of believers.
Peter paints a picture of what is going to happen when these heretics come into the churches and bring havoc to the people of God. He exposes their tactics and what will eventually happen as such:
• These false teachers and false prophets will deceivingly get in the churches without the people being aware of them – getting into the sheepfold stealthily will create more damage to the followers of Christ.
• Their main goal is to weaken the unity and purity of the believers by introducing destructive heresies and create confusion and chaos in the body.
• They will persuade the people to deny Christ as their Master in order for them to manipulate and control them leading to their destruction.
• Many will fall into the traps that these heretics will present such as indecent behavior which will lead to the malignment of truth.
• In their greed, they will exploit and manipulate God’s people with lies and false teachings which are devised so cleverly that may not be so clearly seen until the believers have already fallen into their traps.
Despite all these schemes that the devil plans, Peter reminds the believers in verse 3 that they shouldn’t be discouraged because they serve a God who will not let evil unpunished. He is not asleep and he is a God who is just and will surely bring destruction to such wickedness and protect his people.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to know how the enemy works as prophesied by Peter here?