Corona Devotionals

Forgive and (completely) forget?  Probably not.  But (today), it might be time to forgive and move forward with someone.  Is God asking us to?   Or, is God using one of His people to speak forgiveness into us about someone else?   I know it's tough to listen if we have been hurt or wronged, but God might be opening our ears (and knocking on our hearts) today through His Word. That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you...  ( 9)  ...Consider this as a request from me—Paul...   (10)  I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.  ( 11)  Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.  ( 12)  I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.  ~Philemon 1:8-12 Let me introduce these people:  Paul was a strong believer in the Lord and he was one of the most influential peo...

What are we wondering about today? What situation is stewing in our spirit without resolution (yet)? Have we asked ( and prayed ) for an answer, and still we are not sure?   What shall we do?  Will God show up?  Is the Lord aware of our questions and quandaries today?   The Bible suggests (and confirms): Yes.   And God answers our questions by providing us with (Scriptural) proof of His processes.   Whatever we are asking God about today...we can trust that He is in process  with it.  We might not receive a Heavenly "yay" or "neigh" today, but we can be sure that God has a plan and process for us and our lives, because He has a plan and process for everything. I was praying for direction and I was quiet in my quandary...and instead of answering me specifically, God's Word reminded me that He is in control of everything.  Not just my  (and our) processes, but every created process.  If our Heavenly Father established t...

“Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions."   ~Ezekiel 2:6 ~~~ A friend of mine who teaches in a public school district recently told me (heavily) that she 'walks into enemy territory every day'.  "They don't believe what I believe, and they don't hide it", she said with a deflated spirit. I could see in her eyes that their words pierce her heart like nettles and briers and (even) stinging scorpions. But perhaps we know those pinches and pricks as well: Ever post a Bible verse online that contradicts doing "whatever your flesh feels like"?  Or have we ever taken a stand for the Truth of the Bible in a world and a culture that has created its own truth? There is backlash when we speak Bible.  Oh yes.  There will be  threats,  nettles, briers and stinging scorpions  from people who are stubborn and hard-hearted  toward God (and us)....

We can't even  wrap our tiny mortal minds around all that God is .  The reality of His glory and power are  waaaayyy  too much for us to take-in or even imagine.   But we can try. And the writer of Psalm 104 does his very best to describe  God's digs and how He is dressed.  The Psalmist waxes eloquent and paints a gorgeous word-portrait of our Almighty God. No one can capture all that God is. But we can try.   And in realizing  the awesome glory of God, it causes a reaction in us:  praise.   We must  acknowledge God's authority and beauty in some way, and our reaction to is to  praise  Him . Let all that I am praise the   Lord .   O  Lord  my God, how great you are!   You are robed with honor and majesty.  ( 2)  You are dressed in a robe of light.   You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; (3)  you lay out the rafters of your home in the ...

Are we on-hold about something today?  Maybe our physical health?            ...the sickness or infection won't leave.                       ...the diagnosis (or diagno ses ) keep snowballing.   Or are we trapped today in a mental cage?  The door is unlocked, but still, we sit in fear...mostly of the unknown.   Or maybe it feels as if God has pressed the pause-button in a certain area of our lives.  It happens to be the one area that we are desperate for direction in.  But.. nothing .  We've been waiting.  And still today... we wait .   But in the wait , God speaks a Word: For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.  ~Hebrews 3:14 Yes , this verse does mean eternity-in-Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Tha...

Did your mom or dad ever say this phrase to you in a stern voice: " Don't make me repeat myself ..."?  It was a sentence that was more of a command and a threat: all in one.  This phrase is constructed of words but seems to carry an almost-physical presence (punch!) with it.  (As if-- we  don't  want the person speaking to have to repeat themselves... or else it will be bad  for us . ) " Don't  make me repeat myself" is a phrase that makes  us listen, and we know  that what is being said is muy importante.  (That's Spanish for "very important".)   Even if we have not been threatened with this phrase-of-warning...we can get the gist of the intended (strong) message: listen well the first time...or else. Well, God doesn't threaten us with His Words in the Bible (As in: " Don't make me repeat myself. .."), but God also doesn't mince His Words.  He doesn't sugar-coat His Truth, and He definitely doesn't pussy-foot ...

PLOP! What a complete  mess.  In fact--if one of my kids had done this, I might have grounded them.   As I was working at my computer and eating breakfast: mid-stream between scooping a spoonful of yogurt and making-it into my mouth...it dropped.  The yogurt plopped ...RIGHT onto my computer keyboard and all over the keys. In between the keys.  Under the keys.  All over.  Yuck.  And, now what ?   I had made a complete mess, and it was the messiest of messes.   I worked to clean it up but I just couldn't wipe the entirety of yogurt-goop-remnants off, away, out, and out-from-under the keys and from the keyboard.   I had really made a mess, and (in truth) I wasn't sure that full recovery and clean-up was actually possible. ~~~ Well--maybe my current computer keyboard may never be completely unblemished (un-yogurted) again...but (VERY good news!):  we can be. The complete mess that I accidentally inflicted on my...