Posts Categorized: Devotional

Meeting God

Posted June 19, 2017 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

Psalm 84:1-2 (NLT)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

Consider

This psalm was written centuries before Christ, when followers of God believed that God’s Spirit dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem. The psalmist writes about the joy and anticipation of the pilgrim who makes his way to the Temple. We realize, however, that he longs not for the Temple courts themselves but for the God who will meet him there.

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The Narrow Gate

Posted June 12, 2017 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

Matthew 7:13-14 (NRSV)

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Consider

Discipleship is not an easy road. The Greek word for “disciple” in the New Testament means both a learner and an adherent, that is, one who studies with a teacher for instruction and also imitates the teacher as the ideal model. It is no coincidence that “disciple” and “discipline” come from the same Latin root.

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Those Who Hate

Posted June 5, 2017 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

John 15:18-19 (NRSV)

“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you.”

Consider

“Hate” is a strong word. As a child, I was taught that to hate someone meant wishing they were dead. Although somewhat dramatic and simplistic, this axiom holds a grain of truth.

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God-Centered Joy

Posted May 29, 2017 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

John 15:9-12 (NIV)

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Consider

As Jesus prepares his disciples for the fast-approaching end of his earthly ministry, he stresses the importance of love, mentioning it seven times in these four short verses.

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Prayer Partner

Posted May 22, 2017 | Judith Ingram

Scripture

Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Consider

Have you ever prayed and prayed for an outcome until you began to wonder if God was even listening?

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