June 1
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JOB: A MAN OF INTEGRITY
A poem by ILMA
There was once a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz
He was blameless- a man of complete integrity and honor
He feared God and stayed away from all kinds of evil
He had seven sons and also had three daughters.
He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen.
He also had 500 female donkeys and many servants
He was in fact the richest person in that entire area
Job’s son took turns to hold feasts including their sisters.
When these celebrations of Job’s children end after several days
Job would purify his children, get up early morning for offering
He offered a burnt offering for each of them to cleanse them
It was his regular practice so that they will be right in God’s sight.
One day, God and the member of his heavenly court met and Satan came
God asked where he was and he said he’d been watching over the earth
God asked Satan if he noticed Job who was full of integrity and blameless
Satan challenged God that if he was stripped off his riches, he will do evil.
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MEMORY VERSE
Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. – Job 1:9-10
Read: Job 1
This man Job sounds like a fairy tale good person. It almost didn’t look real because he was living in so much comfort and wealth. The only difference with other characters in real life is how much he wants to stay uncorrupted by the world. It is interesting how God boasts about this blameless man who is full of integrity.
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REFLECTION
• Do you think that God boasts about you when you live a pure and blameless life?
• What separates a righteous and an evil person? Don’t they both sin?
Tag Archives: honesty
A LIFE OF INTEGRITY
September 20
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Joyful are those who obey the laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil and they walk only in his paths. – Psalm 119:2-3(NLT)
A LIFE OF INTEGRITY
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you live a life of honesty
You will experience God’s victory
Joyful are those who search for Christ
They turn away from evil in their lives.
Those who keep their hearts pure
Do not easily cave in to the devil’s lure
A life of integrity is what God wants for you
Never compromise and let your mind be renewed.
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There were many decades of my life that I compromised my relationship with God. I chose my will over his. I lived chasing my own dreams and set him aside. I prioritized my plans and schemes and never consulted him. I wasn’t honest and brave enough to face the consequences of my wrong choices which eventually led to more sins. I did things that wasn’t becoming of a child of God. I thank God that we have a very understanding and merciful father. The bible tells us that when we truly love the Lord, we will search for him and his word. We will choose to do what his word says for our own sake and for him to be able to fulfill his will in our own lives. When we walk in love, we receive joy.
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PRAYER
Lord, thank you for loving us even though we sometimes compromise our relationship with you.
REFLECTION
In what ways have you compromised your faith in Jesus?
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
RESULT OF OBEDIENCE Poem devotional
September 19
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Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. – Psalm 119:1(NLT)
RESULT OF OBEDIENCE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you follow the Lord’s commands
You will not be overwhelmed by life’s demands
Those who live a life of integrity
They will have joy even in adversity.
When you follow the ways of Jesus Christ
There is peace that will envelope your life
Follow the instructions of the Lord
It will please him and bring him laud.
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Baker’s Evangelical dictionary defines “joy” as happiness over an unanticipated or present good. It is “sama” in Hebrew and covers a wide range of human experiences from sexual love, to marriage, to birth of children, the gathering of harvest, military victory or drinking wine. On the spiritual level it refers to the extreme happiness with which the believer contemplates salvation and the bliss of the afterlife.
Do you have joy in your heart? How do we know if we have it? I used to think that I have the joy of the Lord, but I only had fleeting happiness when I achieve the goal I set for myself. As the spiritual joy was mentioned in the definition by the Evangelical dictionary, it is an extreme happiness that is expecting always the bliss of eternal life which will be granted to those who love the Lord. When you follow God’s word, you will experience joy.
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PRAYER
Lord, grant me the gift of joy. You promised it as one of your Spirit’s fruits.
REFLECTION
How can we gauge that we have the joy of the Lord?
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
REFLECTING INTEGRITY Poem Devotional
August 29
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And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. -Titus 2:7(NLT)
REFLECTING INTEGRITY
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you committed your life to Christ
You ought to reflect his character in your life
You yourself must follow what he modeled
Take the word and apply it and you’ll find favor.
Let the truth prevail by living it faithfully
It will show your love and loyalty
Reflect a life full of integrity and humility
Then you will be a light to all of humanity.
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The definition of the word integrity that struck me most is “the state of being whole and undivided.” If you take the opposite of integrity, it would be dishonesty. If we look again at what integrity means, therefore we can say that a dishonest person is not whole and is divided. Isn’t this so true? We were made in God’s image and when we do dishonest things, it is not our default setting. Paul talks to Titus in this verse how integrity is fundamental in a Christian’s life. If we do not have it, we will be shattered to pieces. The enemy will have a feast on continually working on defeating us. This is why the bible always tells us to guard our hearts. We ought to follow the example of Jesus life of integrity.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me always embrace a life of honesty.
REFLECTION
What do you think causes a person to lose integrity?
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
DISHONESTY TEST Poem Devotional
April 10________________________________________
If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. – Luke 16:10(NLT)
DISHONESTY TEST
A poem and essay by ILMA
What occupies your heart and mind?
Do you feed on God’s word or are you blind?
Do you do good only when someone is watching?
Are you honest to always choose the right thing?
Your trustworthiness can be tested in little things
So does deceit show also in bigger responsibilities
Live a life full of integrity and you will thrive
Continue to live in lies and you will surely die.
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East Anglia research on honesty found that people’s honesty varies significantly between countries. The study examined whether people from different countries were more or less honest and how this related to a country’s economic development. More than 1500 participants from Brazil, China, Greece, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, Argentina, Denmark, the United Kingdom, India, Portugal, South Africa, and South Korea – were chosen to provide a mix of regions, levels of development and levels of social trust. The four least honest countries resulting from their quiz were China, Japan, South Korea and India.
The bible tells us that the test for integrity is in little things. If one is honest in little things, they will also be honest in large ones and in bigger responsibilities.
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PRAYER
Lord, convict me when I compromise my integrity.
REFLECTION
Why do you think some people choose dishonesty over integrity?
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
HOLD ON TO INTEGRITY Poem Devotional
January 22________________________________________
Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich. – Proverbs 28:6(NLT)
HOLD ON TO INTEGRITY
A poem and essay by ILMA
Those who gain wealth by dishonest means
They will lose their riches and continually sin
Better to be poor than cheat your way to prosperity
God blesses those who are pure and full of integrity.
Do not ever compromise your dignity by cheating
It opens the door for you to be constantly sinning
Choose to be pure in God’s righteousness
It will keep you on track to focus on God’s goodness.
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There are many people who compromise their beliefs just to be rich. Money in itself is not bad but the love for money is the root of all evil (1Timothy 6:10). The world has tainted our priorities by making us desire and long for more.
In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar confronted of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were friends of Daniel for not bowing to his god. They were tied up and thrown into the blazing furnace, but God saved these three faithful servant of his and showed the king a miracle. He saved the three so change Nebuchadnezzar’s heart. Because these three Christians held on to their integrity, God blessed and protected them. The same happened with Daniel in chapter 6 when the people tested the king’s rule about Daniel having a different God. Daniel was also saved from the lion.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me pure and righteous for you.
REFLECTION
How did God show his faithfulness to those who are faithful in the story of Daniel and his friends.
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
BE A GOOD WORKER Poem Devotional
December 8
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Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. -2 Timothy 2:15(NLT)
BE A GOOD WORKER
A poem and essay by ILMA
Do you do your best in everything you do?
Work hard to be righteous and seek what is true
Present yourself to God so you can be approved by him
Don’t be tempted to be slack, be diligent so you can win.
A good worker consults with God’s truth always
He seeks God first in all things and obey his ways
He is bold to declare his love for the Lord
He is not easily swayed by this corrupt world.
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In this day and age, it is a novelty to find a good worker. Those who work in the offices sometimes come to work late and leave early. Some do not give their best in performing their duties and responsibilities. Some are not totally honest. When the boss isn’t around, they would do their personal stuff in the computers or talk on the phone or with their co-workers during work hours.
We are asked to work hard in such a way that we can be approved by God. Work as if God is your employer. Work with integrity and live by the truth in God’s word.
PRAYER
Lord, help us to remember to do things for you always even if we work for others.
REFLECTION
Why is integrity and honesty in the workplace a rarity in our world today?
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
RESPOND TO GOD’S PROMISES Poem Devotional
August 27
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Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge. -2Peter 1:5(NLT)
RESPOND TO GOD’S PROMISES
A poem and essay by ILMA
God promised to be there for you always
Do you even follow his word and what he says?
There are numerous promises he has given
What is your response to the call of heaven?
Make every effort to respond to God’s promises
Supplement your faith with moral excellence
Look forward to all the things that he is giving
Open your heart so you can keep receiving.
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Every child gets excited when they are given a promise. I remember when I was a child and my mother would take us out on picnics with my cousins and aunts. I couldn’t sleep when I know that we would be spending time with my mom because she was always busy. It was a novelty to be given time to spend with her. I will be counting the days when that promise will materialize. Most of my waiting time will be imagining that day is already happening.
We are asked in the bible to supplement our faith with a generous provision of moral excellence and with knowledge. If you were to count the numerous promises of God to you, wouldn’t you be as excited as a child to wait for it to happen and receive these promises?
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for all the many promises you gave us.
REFLECTION
How do you respond to God’s promises?
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