Corona Devotionals

How would we describe our Nation today?  Our government?  Our public education system or our health care? How might we describe our family ideals and values?  Work ethics and entitlements? How might we describe our days?  Our hours--our "family" time or our "alone" time? And I wonder how God's Word might describe us today?  How might the Bible depict our Nation today? But ( the Israelites) would not listen.    ~2 Kings 17:14 They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.    ~2 Kings 17:14 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings.   ~2 Kings 17:15 They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves.   ~2 Kings 17:15 They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.   ~2 Kings 17:15 They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God...   ~2 Kings 17:16 They even sacrificed their

What are your hobbies?  Talents?  Sports you like?  Clubs/groups that you belong to?  Pastimes you enjoy?   What we do and what we enjoy spending our time engaged in are good things.  And--if we enjoy not  being plugged into too many things, that is a healthy option too!   But whether we go, go, go or if we tend towards being a home-body...what we do or  don't do  doesn't define who we are.  And w e should NEVER forget who we truly are.  We ARE NOT the job-we-do, the teams-we-associate-with, the name/town/family we come from/ the groups we hang with/or the activities/degrees/accomplishments that we list on a resume or application.   We are children of God.  And if you are not so sure of that, or you think God might not want you as one of His children… think again.   Listen to what God says about ANYONE who comes to Him or wants to know more about Him: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ~ John 1:12 Read the verse again.  I

We come... and we go.   Uzziah son of Amaziah began to rule over Judah... ( 2)  He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years .   (3) He did what was pleasing in the  Lord ’s sight...  ( 8)  Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule over Israel... He reigned in Samaria six months.  ( 9)  Zechariah did what was evil in the  Lord ’s sight...  (10) Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, assassinated him in public, and became the next king. (13)  Shallum...began to rule over Israel... Shallum reigned...only one month .  ( 14)  Then Menahem son of Gadi went to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him, and he became the next king.   ( 17)  Menahem...began to rule over Israel...  He reigned in Samaria ten years .  ( 18)  But Menahem did what was evil in the  Lord ’s sight... ( 23)  Pekahiah son of Menahem began to rule over Israel... He reigned in Samaria two years.     ~2 Kings 15:1-3, 8-10, 13-14, 17-18, 23 Notice a pattern?  

Ever made pickles? First, you need lots of cucumbers.  It's summer gardening season, so that's a check-mark at our house.   Then you need a brine: a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and whatever yummy herbs and spices you choose, from dill and garlic to mustard seeds, turmeric, or chili flakes.   Then, you need time.  Time to let the brine do its thing...to soak the cukes and fill them with flavor.  Time for the cucumbers to allow the brine to penetrate their being.  Time for the brine to become one with the cucumbers.  Through this process and over time, the cucumbers go from "being cucumbers" to "becoming" tasty pickles.   There is nothing magical about it, the cukes just need time to soak up the flavors in the brine.   But when we popped the first pickle slices into our mouths at supper, there was  something (flavorfully) magical about it.  What were once just cucumbers had transformed into something wonderful because of time spent in the brine. B

Then Paul went to the synagogue  and preached boldly for the next three months,  arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.  ( 9) . .. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.  ( 10)  This went on for the next two years,  so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord...  ( 2 0)  So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.     ~Acts 19:8-10, 20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are we in a long-term, steady relationship... With Jesus ?   Do we ever grow weary or intimidated by the commitment involved or the time-invested?   It's okay to admit it.   Or at least I hope it's okay to admit it, because I was doing so (gently) to God today.  And then these verses washed over me like a pep talk from a coach speaking to a boxer on the side of the ring.  Get back in there!  Stay steady!   It wasn't blatant words of encouragement like, "Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power" (Ephesians 6