Posted October 31, 2016 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Job 29:1, 18-20 (NLT)
Job continued speaking…”I thought, ‘ Surely I will die surrounded by my family after a long, good life. For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew. New honors are constantly bestowed on me, and my strength is continually renewed.'”
Consider
Is there such a thing as being too blessed? Can an abundance of good things be bad for us? Like Job, we can get so comfortable in the goodness of our lives that we expect our blessings to continue indefinitely.
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Posted October 24, 2016 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 5:4-5 (NLT)
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil.
Consider
In this prayer for the morning, David reflects on a classic theme found among the wisdom writings of the Old Testament; that is, there is a strong demarcation between the godly and the wicked of the world, between the righteous whom God loves and their lying enemies whom God abhors. If we are honest, we must admit that this line of demarcation is not as clear as David describes.
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Posted October 17, 2016 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
John 17:22-23 (NIV)
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Consider
Unity among believers is an important theme stressed repeatedly in New Testament writings. The glory that Jesus received from the Father and gave to his disciples is the radiant, beautiful, and powerful presence of God.
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Posted October 10, 2016 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Proverbs 24:28-29 (NLT)
Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”
Consider
Thirst for revenge is a natural instinct. Everyone knows that nasty little spirit who whispers, “You don’t have to take that insult lying down—get even!” Consequently, there is no stronger witness for our faith than responding well to a personal injury or offense.
Life repeatedly presents us with opportunities to choose God’s way or the way of the world.
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Posted October 3, 2016 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Philippians 2:3-5 (NRSV)
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Consider
Living for Christ means living as Christ would in our daily circumstances. We are each given a sphere of influence—friends, family, coworkers, neighbors—and our job is to make Christ visible by the way we act and speak and make decisions.
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