Corona Devotionals

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  ~Luke 2:13-14 ...and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.  ~Luke 2:14 How does God know the very thing we are seeking so desperately in this Season, these days, these lists, these purchases, this cooking, this wrapping, this entertaining......HIS PEACE! It is such an odd cycle in December: the to-do list continues to grow, while at the same time our spiritual desire for stillness (in Christ) swells.  We want  to do all of these "good" things in physical preparations for Christmas, but if we do them on our own , or in our own strength and of our own will, then peace eludes us.  Frazzle finds us and distraction dissipates the greater-good of God during the Christmas season.   Unless.... ...and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.  ~Luke...

Spread the word! And why wouldn't we?  The proof and pleasure of God working in our daily lives is newsworthy.  We share recipes, political opinions and family updates: why wouldn't we spread the word about how God's Word or influence is changing us?  Has He touched your heart lately?  Has God reached into your life through a friend speaking truth, or a song, or a verse?  We should spread that word to give God credit and to encourage others! Did God put someone on your mind, and when you reached out, you were just what they needed?  Spread the word!  Share God's movement, and it will move others close to Him too!  When Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, a man  possessed by an evil   spirit  (Mark 1:23)  came to him. Jesus cast out the evil spirit and how could the onlookers help  but spread the word?   “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirit...

Oh, the thrills of serving and giving and making-merry at Christmas-time!  It is a rush...until it is a crash.  Have you been in this ebb and flow of holiday-activity-waves rising (with great things) and then crashing (with too-little sleep and too-much non-stop bustle)?   I love the filling-of-my-soul that serving others brings, but when I get frazzled, my attitude becomes loud and belligerent, just like an off-kilter washing machine.  And I spun into that cycle yesterday. Rushing, impatience and curt words are not only the opposite of God's example of love to us, but we are being unfaithful to Him when we behave in that way.  As I knelt for my prayers last night, the guilt (and shame) of my negative body-language and verbal mistreatment of others washed over me.  When we fall into these sins, we are cheating on God. Remorse is a healthy thing, and owning our unfaithfulness to God  is a tool for avoiding it in the future.  I don't want to ...

...he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in tent curtains.”  3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”  ~2 Samuel 7:2-3 One day as King David   was settled in his palace  (2 Kings 7:1) , he was moved by the realization that he was surrounded by opulence and luxury while, in contrast, the Ark of the Covenant was being housed by mere " tent curtains" (2 Samuel 7:3).  God's hand had been on David since he was a young boy, but David had also worked hard and stood on faith for what surrounded him too.  He was human and had the same innate desires within him that we do.  He strived, worked hard, fought for his positions and now he was resting in the rewards of his life's work.  But because of his love for the Lord, he also realized that all of it ultimately came to him from God.  And he wanted to honor God. My mind drifted ba...

12 Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? 13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! 14 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.  ~Psalm 34:12-14 Almost as if right on cue, the Bible is giving us tips for how to get along  with people, family, and others.  How did Jesus know that we will soon be visiting, spending time, meals and conversations with friends and rel ations?  And how did He know that I am apt to "blow it" with something that I say? Well, they don't call Him   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) for nothing.  Jesus is (and seeks to be) all of these roles in our hearts, our days and our lives, and following Him is for our own good and leads to a life and relationships that are long and prosperous . And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor... (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus, I thank you for your counsel into our live...

Our supper-time topic of discussion yesterday was "joy".  We came at it from a few different angles.  To engage our kids, we kicked off by asking them what brings them joy during the holidays?  Interestingly, they each listed the same 3 things.  Number One was "presents" for each of them.  I mean, they are  kids, and Christmas is approaching, what was I expecting?    Numbers 2 and 3 were ranked differently depending on the child but the answers were the same: being "off of school" (Christmas break!) and "time with family".   We chatted about these things for a minute and then we also took a moment to encourage each of them to "choose joy" this week, especially in the midst of whatever their particular "trouble spot" or "joy-stealer" is.   God wants us to share his good fruit with others, not sour grapes.   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-co...

Lord, my heart is heavy today at the deceit and duplicity of our people.  I want  to believe that deep-down everyone is good but the only good in us is You,  and we have to choose You over ourselves.  It is so difficult to do. Self-gain is the trunk to the wild and dangerous tree that has grown so tall over our Nation.  The fraud and whatever-it-takes efforts to thwart truth are so disheartening and seem unprecedented.   But it's not the first time people have twisted truth and fabricated stories in order to push their own narratives.  And it will not be the last time.  Deception, selfishness, and the desire-for-power is as old as, well...You. 11  As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened.  12  A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe.  13  They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples...