Posts Categorized: Devotional

Don’t Hurt As You’ve Been Hurt

Posted November 18, 2019 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

Matthew 5:38-39 NLT

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”

Consider

Jesus taught his disciples to treat others as they would wish to be treated. Another way to phrase this Golden Rule might be, if someone slaps you on the right cheek, don’t slap him back. Don’t hurt others just because they have hurt you. When we give others “a taste of their own medicine,” we end up poisoning ourselves.

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Psalm 107: Song of A Survivor of Abuse

Posted November 11, 2019 | Judith Ingram

A meditation inspired by Psalm 107.

With all my heart I give thanks to the Lord,

my God and my Redeemer,

good Father and kind Shepherd,

who rescued me from the ragged edges of my life

and gave me an inheritance among his own.

 

When I was young, I lived in a barren desert,

cursed and unwanted in my father’s house.

Hungry and thirsty for a God I did not know,

my soul wept and searched for hope in shifting shadows.

 

In a burst of grace God came to me

and taught me truth I had never before heard.

Without knowing his Name,

I followed Truth into a straight path

that led me to the gates of a kingdom

where I was welcome.

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Are You Connected?

Posted November 4, 2019 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:3b-4a, 6 NLT

God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.…Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.

Consider

Discipleship is not a solitary endeavor. In fact, the body of Christ defines itself by its network of associations—the believer with another believer, the believer with God.

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Old Wounds: Tricky or Treatable?

Posted October 28, 2019 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Consider

Our oldest wounds can be our trickiest sources of pain and confusion.

Old injuries don’t just fade away with our past and disappear. Rather, they go underground where they fester and generate emotional sore spots that can be easily bruised and re-injured.

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Peace I Give You

Posted October 21, 2019 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

John 14:27 NLT

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Consider

What is this “peace” Jesus is promising his disciples? How does it differ from peace the world offers?

Because of this peace, Jesus says, we need not be anxious or afraid. His peace, then, is not the absence of anxiety and fear but instead is the reason we can dispense with them. God’s peace is the settled assurance that we are forever in a loving and intimate relationship with God.

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