December 25

JOHN 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
– John 1:1-14

JOHN 1 THE WORD BECAME FLESH
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When God created the world, he was with the Word
He made all things for the sake of His Son, our Lord
All things came into being because of Christ
Through him, the whole mankind will have life
It is the Word that saved us from the wrath of God
If we believe in the Word, we will have peace, joy and love.

Those who do not know God cannot understand what true love is. It is the unconditional and sacrificial love of God that is incomparable with any other form of love that humans know. The creation of the world had a purpose, and that is to give glory to God and to his Son. When Adam and Eve sinned, the plan to give glory only to God and the Son was corrupted. Humans could not give glory to God because he wanted glory for himself. This has made God’s wrath stirred. But because God loves his image bearers so much, he couldn’t resist to resolve the sin problem, so the Word became flesh to free us from sin.

REFLECTION
• Explain how the Word and the Son refers to Jesus Christ from these verses.

December 24

PROVERBS 24
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
– Proverbs 24:10-12

PROVERBS 24 SHOW COMPASSION TO THE LOST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to have compassion
We cannot be indifferent to those who have fallen into temptation
As members of the kingdom of God, we are called to bring the gospel
It is apathetic not to care for those who haven’t heard the good news
Show compassion to those who have been enslaved to sin
They are also created in God’s image; let us show kindness to them.

As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are expected to follow his footsteps. Jesus never showed partiality to anyone. We have an account in Matthew 9:10-13 that shows that Jesus hanged out with sinners. It says that as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
If Jesus showed much compassion for those who are sinners and are lost, aren’t we also to emulate that kindness to those who have fallen and have lost their way or have never heard the gospel?

REFLECTION
• Why do you think some Christians can be apathetic to the lost and have fallen?

December 23

PROVERBS 24
8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
– Proverbs 24:8-9

PROVERBS 24 AVOID SCHEMERS AND SCOFFERS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you serve the Lord Jesus Christ
Think and speak only of things that bring life
Do not associate with those who are wicked
Avoid schemers and scoffers; they plot evil
Strengthen your heart and mind with God’s truth
Meditate on it day and night so it is able to take root
When you stay away from these kinds of people
You will be on your way to grow and bear fruits.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, a schemer is someone who makes clever, secret plans, often to deceive others. He is someone who always finds a way of getting what he wants. A scoffer is one who mocks, ridicules, or scorns the belief of another. In the bible, he is also called the arrogant, the haughty or the prideful. They have overly inflated opinions of themselves. They do not care about anyone but themselves. In our pop culture, these people are called “narcissists.” They are those who manipulate others in order to get their wants and needs met covertly. They do not ask for what they want or need. They hide it for shame of being found out how insecure and phoney they are. They want others to view them as perfect. This way, they can keep their false image and not have to be accountable to their responsibilities and roles.
Solomon warns us to stay away from schemers and scoffers. They destroy lives and perpetuate the cycle of power and corruption and evil. They have no empathy for others but they only use people to get their needs and wants fulfilled. They use and abuse others.

REFLECTION
• Share some experiences you had with schemers and scoffers.

December 20

PROVERBS 23
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter perverse things.
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink.”
– Proverbs 23:33-35

PROVERBS 23 EFFECTS OF DRUNKENNESS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you indulge to satisfy your thirst for spirits
It will be like you are in the midst of the seas
You will begin to see bizarre and strange things
Sensual pleasures will be something you cannot resist
Then you will have no power over your senses when you are drunk
Things just happen and you won’t even remember most of it.

I’ve heard of many stories of the aftermath of drunkenness. So many horror stories of women being raped during wild parties. Some men get women drunk or put something in their drinks to keep them unconscious and then take advantage of them. They wake up with no memories what of happened to them. I myself have been a victim of date rape in my twenties, where I was made to drink a juice and then I couldn’t remember what happened after. My boyfriend proposed after I woke up saying that he wants to honor me after we slept together. I remembered nothing and I told him that I am not marrying someone who took advantage of me. I was tricked to drink something that I didn’t even know about. I was young and my mother trusted this man so much. After that, I broke off with him.
Some effects of drunkenness would be sexual perversions or orgies or taking in drugs as well. Solomon warns us not to indulge in wine and spirits.

REFLECTION
• What message does it say if a Christian is an alcoholic or an addict?

December 19

PROVERBS 23

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
– Proverbs 23:29-32

PROVERBS 23 WARNING ON DRUNKENNESS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If we do not curb our appetites and desires
We will easily be tempted to satisfy our cravings
Be watchful that you do not get enticed by too much drinks
If you succumb to the call of wine and alcohol, you may sin
Drunkenness leads to many other undesirable outcomes
You will lose control and later regret that you caved in.

Is drunkenness a sin? Ephesians 5:18 says that we should not be drunk on wine because it leads to debauchery. Gotquestions.org defines debauchery as the habitual and unrestrained indulgence of lust and sensuality. There are several places in Scripture where the word debauchery is used to indicate what we would today call “partying.” It encompasses several aspects of unholy living, including but not limited to sexual immorality, drunkenness, crude talk, and generally out-of-control behavior. Solomon warns us of the sin of drunkenness which leads to other sins.

REFLECTION
• What does Ephesians 5:18 recommend for us to be filled with instead of wine?

December 16

PROVERBS 23
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being will exult
when your lips speak what is right.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
18 Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Hear, my son, and be wise,
and direct your heart in the way.
– Proverbs 23:15-19

PROVERBS 23 BENEFITS OF FEAR OF THE LORD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you fear the Lord your God faithfully
You will always follow the right path continually
There will be wisdom ready for you to use
There is hope and a future awaits you
When you fear the Lord and obey him
You will tread the right way and overcome sin.

In these Proverbs, Solomon gives us a glimpse of the outcome of fearing the Lord. He says that when we fear the Lord, he is delighted. Each time we speak the truth, God is glorified.
Those who revere God will be spared from envying the world’s ways. They will have a future and they will not be desperate or hopeless.
In Proverbs 14:27, Solomon also mentions another benefit of fearing the Lord. It is the fountain of life and it ensures that we can avoid the snares of death. In Proverbs 8:13, he also mentions that fear of the Lord is the hatred of evil. In other words, when we revere the Lord, we will not get into the habit of sinning. Proverbs 19:23 says it protects us from harm and keeps us content and satisfied.

REFLECTION
• How come some people don’t fear God despite its many benefits?

December 15

PROVERBS 23

10 Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
– Proverbs 23:10-14

PROVERBS 23 COMMIT YOURSELF TO INSTRUCTION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you want to be able to live a life of peace and joy
Commit yourself to instruction from God’s word
Meditate on truth and fill your mind and heart with it
Then darkness will be exposed and you’ll see the devil’s tactics
Be faithful to follow what God commands you to do
If you press to obey the law, you’ll find love and joy.

What do you think verse 12 of these Proverbs mean? What does it look like to apply your heart to instruction? Many Christians read the bible but probably few believers actually apply the laws and truth in our lives. We get stuck in our minds and usually what we read in the bible or teachings in our churches do not always touch our hearts into applying such commands or instructions.
In the book of James chapter one he stresses the importance of not just hearing the word, but in also doing it. He says that if one only hears and doesn’t do it, he is like a man looking at his natural face in the mirror who forgets quickly what he looks like after leaving.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important to commit ourselves to God’s instructions?

December 14

PROVERBS 23
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
– Proverbs 23:6-9

PROVERBS 23 DON’T GIVE WISDOM TO FOOLS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you have acquired truth and wisdom, use it wisely
Do not mishandle it by throwing it on people who are foolish
Why waste your time on instructing fools; they won’t listen
If you attempt to put some sense into them, it is only useless
Fools care only about their own limited understanding
They are so senseless; they don’t know what is good for them.

In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warns his disciples “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” What does this verse mean? According to a commentary, “It is easy to focus on the derogatory imagery of dogs and pigs and miss the real point, which is not meant as an insult. The message is about wasting things of value on those who not only won’t appreciate them, but might even be angered by the offer.” Just like Solomon warns us in verse 4 of this Proverbs that we need not speak good sense in the hearing of a fool or they will just despise us. What is the point of giving valuable wise words to someone who does not want it? One will just be wasting efforts to bring truth to someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Bring truth only to those who would value and appreciate it.

REFLECTION
• Cite an instance when someone foolish just trampled on a sensible word you said.

December 13

PROVERBS 23
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
– Proverbs 23:1-5

PROVERBS 23 DESIST THE LOVE OF MONEY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The love of money cannot exist if you are a servant of Christ
No one can serve two masters but only those with double minds
Those who are lovers of money work to acquire riches
But the believer gathers treasures that belong to heaven
You will be a slave to the dark powers if you love money
Satan will surely keep you in bondage to sin and be greedy.

Solomon warns us in verse 4 of the dangers of the love of money and wealth. He says that if one works only to acquire wealth, there will be consequences that will not be beneficial for that person.
In the garden of Eden before the fall, the history of work began “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Genesis 2:15). Work then wasn’t that hard since God had already provided everything they needed. After the fall, the consequence of their disobedience changed the purpose of work. Because man was tainted with sin, he has a tendency to work to gather wealth instead of his daily bread. Before the fall, man was content with God’s provision, but greed entered his heart after.

REFLECTION
• Why should we be purposeful with our work ethics? What happens if we aren’t?