Posted February 19, 2024 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Proverbs 3:3-6 NRSV
Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Consider
Loyalty is a character trait that nurtures healthy relationships. To be loyal means to commit unswerving support to another person. It means standing with that person against danger or opposition.
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Posted February 12, 2024 | Judith Ingram
When we accept the lordship of Christ in our lives, we become living advertisements for the new life that awaits anyone who will respond to God’s call to be loved and saved to eternal life. Whether we like it or not, people judge Christ by what they see in us. We become the incarnate gospel, the flesh that people can see and touch and evaluate. Our deeds are scrutinized for flaws. Our words are sifted and weighed against worldly wisdom as people decide whether our Lord can deliver all that we profess.
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Posted February 5, 2024 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
1 Timothy 2:1-4 NLT
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
Consider
Implicit in Paul’s counsel to “pray for all people” is a difficult but important corollary—let there be no one for whom you will not pray.
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Posted January 29, 2024 | Judith Ingram
What is often described as the story of Paul’s conversion is also the story of Paul’s divine call. His encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road did not change his identity as a Jew but rather his understanding of what being a Jew meant in light of the risen Messiah. Jesus spoke directly into Paul’s life and commissioned him to be “a servant and a witness” to the Gentiles “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).
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Posted January 22, 2024 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Luke 20:21-25 NIV
So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Consider
Although we may debate exactly what Jesus meant in his reply, there is irony in his statement.
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