Corona Devotionals

God has good for us. He actually delights to do good for us if we will just  follow his decrees  and obey his instructions (Psalm 105:45).  The Israelites were ( ARE! ) His people.  He led them in their exodus to freedom and they didn't just leave Egypt (their place of captivity), they left with their arms full of treasure and in full and good health.  (What more could we want?) The   Lord   brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold;  and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.  ~Psalm 105:37 God has good for us.  Out of His protection and provision, the Lord led and fed the Israelites consistently with manna, quail, and water as they traveled through the desert during their nomad-era travels.  The  Lord  spread a cloud above them as a covering  and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.  ( 40)  They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;  he satisfied their hunger ...

As our oldest prepares to leave the nest and summer jobs and college are on his horizon...it's time to talk about money.  Certainly, we hope that he has learned the financial principles of working, earning, and saving by observing our family practices over the years, but in addition to the financial requirements for success, there is one more step in the financial freedom process which is essential to be taught, learned, and put into practice: tithing . When we talk about money we must also (always) include the topic of tithing.   Why?   Because God and the Bible do.   The word "tithe" comes  from the Old English word " teogoþa" (" tenth”).  And tithe is defined by Webster's Dictionary as " a tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment”. From the earliest Biblical earnings with the brothers of Cain and Abel, the Lord inferred that tithes were not only pleasing to...

I am  so sorry,  Lord. ~~~ I wanted his homework done early this week, and I told him so.  Kind but firm, I made my deadline  very  clear, and the consequences of not-completing things were fully understood also.   But as the deadline loomed and the hour grew later, I saw our son's countenance change and his demeanor alter.  He threw away the first (fully complete!) draft and decided to begin again at this late hour.  I watched him struggle at the computer for a while before I told him that bed was the best solution for today.   It was late.   It was later still after we talked for about thirty minutes and he confided that he was feeling overwhelmed and inadequate.  He felt this way in my eyes, in his own eyes, and even in God's eyes, even though none  of us feel that way at all. The mom-imposed deadline was mine, (not a teacher's) and his anguish at this hour could only be traced back to me .  Normally jovi...

Well, Spring is in the air, and this time of year means graduation season for some.  Many events encircle the final exercise of a graduate receiving their diploma, and a baccalaureate service is one of them. Baccalaureate?   "The odd name,  ' baccalaureate' , comes from the early years of higher education when the bachelor’s degree was called 'the baccalaureate'.  It is believed that, during the 15th century, Oxford University established a tradition of sending their graduates off through a (very) long service that included (student) sermons offered in Latin. When this tradition was carried to the U.S.A...the distinctly religious aspects of the ceremony were encompassed in a service before Commencement. That service came to be called 'Baccalaureate': baccalaureus ( bachelor), and bacca lauri , (laurel berry) to mirror the bay tree leaves that were woven into crowns to be placed on the heads of scholars).   The modern theme of a  baccalaureate  cer...

When searching for an airline flight, there's no better word associated with a booking than, " Non-stop ".  A direct flight makes everything better, doesn't it?  Sure, the in-direct and layover flights are often a better financial value, but the extra time and extra energy that we invest and spend at connecting airports and with layovers is often not worth the savings because, when you get right down to it: Our time has a value to it too. Non-Stop means that you go through security only once.  Non-stop means that you check your luggage only once.  Non-stop means that you board a plane and deplane only once.   No layovers, no rushing to get to the "next" gate.  No missed connections.   Non-stop flights take much of the hassle out of travel, hence, "Non-stop" is our ideal travel itinerary.  We know the benefits of earthly non-stop travel...But do we know that Jesus has booked us a non-stop ticket to Heaven?  All we need to do is ...

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,  the Lord tested Joseph’s character.   ~Psalm 105:19 Raise your (tired/fettered/tied) hand if your character is being tested today.   Raise your eyes/heart/spirit if your character has been being tested  for days or months or years. The Bible reminds (and gives us examples today!) of the truth that our time will come .  And until that time...God may be testing our character.   What do we think of that?   It could infuriate or frustrate us.  Or: to know that our God is working on our character (so that we might more accurately represent Him ) ... that knowledge can be power in our lives and hearts and attitudes today.  If we can have faith  in our God and in the truth and promise that He is in the process of fulfilling our dreams... if we can know and believe that today, then we are going to be okay today. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,  the Lord tested Jos...