Corona Devotionals

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... (44) All the believers were together and had everything in common. (46) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, (47) praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.   ~Acts 2:42, 44, 46-47 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution...traveled...spreading the word only among Jews. (20) Some of them, however...went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. (21) The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. ~Acts 11:19-21 These verses describe the birth of the "early” church.  These men and women had no Bible-education or Divinity degrees, but they did have the fire of God in their hear...

How old do we have to be to serve the Lord ? For many of us, " serving the Lord" seems like something that elders might do. Older people with boring clothes and that prefer organ music. Yes, serving the Lord sounds regal, very important, and anything but elementary. Serving the Lord is most likely not to be fulfilled by those that have not yet reached physical or emotional maturity (like children) ...for how could they (as boys and girls) be showing any measure of spiritual maturity? But apparently, it could happen. For instance, it did happen with Samuel. ( But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. ~I Samuel 2:18) Do you know Samuel? His mom (Hannah) wanted a baby in the worst way, and she went through much emotional suffering (and even teasing) because she was barren. Then she had an experience at church, when she was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ( 11) And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will ...

Jesus Jack-o-lanterns Do you ever feel gross inside when you hurt someone's feelings?  Like something just isn't right? All the bad things we do and all of the mean and grumpy things we say are rotten and slimy just like the "guts" on the inside of an uncarved pumpkin.   That's called sin.  It's what happens when we let our pride, our selfishness, and our own wants/desires/comforts take over, instead of trying to live for Jesus.  Like a pumpkin getting ready to be carved, we need our "junk" scooped out.   If we ask Him to, God takes away our sins and forgives us.  It's a process, and getting rid of our "junk"/sin can sting and scrape sometimes, but God is purifying us and making us more like Him.   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins  and purify us from all unrighteousness.  ~ John 1:9 ~~~~~~~~ The reason sin "feels" wrong inside is because we were made in the image of God, and we are H...

Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. ( 15) May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” (16) Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. ( 17) The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.  ~Ruth 4:14-17 Can't you just feel Naomi snuggling her little baby grandson, Obed? 💗 We can't help but pick up on the deep sense of love and gratitude that Naomi has for him. There is a tenderness there that seems to go even beyond a (regular) gramma's love for her grandson. But if we know the story of Naomi, we might understand why she is cherishing this child so deeply ... Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; an...

The story of Ruth and Naomi (and Boaz) is an entertaining one. It has sorrow, love, redemption and the fingerprints of God throughout every stage of it. (Just like our lives!) What I had never realized before is that this Old Testament Book of the Bible (Ruth) doesn't just tell the story of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz... it also tells the story of you and me and God . Lean in and see what I mean: Ruth was a widow from a foreign land and she did not know God. In those days/in her culture/and in her position, she was a nobody . And without Christ, we are nobody. We spend lots of time and money and emotion trying to prove otherwise to ourselves or anyone watching, but inside we have a hole that can only be filled by our Savior. Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”  ~Ruth 2:5 Boaz was a kind and established man who "noticed" Ruth before she even knew who he was, and he cared for her benevolently, even though she had not ea...

Have you ever noticed that not much ever seems to be happening in our lives, until we step back and realize that everything that has been " happening" , was actually supposed to happen . Know what I mean? So what do we do in the meantime... while life is happening ? Simply put, we live our days in God's ways. We do our best to do our best for Him and in Him. And along the way, as it would happen , God's plan and vision for our lives... happens. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ruth was a young widow living with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who was also a widow. Without husbands as providers, they needed food. They needed money. They needed provision. So, what did Ruth do? She went to work, as the Bible advises us: A hard worker has plenty of food, b ut a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty. (Proverbs 28:19) “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” ( 11) We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ( 12) S...