Posted January 8, 2024 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Consider
Sooner or later, we each encounter relationships that seem to pack more pain than pleasure. We may endure repeated conflicts with an adult child who lives a troubling lifestyle or with a critical parent who never lets up.
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Posted January 1, 2024 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
Romans 15:13 NIV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Consider
I came across a beautiful prayer by author D.A. Carson in his book, Praying with Paul.* Here are words from his prayer that I encourage you to take deep into your heart for further meditation and prayer as we move forward into the New Year.
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Posted December 25, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Matthew 2:6 ESV
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'”
May Immanuel—our loving Lord God with us in the Person of Jesus Christ—favor you with His holy presence and blessing this Christmas Day.
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Posted December 18, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Just as David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, was the least likely to be chosen as king of Israel, so was tiny Bethlehem the least likely birthplace to be chosen for the Son of God. And just as God’s favor fell on Mary, a humble teenaged girl, and her faithful but barren elderly cousin Elizabeth, granting them both motherhood most unexpectedly, so does God choose and favor his children today in ways that can seem to us strange and unlikely. In our most unwelcome and hurtful circumstances, we may very well fail to recognize God’s steadfast goodness and favor to us.
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Posted December 11, 2023 | Judith Ingram
Scripture
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Consider
When someone harms us with a thoughtless, selfish, or malicious act, we may instinctively respond by erecting an emotional barrier. This barrier gives us time to sort out what has happened, to decide what it means to us, and to determine whether we will simply let the offense go and take the barrier down or keep the barrier in place. Especially in cases where our trust has been betrayed, this barrier can harden into a stubborn wall of unforgiveness.
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