January 5
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OUR EYES LOOK TO THE LORD
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud. – Psalm 123
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The ESV student study bible notes on Psalm 123 says that this is a community lament. The faithful pilgrims feel themselves to be the objects of scorn and contempt. The psalm goes beyond simply asking for a safe journey. It seeks relief from the scorn. We, believers need to constantly fix our eyes on Jesus so that nothing in this world, not even contempt or scorn will derail us from the narrow path to him who is the way, the truth and the life.
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ADORATION: You are the source of all wisdom and power. I praise and laud you my Almighty Lord and Savior. I love you with as much love I can give. I worship you with all my heart, mind, soul and body.
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I succumb to pitying or defending myself from being belittled, insulted or rejected and judged. Let me allow you to fight my battles. Let me remember to be like a child, always holding your hands and letting me be led by you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all that you have given me. Do not let any of these gifts be a distraction in my close walk with you. Help me remember the Giver rather than the gift.
SUPPLICATION: Bless me with all the diligence and persistence I need so that I can focus on you, especially in times of trouble. Let me rejoice in times of peace and exult you always.
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REFLECTION
• What do you think God feels when we run to him when we are being ridiculed, rejected or abused?
• Why is the act of running to God for help important for Christians?
Tag Archives: ILMA’s poem devotional ILMA ARTS STUDIO
ADULTERERS Poem Devotional
November 26
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ADULTERERS
A poem by ILMA
What causes conflicts and arguments among people?
Don’t they stem from selfish desires at war inside of you?
You want what you don’t have so you scheme for it
Because of envy, you obsess to have it no matter what it takes.
You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God
And when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong
You desire only what will give you pleasure and don’t care how you get it
Don’t you realize that you are consumed by worldly cravings and desires?
You adulterers! Friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God
If you want to be a friend of the world then you are not a servant of the Lord
God opposes the proud but blesses and gives grace to all those who are humble
So be humble before God, avoid the devil and he will run away from you.
Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided
You can’t serve the Lord and also cater to your own selfish desires
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor
He blesses those who are obedient and constantly faithful.
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MEMORY VERSE
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God – James 4:4
Read: James 4:1-10
This warning of James is something that all believers should take seriously. We need to be focused on God’s truth and commands. When we aim to get what we want, we become friends with the world and enemies of God. Stay humble and pure and you will be able to resist the devil and be victorious in this spiritual battle.
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REFLECTION
• Why did James call unfaithful believers as adulterers?
WORSHIP IN HEAVEN Poem Devotional
November 17
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WORSHIP IN HEAVEN
A poem by ILMA
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven
The same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast
It said “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
Instantly I was in the Spirit, and saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.
The one sitting on it was as brilliant as jasper and carnelian
From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder
And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames
This is the sevenfold Spirit of God; in the throne was a shiny sea of crystal.
Around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes
The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second, an ox
The third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight
Each of these living beings had six wings, and kept on saying
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, honor and power
For you created all things, and they exist for you created what you pleased.”
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MEMORY VERSE
And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.
– Revelations 4:2
Read: Revelation 4
This account of John the apostle gave us a vivid picture of what worship in heaven looked like. What a sight! It clearly gave us an illustration of the things we will witness in heaven, how everything will give praise, glory and honor to the Almighty and one and only God.
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REFLECTION
• After the picture of true worship in heaven was described here in Revelation, how can you be constantly expectant of this hope of the glory to come?
WHEN HARMONY PREVAILS Poem Devotional
November 10________________________________________
How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
– Psalm 133:1(NLT)
WHEN HARMONY PREVAILS
A poem and essay by ILMA
As people choose to live in peace
They will start to see its benefit
When someone follow God’s word
They’ll have a weapon against this world.
As a believer gets deeper into his relationship
He will grow with other believers in fellowship
It is wonderful to live together in harmony
When there’s unity in Christ, there’ll be victory.
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One of the many reasons for relationship breakdowns is disunity. The devil’s tactic is to lure us into thinking that we are always right. He wants us to think that everyone else is wrong but us. He is the father of all lies and he always plays cunning tricks on our minds. A little whisper in our minds that compromises our cravings can be easily used against us to create disunity. The devil wants us to focus on our self instead of on God. He will use anything to keep us in conflict with others.
I lived many years in conflict with those I have relationships with. I was kept captive by the enemy to think that many people were out to get me and so I had trust issues. It made it hard for relationships to thrive because of such mistrust and suspicion I had towards others. I learned to live in harmony with others when God revealed to me the truth.
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PRAYER
Lord, keep me in harmony with you always.
REFLECTION
How can one live harmoniously with 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