Posted January 30, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 32:1-2, NLT
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
Consider
What a relief it would be to live a life of complete honesty. Imagine never having to hide a part of yourself or guard against eyes that see behind your social mask. How refreshing to bring all of yourself into a relationship, every bit of you, knowing you would be accepted and loved and valued despite your flaws and your foolish choices.
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Posted January 23, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Daniel 6:16 ESV
Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
Consider
When we find ourselves in a den of lions—trapped in a conflict with someone who hurts and betrays us, or even wants to take us down—then it’s good to remember that we belong to God. To serve a sovereign God means that we believe God either ordains or permits every situation that comes into our lives. This includes the painful, the ugly, the frustrating, the heartbreaking.
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Posted January 16, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Proverbs 18:2 NLT
Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
Consider
Nobody likes to be called a fool. In the Bible, fools are contrasted with the wise, so that being called foolish implies more than personal insult. It is a spiritual indictment that the person is on the wrong side of the eternal battle between good and evil, between God and Satan, between wise, godly ways and foolish, worldly ways.
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Posted January 9, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Psalm 97:10 CEB
Those of you who love the LORD, hate evil! God guards the lives of his faithful ones, delivering them from the power of the wicked.
Consider
How would you define “the wicked”? The psalms and proverbs of the Bible often describe the wicked in contrast to the godly—two extremes of the human condition. A person may be hopeless and without God, or else secure in the knowledge and friendship of God. In a broader sense, “the wicked” could also be anyone or anything that entices us away from God and God’s ways.
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Posted January 2, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Exodus 3:13-14 NIV
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Consider
God told Moses to call him, I AM WHO I AM. Another way to translate this name is, I will be who I will be. The name tells us that God is the fixed point in all that is. He needs no reference point to define who he is or affirm his worth.
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