Corona Devotionals

Sitting by the pool the other day, I saw a lady with a tiny bikini on.   As she paraded around, I noticed a big gold cross dangling from the chain around her neck.   She was very scantily clad, she was very clearly out-and-about only to be seen by others, and yet she also must have (in some way) felt that she was accurately representing God or Jesus that day. I raised a spiritually-critical eyebrow as I took her in one more time, and just as I was thinking some not-so-nice-thoughts about her, I had a very convicting not-so-nice thought about me: she is me .   She’s us. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  ( 2)  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  ( 3)  “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  ( 4)  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  

Rise up, O  Lord , in all your power.   With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.  ~Psalm 21:13 David (in the Bible) was just a man. But he was a man who loved God, who feared God, who inquired of God, who served God, and who recognized the blessings of God in his life.   And David praised the Lord for all of it.   We may not view ourselves as  "kings and queens", but look around our homes, our wardrobes, our vehicles and toys.  Recognize the bounty of our groceries, paychecks, the love within our hearts...and our salvation bought by Christ.  What more could we (really) want? If we  love God,  if we fear God, if we inquire of God, if we serve God, then may we recognize the blessings of God in our life and may we praise the Lord for all of it.    David's sentiments are our compliments to You today, Lord.  We are blessed to be sheep in Your fold and kings and queens in Your court.  May we never take You or Your blessings for granted.   With music and singing we

This is what the Sovereign  Lord , the Holy One of Israel, says:  “In repentance and rest is your salvation,  in quietness and trust is your strength,  but you would have none of it.  ~Isaiah 30:15 I'm hard-wired to be productive in order to feel worthy, but God's Word reminds us (over and over) that rest  is holy, and is a command unto us from our Heavenly Father, “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;  even during the plowing season and harvest  you must rest.  ~Exodus 34:21 Ever heard that verse before?   In no uncertain terms, God tells his people that we can bust-our-tails for the boss, for ourselves, even for God  six days a week...but on the seventh,  you must rest.   But we're busy, we're scheduled, we're important.   It's crunch-time, it's our busy-season, and these things/events/deadlines are "non-negotiable", right? Rest ?  Right now?   Yes... even during the plowing season and harvest  you must rest (Exodus 34

Will anyone be sorry when we die?   Will someone miss us?  Will any type of positive void be left when we are no longer filling it? I hope so. But more than that, may we live  so.  How we treat people, what we value, and most (eternally) importantly--who we place our trust and belief in--these choices will (and are) determining if people will feel/mourn/miss ...or be-relieved when we die.  Live for the Lord today.  Jehoram  lived for himself and  no one was sorry when he died (2 Chronicles 21:1-20). What does it take for that to happen to someone?  May we never find out, but if we need some Biblical mile-markers of a life not -well lived, let's learn a lesson from Jehoram . ~~~ When Jehoshaphat died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Jehoram became the next king.   ( 2)  Jehoram’s brothers—the other sons of Jehoshaphat—were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.  ( 3)  T

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,  and the glory of the  Lord  rises upon you.   ( 2)  See, darkness covers the earth  and thick darkness is over the peoples,  but the  Lord  rises upon you   and his glory appears over you.  ~Isaiah 60:1-2   ~~~ I studied this verse the other day, and it struck me.  It plucked at my heart like a guitarist plucking a chord.  It was melodic to me.  It spoke a harmony and hope into my heart, and I felt like it was talking about   us --God's people.  It reminded me of our   purpose  and our responsibility in serving the Lord our God each day.  But how? Are we  shining ?  The darkness shrouds and we don't need a Bible verse to tell us that  thick darkness is over the peoples .   We know.   We hear the  darkness , we see the  darkness , and we often feel the  darkness  in our exchanges with others.   But more than that, and  closer-to-the-heart  than that...we too  feel  the  darkness , don't we?  Sometimes  we  are the ones speaking negati

“But you, Bethlehem   Ephrathah,   though you are small among the clans of Judah, o ut of you will come for me  one who will be ruler  over Israel,  whose origins are from of old,   from ancient times.”   (4) He will stand and shepherd his flock  in the strength of the  Lord ,  in the majesty of the name of the  Lord  his God.   And they will live securely, for then his greatness  will reach to the ends of the earth.   (5)  And he will be our peace...  ~Micah 5:2, 4-5   Bethlehem was a small town, but it was the birth-city of something BIG.  But "big" doesn't (quite) do the description of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ justice, does it?  What word could? Powerful.  Foretold. Foretold?   Yes.  These verses in the Book of Micah were spoken (and written) over 700 years before Mary experienced the Immaculate Conception.    Foretold. The prophet  Micah  spoke of a  ruler  over Israel  that would come,  but  whose origins are from of old,   from ancient times”  (

Keep all these things in  your  heart.  Think about them often  today. We have all heard the story of Christ's birth, but receive it afresh today.   Absorb those words in the Bible, detailing the account of the Savior-of-the-world being born.   Our Savior  being announced by angels(!) to men herding sheep in a field .   Angels then joining their voices and their efforts to  praise God  about the occurrence of it, and then those same shepherds hustling their herds to Bethlehem to  see this thing  that they had been told about.   Can we imagine?   Try to,  and keep all these things in  your  heart.  Think about them often  today. Once again, but  for the first time , take in this  amazing, beautiful, couldn't-make-this-stuff-up  t rue account  of the birth of Jesus... and what Him-being-born meant (means!) for us. He was born that day for the sole reason of dying thirty-three years later  for us.   We have all heard the story of Christ's birth, but receive it afresh today.  A