October 11
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PHILEMON 1
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. – Philemon 1:17-25
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PHILEMON 1 ON FORGIVENESS AND EQUALITY
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When you have been hurt by someone you trusted
It may be hard to forgive and forget what happened
The Lord taught us to forgive and to pray for those who wronged us
Humanly, it isn’t possible to grant forgiveness but with God, we can give grace
The mercy he bestows on us is enough for us to give it to others as well
Let us remember how we were forgiven so we can also give it easily.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are expected to show no partiality
To give preference to others and treat some with biases is ungodly
No matter the status of someone, we ought to give respect to everyone
Just as the Lord treated others with kindness, we also have to be compassionate
When we show partiality, we have made distinctions and become judges
Let us all love one another especially those who are in the household of God.
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REFLECTION
• Why would Paul go out of his way to ask forgiveness to Philemon for the sake of Onesimus? What does he manifest by doing this?
• Do you think that Paul began the breaking down of slavery in this short letter to Philemon? Why or why not?
Tag Archives: ILMA BARAYGA-DOHERTY
PSALM 69 SAVE ME FROM MY ENEMIES AND MY FOLLY
November 3
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PSALM 69 SAVE ME FROM MY ENEMIES AND MY FOLLY
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
4 More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal must I now restore? 5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.
9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
– Psalm 69:1-12
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A poem inspired by this psalm by ILMA
O my God, save me from my own folly and from my enemies
I am overwhelmed by all their attacks, Lord, help me
Forgive me for all my transgressions and weaknesses
I need your deliverance from all that keeps me in distress
Let not all those whom the enemy uses prosper
Equip me with your grace, give me courage
Save me from all those who plot evil schemes
Let me never succumb to my nature so I can avoid sin.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important to come to the throne of God when the enemy attacks us?
• What did David mean in verse 6? Why did you think he said this?
POWER OF MORE THAN ONE Poem Devotional
September 10
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POWER OF MORE THAN ONE
A poem by ILMA
Another example of something meaningless under the sun is being all alone
He is without a child or a brother but works hard to be as rich as he can
He asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why do I give up pleasures?
It doesn’t make sense; It is all so meaningless and depressing.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed
If one person falls, someone is there to help the other
But someone who falls alone is in real trouble, they can’t get help
They end up suffering more since there is no one to support them.
Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm
But how can one be warm alone? They will find it hard to stay heated
A person standing alone can be defeated but two can stand back-to-back
Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
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MEMORY VERSE
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.
– Ecclesiastes 4:9
Read: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
In these following verses, we see another futile and meaningless thing to do. Being alone and isolated is worthless. There is nothing more pathetic than to be all alone and not connect or be able to reach out and be with others. Isolation is the tool of the enemy to keep us away from others so that we will become more self-focused and self-absorbed and indulgent. God didn’t design us to be alone. When we do this, we are destroying the image that he created us to be.
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REFLECTION
• How do you know if you are isolating yourself from others? What might be the reason behind such decision to keep yourself away from others?
• Why do you think many mental and psychological illnesses associated with isolation?
• What are the effects of being with others as opposed to being isolated?