January 5
________________________________________
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
________________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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.
________________________________________
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: spoken words
THE RICH MAN Poem Devotional
May 10
________________________________________
THE RICH MAN
A poem by ILMA
A religious leader asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life
The Lord enumerated commandments like not committing adultery
He included the commands not to murder, steal or testify falsely
Jesus also reminded the rich man of the command to honor his parents.
The man said that he has obeyed all these commands since he was young
Then Jesus told him that there is still one thing he hasn’t done
He hasn’t sold his possessions and given the money to the poor
He told him treasures in heaven will await him if he followed.
But when the man heard this, he became very sad, for he was wealthy
Jesus tells us “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich
They will have a harder time to enter the Kingdom of the Lord.
Those who heard what Jesus said asked “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus replied, “What’s impossible for people is possible with God”
He assured those who has given up their loved one for the kingdom
They will all be repaid many times and they will have eternal life.
________________________________________
MEMORY VERSE
In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. – Mark 10:25
Read: Mark 10:17-31
This encounter of Jesus with a rich man as he was on his way to Jerusalem narrates the priorities man puts on riches. He was going to follow all the commands as long as he keeps his wealth intact. Don’t we all conditionally follow God sometimes?
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What was this rich man missing in the lesson that Jesus was teaching him?
• Would you do all you can to have eternal life?
• What compromises do we walk into by holding on to things that gives us pleasure?
FEAR NO SCORN OR INSULT Poem Devotional
August 10
________________________________________
“Listen to me, you who know right from wrong, you who cherish my law in your hearts.
Do not be afraid of people’s scorn, nor fear their insults. -Isaiah 51:7(NLT)
FEAR NO SCORN OR INSULT
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you are being insulted
Remember, Christ was also mistreated
All those who believe and love Jesus,
You are all his treasure and considered precious.
When you believe God, you are free
His unconditional love covers all fears
Do not be afraid of people’s ridicules
They use them because they are insecure.
________________________________________
Insults and judgments have crippled my first four decades of life. Because I didn’t grow up where positive reinforcements were the norm, I was always afraid of being criticized or scorned. When I became a born again Christian, the Lord freed me from these fears. The bible says that God is love and that there is no fear in love. When I studied that truth, I was set free. God showed me that those who love to insult are usually having trouble with their own insecurities. I need not listen to the lies because I already know the truth. He made me understand why I was reacting to belittling so much. I believed all the lies that people around me told me. I didn’t know any better because I didn’t know God’s words then. He promised those who love and obey him that He will be there to make us strong.
________________________________________
PRAYER
Lord, let me listen only to your truth and voice.
REFLECTION
What were you fearful of that God freed you from?
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
TIMELY ADVICE Poem Devotional
July 25
________________________________________
Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket. -Proverbs 25:11(NLT)
TIMELY ADVICE
A poem and essay by ILMA
There is only one place you can get timely advice
The bible guides you in everything so you can be wise
Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket
They are precious so cherish them and lock it.
When you need help in making choices and decisions
Timely advice will give you accurate solutions
Give the right counsel at the right time to others
You bring blessings and favors to your sisters and brothers.
________________________________________
There are many times when others give us advice that sometimes do not really work for us. Just like a doctor’s advice is important to a patient, we need wise advice from others too in order to live a life of joy and peace. I have consulted many counselors in my life because I know I need others t o help me be well balanced. But not all advisers or counselors give the appropriate solutions for our challenges. Sometimes, others perspectives and value system are so different from ours, that it sometimes does more damage than help. There is only one place and one person who can give us the right advice in everything, the bible and God. Timely advice is compared to golden apples in a silver basket in the bible. It is priceless.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to always run to you for advice rather than the world.
REFLECTION
When was the last time you gave timely advise to others? What was the result?
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
GRIEF BRINGS PAIN
June 25
________________________________________
I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.
-Psalm 38:6 (NLT)
GRIEF BRINGS PAIN
A poem and essay by ILMA
If you are bent over and racked with pain
The hurt from a loss can make you insane
Grief brings much sorrow and numbness
It can make you consumed with sadness.
A loss in your life can make you lose determination
It can make you an easy prey to temptation
Bring your sorrow to the Lord so he can handle it
He will grant you peace if you accept his Spirit.
________________________________________
It took me many years to realize that I have not been dealing with much losses in my life. The enemy robbed me of peace and joy for over five decades of my life. I was made to believe that I am okay and I minimized all the losses and just covered it up with work and ambitions. The funny thing about dismissing or burying your losses and skipping grief is that you are the last person to know that you are actually going through the motions of grieving. There are various stages of the grieving process and if we are not able to confront our losses, we get stuck in certain stages of it. I got trapped in anger for many years without even knowing it. The bible tells us to take our grief to the Lord.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to face all my losses and grief.
REFLECTION
How is it healthy to acknowledge our losses?
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