Corona Devo 3174

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep..."  (From the poem "Christmas Bells", by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).


News flash!
This just in!  
All points bulletin!

God (our God...the one, true God) is NOT dead.  And nor does He sleep.  

Brothers and Sisters in faith: God is alive, and well, and breathing His Holy Spirit into us and into the next generation.  

Believe it!  I'm seeing it, and I pray that you are too.

Yes--- the service-of-self has replaced service-to-our-Lord in many people...
But, YES!!!  There is also an undeniable movement, a shift, a hunger and a renewal-of-faith in our young people and (while some wander), others are blossoming in faith and focus on the Lord.

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep..." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. (22) And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.  ~Exodus 13:21-22 

The Lord is leading us, Friends, just as He has always led His people.  
He does not hide from us--He is visible and near and able to be experienced.  Are we experiencing God in our lives?

He is (surely) not dead.

I (and a packed-church of people) witnessed God's spirit alive(!) and moving within the graduates of this year's senior class during their baccalaureate service the other night.  

Student-organized, student led, and Holy Spirit-infused---these students were all together in one place, and as they preached, sang, made-music, and prayed before the Lord and their families, it was like wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The Lord's presence within these young people and within His house that night was tangibly powerful.

Oh yes,...Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was absolutely right: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep...".  

It was not just one teenager and their speech, or their musical offerings, or their prayers...it was (Christ in them) each individually and their collective efforts to Him all together that packed a punch for Jesus Christ and reminded all of us of the importance of acknowledging and glorifying the Lord.    

No, He is not dead, nor does He sleep.  

Wow, that baccalaureate service (a service paired with graduation in which graduates share gratitude and praise for the Lord and also to their family, friends and staff who have helped them complete their undergraduate schooling)...was special.

There was a tear-jerking speech referencing Ruth, and giving thanks for "family", (because they stick-with-us through thick and thin and make sacrifices out of love.) 

Return home, my daughters...
(14) At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 
(15) “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 
(16) But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.  ~Ruth 1:12, 14

There was a student who spoke to salute to our communities--referencing the Tower of Babbel and cautioning us to to serve God together and not and not to serve ourselves.   

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 

(5) But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. (6) The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (7) Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 

(8) So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. (9) That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.  ~Genesis 11:4-9 

One student brought praise to the pulpit for our Heavenly Father:

Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord, my soul. (2) I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. (3) Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.  ~Psalm 146:1-3 

Another graduating senior reminded us of the hope and purpose we have because of the Lord and when we seek the Lord:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  ~Jeremiah 29:11-14 

And yet another gave credit and glory to faith, and the difficult task of seeking, obeying, and staying-dedicated to God, even with all that seeks to distract, deter, and separate us from Him.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.   ~Hebrews 12:1-2 

Still others prayed prayers of earnestness and sang songs of glorious praise, and played instruments...all to the glory of our Father.  Their words, their actions, their gifts, their talents, and their faith---all proving that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep..." in the hearts and minds of our youth (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).

They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and it was beautifully encouraging and contagious.

No, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep...", and I saw Him living (wide awake!) in our next generation the other night.  

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. (2) Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them...

(14) Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. (15) These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 

(16) No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams...

(21) And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'  ~Acts 2:1-4, 14-17, 21

~~~

We were all together in one place the other night, and we saw young people filled with the Holy Spirit.

Buckle up, Buttercups!  "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep...", and God's Holy Spirit is being poured out on many: You and me, and the next generation too.  (All praise to the Lord!)  

Brothers and Sisters in faith: God is alive, and well, and breathing His Holy Spirit into us and into the next generation.  

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  ~Ephesians 3:19


Blessings,

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