December 29
________________________________________
INFINITE VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST AS SAVIOR
A poem by ILMA
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord
I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith
We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us and not in human effort
Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own labors, I have even more!
I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin
a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees
These religious group demands the strictest obedience to the Jewish law
I harshly persecuted the church and as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless
Because of what Christ has done for us, everything else is worthless
Nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as trash.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law
Instead, I become righteous through faith in Christ and knowing him
I want to experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead
I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that I can be resurrected.
________________________________________
MEMORY VERSE
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. – Philippians 3:7-8
Read: Philippians 3:1-11
Before I was born again in Christ, I engaged in doing so much effort on my own flesh. I was misled by religion to think that I can contribute good works to add to my salvation. I didn’t live in grace and in knowing that the work is finished on the cross when Christ died.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why do some believers think that they can add to the finished work of the cross?
Tag Archives: cross of Christ
TRUE PERFECTION Poem Devotional
December 2________________________________________
For by one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
–Hebrews 10:14(NLT)
TRUE PERFECTION
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you find yourself wanting to be perfect always?
Do you continuously want to show off your best?
True perfection comes only from the greatest sacrifice
It is through Christ’s death that we receive our prize.
We were made perfect by his blood on the cross
It cleansed us of our sins and brought back the lost
True perfection is manifested in following Christ
It is the only way we can be perfect and have new life.
________________________________________
Being a perfectionist can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. The world views perfection very differently from God’s point of view. We are bombarded with so much ideas of being perfect through media. Sometimes, the standard of the world becomes very cruel to someone who doesn’t actually exhibit visual perfection. I used to be a perfectionist and it did me some good but it caused more harm in my relationships than good. I became very demanding and judgmental when others couldn’t live up to my expectations. I was trivial because all I cared was the details and not the real essence of someone or something.
The bible tells us that there is only one kind of perfection that we need to be concerned about. It is perfecting ourselves by following the example that Christ left for us to emulate.
PRAYER
Lord, teach me to be perfect in love.
REFLECTION
How can you contribute in perfecting this world according to God’s truth?
________________________________________
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTSTUDIO@gmail.com
HIGH PRICE OF FREEDOM Poem Devotional
May 23
________________________________________
God paid a high price for you so you won’t be enslaved by the world.
-1 Corinthians 7:23 (NLT)
HIGH PRICE OF FREEDOM
A poem and essay by ILMA
Can you imagine being constantly chased?
Relaxing is not something you can face
What if you are addicted to something?
Do you not constantly crave for that thing?
God paid a high price for you so you will be free
He doesn’t want you enslaved and not see
The world can corrupt you and entice you to sin
If you don’t obey God’s commands, you will find ruin.
________________________________________
Many years of my life was spent running from something. I didn’t even know what I was running from. I was enslaved by my pursuit of human love, affection and attention. Anything or anyone that would compromise my ability to pursue these needs, I ran as fast as I could from them. Seeking for approval and doing things so I could fill in the emptiness I felt inside for many years became my coping mechanism. I mastered it so much that I actually believed so many lies resulting from the lack of love in my life. For over four decades, I was a slave to “busy”ness just to avoid confronting my loneliness and emptiness. It made me view life out of proportion because I didn’t focus on the cross of Christ. Now I know that God paid a high price for my freedom.
PRAYER
Thank you for the sacrifice on the cross, Lord.
REFLECTION
What would you sacrifice in order to maintain your freedom.
________________________________________
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS Poem Devotional
February 15
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction. But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
–1 Corinthians 1:18(NLT)
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS
A poem and essay by ILMA
What is the message of the cross?
Has it been in your heart and embossed?
The meaning of the cross is foolish to the wicked
They choose to head for destruction instead.
For the believer, it is the very power of God
It is the symbol of His absolute love
The cross is Christ who loves us and gave
It is the only act of love that we can rave.
Some Christians do not really comprehend the depth of the meaning of the cross. They do not realize that it was the cross that freed them from debt and death. I didn’t fully understand the message of the cross, until a few years back when God revealed to me that I didn’t have to do anything to save myself. The sacrifice of Christ’s life on the cross was fulfilled according to Scriptures many years after it was prophesied by many generations before Christ was born.
For those who choose to live in their sinful nature, the message of the cross is foolish but for those who are being saved, they know that it is the very power of God.
PRAYER
Lord, keep me focused on the cross.
REFLECTION
What has the cross freed you from?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s Poem Devotionals, or go to www.ilmaarts.com or to receive emails of the poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com
HARVEST OF GOOD DEEDS Poem Devotional
January 4
You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. – Romans 7:4 (NLT)
HARVEST OF GOOD DEEDS
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you believed in Christ
He has made you right
You died to the power of the law
Because of this, He will make you grow.
God wants you to walk in love
That’s what Jesus died for us to have
We can produce a harvest of good deeds
That was what the sacrifice on the cross did.
Do you ever wonder what Christians would be without the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? We would probably still be going around in circles trying to take away the sins we inherited on our own. We would always be striving to be good and yet have no progress in our effort.
The bible says that we have died to the power of the law when Christ died. When he was raised from the dead, we were also raised and as a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. In other words, we won’t have victory in this life without the sacrifice on the cross. Jesus paid the price for our sins.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to focus on the cross.
REFLECTION
What good deeds have you harvested as a result of Christ’s sacrifice?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s Poem Devotionals, or go to www.ilmaarts.com or to receive emails of the poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com