Posted May 15, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 5:8 NLT
Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
Consider
Who is my enemy? If I believe it to be someone who injures or offends me, then my thinking is too small. Scripture tells us we are in constant spiritual battle, and our true enemies are the rebellious spirits who have set themselves against God and all that God loves. These agents of evil conceal themselves in the dark corners of our world and prompt us to perform selfish and hateful acts against each other.
Continue reading >>
Posted May 8, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 22:16 NIV
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Consider
This psalm of David is one of the Messianic psalms that foretell of Christ. Psalm 22 in particular alludes to Jesus’ crucifixion, with verse 16 describing his hands and feet nailed to the cross. Today the cross is a beautiful sign of our faith, but in Jesus’ day it was a gruesome symbol of public humiliation and torture. Prisoners were made to carry their own crosses to the execution site amid the jeers and taunts of a hostile crowd.
Continue reading >>
Posted May 1, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 42:1-2 NLT
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?
Consider
What is it that we thirst for?
- Love and belonging
- Joy and peace.
- Security.
- Loyal companionship.
- Perfect understanding.
- Unconditional acceptance.
- Forgiveness without strings.
We yearn for perfect fulfillment. Yet when we seek these things in our human relationships, we are bound to be disappointed, sooner or later.
Continue reading >>
Posted April 24, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 73:1-5 NIV
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Consider
The psalmist brilliantly describes one of the chief problems with envy: It distorts our perceptions. In his moment of misery, the psalmist looks at the people who have what he desires, and all he sees is happiness.
Continue reading >>
Posted April 17, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Matthew 6:34 MSG
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Consider
When we’ve been stung by an unexpected painful event, we may try to anticipate what terrible thing might happen next so that we can somehow armor ourselves against it. The problem is, we get so good at visualizing what might happen that we start believing it will happen, and we only add to our distress.
Continue reading >>
