Corona Devotionals

I remember that I was in the college dining hall getting lunch one day when I was "tapped" by an upperclassman for Lambda Sigma  Honor Society  (a national honor society for second year students--focusing on leadership, scholarship, fellowship, and the spirit of service among college students and their campus ).   I was excited, caught-off-guard,  honored, and scared.  I admired the older students that I knew in this group but I wasn't sure that I was ready to step up and become one. But, I had been tapped, and it was time. ~~~ My first contractions for our first child woke me up at 5:18 AM almost 16 years ago.  While I had (previously) dreamed of becoming a mom...at this moment I was  excited, caught-off-guard,  honored, and scared, and  I wasn't sure that I was ready to step up and actually  become one. But, I had been tapped, and  it was time. ~~~ Elijah was an older prophet of God and his years of service to the Lord were c...

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life... ( 4) ... he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough,  Lord ,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”  ~I Kings 19:3-4 Elijah was one of God's people, and truth-be-told, he had just (hours earlier!) experienced God's power in a mighty and miraculous way, but today...fear and exhaustion had set in.  He was tired, and Elijah was done.   Done with the work of serving the Lord, done with feeling alone in doing it, done with the emotional, mental and physical exhaustion of all of it.  He was done. Are we done  today?  ( Or can we remember a moment when we were?)   Elijah was having a moment, and we all have those moments. We feel small, inconsequential, and worthless sometimes. We are not "un-faithful", "depressed", or weak for having such thoughts-- we a...

So...Ahab went out to meet Elijah. (17) When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” (18) “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. ~I Kings 18:16-18 Don't let anyone make you doubt who you are in Christ. ..and don't you dare doubt God's power through the chaos and facade of this world's false gods. God is greater, and He will show Himself when the time and situation are right. It was the right time for Elijah. He was a prophet of the Lord, and regardless of the many people and leaders who stood for other gods ( Baal and Asherah ) around him---Elijah  knew Who he stood with, and he knew the power of God.  Today, r emember Who we serve and stand with, and trust in the power of our God--because no earthly god will ever compete with His glory.  But sometimes people n...

Jesus said to Simon Peter,   “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”   Jesus said,   “Feed my lambs.”   ( 16)  Again Jesus said,   “Simon son of John, do you love me?”   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”   Jesus said,   “Take care of my sheep.”   ( 17)  The third time he said to him,   “Simon son of John, do you love me?”   Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time,   “Do you love me?”   He said, “Lord, you know all things;   you know that I love you.”  ~John 21:15-17 Do we  love the Lord?   Yes, Lord...you know that we love you.  We do.    And we are  seeking to feed your lambs  and to take care of your sheep.   Please keep showing us the opportunities that we have to make Your Name known in any circle of influence th...

Then the  Lord  said to Elijah,  ( 9)  “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” ( 10)  So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?”  ( 11)  As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” ( 12)  But she said, “I swear by the   Lord   your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” ( 13)  But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.  ( 14)  For this is wha...

Have you noticed the price of gas?  Whether you drive a hatchback or a conversion van, I know you've noticed. Our kids are not even old enough to drive, but one of them commented the other day on how they watch the prices at the pump rise each week on the bus ride to school.   It's a hot topic of conversation, and everyone universally shakes their head, while at the same time accepting it--"What can you do?".  But the truth is, it hurts. Then the grocery bill weighs in.  I'm not buying half of what I used to, but the total is more.  And the truth is, I'm worried. Our parents were right--money doesn't grow on trees, and once we become adults that reality (should) become very clear.  And it has. It's become crystal clear in the last year or so.   Our minds want to worry... and they are.  Our hearts want to fret... and they are.  But our Bible wants to breathe peace and trust into us... and it does. We are not the first to feel ...

Sometimes it's good to "re-evaluate" our motives, our actions, and even our outcomes...and to measure them against what God says and how He calls us to be living. I'm pretty sure that's one of the main purposes of the Bible. We can get off-track.  We can wander.  We can even create our own false gods to "run to" and "worship", and worse-yet...we can influence/entice/draw others  into our diversions and  away  from God's true plan. If we're not careful, we can get off-track.   The Bible serves as a powerful resource and reminder of what God wants  us to be doing (as individuals, as families, as a Nation, and as a world) and also what He does not want  us to be doing.   Let's take our spiritual temperature and see if we are in a "danger zone", or if we are following the Lord in a healthy way. Jeroboam had gotten off-track and he marched others right down that path with him.  And the consequences were on-their-way. Are we off...

I almost stepped on a toad this morning, because he was blending in so well with what was around him. Sometimes, it's just better to blend in--for the sake of Jesus. For sure, we are called to be bold in our faith and to have a voice for the Kingdom, but the wisest sons and daughters of the King also know when to hold their tongue, their opinion, even their normal routine---if it blesses another. But--can not doing/saying/eating/drinking something actually make-a-difference to someone? The Bible says, "Yes". Depending on the situation--we must discern what to do and what not to do out of the love of Jesus--we must learn to blend in for Him. Paul, the author of the Book of Romans does a much better job than me in explaining "the blend". See if you can catch (and live!) what he means by 'blending in' for the Kingdom of God: So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble ...

Want to give someone butterflies in their stomach?  Ask them to speak in public. Want to cause possible stomach churning?  Ask them to share about Jesus in public! There's something about getting-in-front-of people that makes most of us nervous.  But add the responsibility of telling people about Jesus , and forget-about-it!  Most of us have checked the "uninterested" box. What to say? Where to start?   Is there a "how-to" manual? Well, God is glad we asked- because He actually put one together.  It's called The Bible .  And if we were to read through the Book of Acts in the New Testament, we will see that the very first  followers-of-Jesus developed a bit of a pattern as they (for the first time!) shared about the Good News of Jesus with others. They didn't psychoanalyze their listeners' lives.  They didn't try and counsel or "fix" the troubles that others were going through.  They didn't promise blue skies and no rain....