Posted April 10, 2017 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Romans 16:17-18 (TNIV)
I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Consider
With the advent of social media and self-publishing, our world has exploded with tweets and blogs and self-help books that promise wisdom for modern living.
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Posted April 3, 2017 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Consider
Joshua has been leading the Israelites since Moses’ death. Now in his final speech, he challenges them to think about to whom or to what they wish to surrender control of their lives. Will it be to the God of Israel?
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Posted March 27, 2017 | 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 in close relationship with God.
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Posted March 20, 2017 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Mark 11:25 (NIV)
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Consider
At first glance this passage may seem to say that God withholds forgiveness from us until after we forgive others. We misread the message as, God forgives you only when you forgive others.
A better interpretation reads, if you can forgive others, then God has forgiven you.
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Posted March 13, 2017 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (NLT)
You must burn their idols in fire, and you must not covet the silver or gold that covers them. You must not take it or it will become a trap to you, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring any detestable objects into your home, for then you will be destroyed, just like them. You must utterly detest such things, for they are set apart for destruction.
Consider
Idols are dangerous because they usurp God’s rightful place as Lord in our lives. The idols themselves have no power to control us. Instead, they offer temptations.
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