February 9

JOHN 8
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
– John 8:1-11

JOHN 8 NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
All those who believe in Christ will be free
They are not going to stay guilty or condemned
They will have the power to overcome sin through the Spirit
Because they belong to Christ, they have assurance in Him.

Many theories and speculation about what Jesus wrote on the ground in this account were more focused the contents of what he placed on it. Some say that he wrote the sins of the Jew, while other commentaries claim that since the woman was caught in adultery, she must be naked and Jesus concentrated on the ground to lessen her shame.
I think that the point of this account is the exposure of the evil manipulation of the Jews to use a sinful woman to catch Jesus to make a mistake, so they can charge him. But according to the law of Moses in Leviticus 20:10 says that both the adulterer and adulteress must be put to death. There is no man in this scene, only a woman.

REFLECTION
• What do you think is the point that Jesus was making in this account?

February 8

JOHN 7
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
– John 7:37-39

JOHN 7 INVITATION TO RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Jesus gave an invitation to anyone who believes in him
The Son of God promises rivers of flowing water and eternity
The Spirit will dwell in every heart who believes He is God’s Son
Their hearts will be filled with joy, peace and fruit from his Word.

Have you ever been thirsty that all you can think about is to quench this thirst with water? According to healthline.com “With no food and no water, the maximum time the body can survive is thought to be about a week. With water only, but no food, survival time may extend up to 2 to 3 months. We can deduce from this information how important water is to our bodies.
In this invitation, Jesus is referring to the thirst as a spiritual craving for a relationship with God the Father. All humans were created to experience the love of the Father. He made us in His own image because we all belong to him and our purpose is to worship Him and be united with Him. This is why He gave us that thirst which He alone can quench.
Jesus’ invitation here is a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy on chapter 14:8 which says
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. Isaiah prophesied too in chapter 44:3 when he said “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” This invitation is to all mankind from different races, cultures, nations and
Backgrounds. God is impartial and this promise will be fulfilled in all those who believe.

REFLECTION
• How have the rivers of living water been manifested in your life?

February 7

JOHN 7
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
– John 7:32-36

JOHN 7 JEWS OBSESSION TO STOP JESUS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus spoke the truth about the hour that is coming
The Jews got more obsessed to stop him from speaking
They called officers to arrest and stop Jesus from exposing them
They were baffled with his statements and had to end his declarations.

As Jesus continued to declare his true identity, the Jewish leaders became angrier and obsessed to put a stop to his claim that he is the Christ. So, officers were sent to arrest him. But they still couldn’t help but hear his declarations. They were so intrigued about where he was going and it heightened their fear that Jesus would also go to the Greeks to spread his teaching. They think that if Jesus was arrested and killed, they can protect their image as honorable leaders.
What can pride, envy and insecurity do to people? In this account, we clearly witness that their pride was poked by the exposure of Jesus of their true character. They couldn’t share the limelight with this man who was not as learned as them. Their envy led them to have him arrested and later on killed. Their insecurity led them to manipulate and control the situation that they have no clue about. They had to know where Jesus was going to stop him from further being popular because that would show their phoniness. They had to have control over the situation so they could put a stop to their competition.

REFLECTION
• How has pride, envy and insecurity visited your life and what did it do to you?

February 6

JOHN 7
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”– John 7:25-31

JOHN 7 JESUS DECLARES HIS ORIGIN
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As Jesus continues his public ministry
More and more people were questioning his identity
Jesus’ teachings and signs left many people baffled
Some believed he was the true Christ, others didn’t
When he declared his origin, there was a commotion
They couldn’t believe it and they wanted to kill him.

In this account, Jesus was in the feast of Booths and many Jews were around. As he continued to teach in the temple, many were amazed and also confused about who he truly was and why he taught with much authority. They were shocked to witness how Jesus confronted the Jewish leaders openly and they said nothing to him.
Many think they recognized him because they knew his family of origin, but they only saw one side of Jesus, his humanity. So, when Jesus declared that he came from the Father who sent him, it stirred an uproar among the Jewish leaders which will later be the reason for their plot to kill him. Some believed that he was the Christ and was expecting him to do more miracles. Aren’t we like some of the many Jews in this account? They already heard the truth and saw signs that Jesus did and yet did not believe.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think some people who have heard the gospel still do not believe?

February 5

JOHN 7
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
– John 7:19-24

JOHN 7 JESUS CONFRONTS THE JUDGMENTAL JEWS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus exposed the legalistic Jewish leaders
They reacted angrily saying Jesus has a demon
When confronted with circumcising during the Sabbath
The leaders felt ashamed at being called out.

It is interesting how legalistic people react when they are exposed with their judgmental and narrow one-track mindedness. They had to retaliate to the confrontation that exposed their hidden agendas. No one who is power hungry would want to be seen as evil, so they hide their true meanness by appearing righteous when they are actually self-righteous. The manipulation to hide their shameful unrighteous act is the covering for their evil deeds. This clearly is demonic. What an irony it is that they accuse Jesus of having a demon when they are actually the demons themselves. It is a projection of what is truly inside them that they keep hiding in order to have the respect of others. They are only concerned with their reputation and will do anything to keep it intact. No one dared to question their integrity as far as they are concerned. They think highly of themselves and have instilled fear in those who are not as learned as them. They have muted the lips of those who they think are lesser than them. Imagine how angry they must have been when Jesus exposed their true character. No one has dared to question them. They need to retaliate and stop this man to further expose their unrighteous acts. They need to save their honor and crush this man who dares question their integrity.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important to confront what is evil and expose them?

February 4

JOHN 7
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. – John 7:10-18

JOHN 7 THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM ABOVE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When we seek the truth that only comes from God’s word
We begin to unlock and discern the systems of this world
The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure
It is peace-loving, gentle and open to reason
It is full of mercy, abounding in good fruits
This wisdom is sincere and shows no favoritism.

In this account, we witness how Jesus went up to the feast of Booths. He did it secretly in order not to make a commotion since the Jews were already looking for him. He had the wisdom not to follow his brothers’ suggestion to make himself known publicly in a big feast and make a spectacle of himself. Instead, Jesus went to the temple to teach. The Jews were shocked by his teaching, his confidence and authority. They couldn’t understand how a man who never went to school could teach with such authority.
Jesus’ response to their amazement is by humbly saying that his wisdom comes from his own Father. It is very different from human wisdom which the book of James talks about in chapter 3:15. Human wisdom is earthly, unspiritual and demonic.

REFLECTION
• How can a believer reach a point of having wisdom from above?

February 3

JOHN 7
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
– John 7:1-9

JOHN 7 JESUS’ BROTHERS PROD HIM TO GO PUBLIC
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Jesus will never go against his Father’s timing and plan
Even when his own brothers prodded him to go to Judea
They wanted him to show off his signs to the world and go public
They didn’t believe that Jesus will only do what the Father tells him.

In this account, we hear of the Feast of Booths. The “Feast of Booths,” also known as Sukkot in Hebrew, is a major Jewish holiday where people build temporary shelters called “sukkot” and live in them for a week, commemorating the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus, living in makeshift booths made of branches; it’s a time to remember God’s protection and provision during their journey to the Promised Land. One can understand why Jesus’ own siblings want to take the opportunity for Jesus to be publicly seen in this feast since there will be a lot of people present in it. They truly didn’t believe that their brother is the Son of God or they wouldn’t have prodded him to go to this feast. I think it is an insult for them to do so because it only shows that they were mocking their own brother for thinking that he is truly from above. Their limited minds didn’t have that understanding that God can use anyone and anything to bring glory to himself. We witness Christ’s total submission and surrender to God’s plan and his timing. He will never go against God’s will.

REFLECTION
• Why do humans make a spectacle to prove who they say they are?

February 2

JOHN 6
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
– John 6:66-71

JOHN 6 MANY DISCIPLES ABANDON JESUS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jesus declares truth and the cost of being a disciple
Many of his followers cringed at the required commitment
When Peter was asked if he also wanted to leave
But Peter replied that only Jesus can he have eternal life.

In this account, we witness how many of Jesus’ disciples turned their backs on him. Why would these people who were so obsessed to follow Jesus come to a point when they gave up and left? Could it be that they weren’t really following Jesus to glorify him? Could it be that those who left Jesus were only after some things that Jesus didn’t offer?
Not all believers take seriously the cost of being a follower of Jesus. In Luke 9:23, Jesus’ requirement for being a disciple was “to deny oneself and take up his cross daily and to follow him. These requirements are totally opposed to the world system where everything is focused on self-gratification, comfort and pleasure seeking. To deny oneself would mean to suffer and give up the cravings of the flesh. To take up one’s cross means that we do not grumble but endure all kinds of sufferings and trials. To follow Jesus would mean to give up pride, control and the desire to be looked up to. It means to live a life of humility, obedience, trust and commitment to Jesus. To be a disciple is to give up even the most beloved people or things in our lives because Christ should come first. If we love them more than God, we cannot be a true follower of Jesus.

REFLECTION
• What hinders us from totally committing to live for Christ?

January 31

JOHN 6
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
– John 6:35-44

JOHN 6 BELIEVING COMES FROM THE FATHER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The Jews couldn’t fathom truth that Jesus declared
Their limited minds cannot receive it because of unbelief
They grumbled among themselves to make sense of it all
But they fail to understand that faith comes from the Father above.

The human mind cannot totally fathom what “believing” means. To believe is to accept something as true. The Jewish leaders could not understand what Jesus was saying because they live in a mindset. This mindset is gauged on what they know and the rules they have been enslaving themselves and others to follow. They are living in a box of rules and knowledge. They cannot hear the truth because that would mean giving up their knowledge. What they didn’t know is that “faith” is a gift from the Father. No one can manufacture faith on their own. It is a gift that God gives to whomever he chooses and the only way they receive it is also because God has elected them to accept it. The reason the Jewish leaders couldn’t believe is because they weren’t given the gift of faith.

REFLECTION
• How do false religions thwart the gift of faith that only comes from God?