GRATEFUL FOR GRACE

December 11
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Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words. -2 Corinthians 9:15(NLT)
GRATEFUL FOR GRACE
A poem and essay by ILMA
Have you ever received an undeserved gift?
Christ gave you grace even if it doesn’t seem fit
He sacrificed his life for you and died for your sins
Did you thank him for what he did so you can be free?
The gift of grace is too wonderful for words
Only the righteous can overcome this world
The holy people of God are forever grateful
Follow Jesus’ way and you will learn to be faithful.
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Have you ever been speechless from someone giving you something or doing some acts of kindness to you? When I got divorced from my first husband who was abusive, it was very difficult to go through the motions of finding a new place to move into. I was new in Canada and my 16-year old son was joining me soon. A group of men from a church in the town I lived helped single mothers to move out. They provided for the extra hands to lift the pieces of furniture. I wasn’t a born again Christian then when they helped me. What was so overwhelming was when they prayed in a circle before they started moving out my things from my old house and prayed again to bless me and my son after. What grace God has given me through these people.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for the undeserved favor you have given me.
REFLECTION
What does thankfulness do to you and to others?
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

UNGRATEFUL Poem devotional

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March 24________________________________________
I trained them and made them strong, yet now they plot evil against me. They look everywhere except to the Most High. – Hosea 7:15-16(NLT)
UNGRATEFUL
A poem and essay by ILMA
Look around you and see how much blessings you got?
The enemy doesn’t want you to see it, that’s his plot
You were freed from sin when Jesus died on the cross
He gave you life so you won’t go astray or be lost.
Are you giving the Lord tribute for all his gifts?
Do you get consumed by life or do you always seek him?
Be thankful for every little thing you have received
It will please the Lord if you continue to praise and believe.
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Don’t you find it offensive if someone you have mentored and developed into a skilled person is actually plotting evil against you? They never give you credit, instead they ignore you. This is exactly the case of God against the Israelites. He brought them to the Promised Land and delivered them from harm and the Egyptians, yet, they turned against him and never thanked him for all that he did for them. If you are a parent, you could probably sympathize with God’s reaction. In fact, parents often pose very high expectations on their children and assume that they will be grateful for all the things they do for them. So, why can’t we give the same gratitude to God?
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PRAYER
Lord, always convict me when I forget to thank you.
REFLECTION
How can gratitude change a person’s attitude?
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

UNGRACIOUS Poem Devotional

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March 23________________________________________
I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t’ know or even care that it was I who took care of him. -Hosea 11:3(NLT)
UNGRACIOUS
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you someone who is thankful?
Are you gracious enough to be grateful?
The Lord God gave us much blessings
Do we take time to give him thanksgiving?
When we do not care about his faithfulness
We will miss out on his gift of fruitfulness
Don’t be ungracious for he has given us all
Ingratitude will lead us to constantly fall.
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Gracious is defined as courteous, kind and pleasant. The opposite of being gracious is an entitled attitude, tactless and rude. How do you react to ungrateful and tactless people? Don’t you just want to stay away from them? You would on the other hand always want to be with gracious and kind people, won’t you?
When I became a born again Christian, God replaced all whiny and entitled people in my life with a bounty of gracious Christians. It is just such a joy to be with those who do not live in resistance and conflicts. Ingratitude can usually be detected easily. Ungrateful people live very difficult lives and don’t have much blessings. They live bitter lives and always want to take control. The Lord calls us to be gracious and grateful because it hurts him when we are uncaring.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for giving me a heart like yours.
REFLECTION
How can you live a grateful life?
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

GIVING CREDIT TO GOD Poem Devotional

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June 16
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It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
-Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
GIVING CREDIT TO GOD
A poem and essay by ILMA
Are you able to achieve the things you dream about?
Do you give credit to God by opening your mouth?
Speak to others what he has done in your life
It will give him glory and will bring you light.
It is God who works in you to will and act accordingly
Without him, you won’t be able to do things righteously
He is the only reason why you have life and blessings
He alone must be given praise for his goodness and mercy.
________________________________________I volunteered to help in curating an exhibit for an art contest where I live in. Because I had many years of curating experiences, I thought that I could do the town a favor by helping. They only had one day of set up for about 100 paintings in a very small room at the town library. I came in early to help and saved them about an estimate of four hours work because they needed to open the show that same day. To my surprise, when acknowledgements were mentioned, the two people I helped took credit for my work.
The bible tells us that it is God who gave us the will to act according to his good purpose. Without it, we can’t do good.
PRAYER
Lord, please let me always give you praise for what you do for me.
REFLECTION
Why is it important to give God the credit in everything?
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