Corona Devotionals

...in this dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1 I imagine each generation reviews their childhood as carefree and beautiful, and as we age, we lament about how things/people/social mores are "changing". Times change, yes, but have you sensed/witnessed/experienced a distinct change in people lately? There is a shift in the temperament of us, and it stems from a shift away from our tetherment to God. As Americans "liberate" themselves from the "restrictions" and "intolerance" of God's Word, we are each setting our own rules for conflict management, fairness and what-we-are-entitled-to, instead of adhering to God's Rules (The Bible). And the land is getting dry and weary. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my body longs for you, in this dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1 There is a evil-fantasy that floats in the breeze of our minds, claiming that if we had no r...

Can you imagine anyone hearing Jesus preach and not "getting on board" with His message? You might be surprised. In Luke Chapter 2, a prophet named Simeon foretells about Jesus that: “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. (35) As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” (Luke 2:34-35). Simeon was speaking to Mary, but his words applied to the people living in her town (Nazareth) and they apply to us today. Jesus and His views are radical. They get us out of our comfort zones, and even bother us at times. Jesus also reveals the yuck (sin) that we have hidden beneath our surface ( the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed), and His Words and teachings and calling on our lives may (at times) feel like a sword pierc(ing) your very soul (Luke 2:35). Wonder what I am talking about? Let's let ...

(1) I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. (2) He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. (5) Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (6) He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  ~Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6 I wait quietly before God... (Psalm 62:1) I.  I do not have control over others.  Not my husband, not my children, not my boss, not other drivers, not teachers/coaches, not the government, not other people's mask/vaccine/political decisions.  I do not have control over what will occur tomorrow or what will pop up today.  But we do have control over ourselves.  And that is what God is concerned with: us.   I wait quietly before God... I .   I wait quietly before God... (Psalm 62:1) wait quietly . Hard to do. Especially in the lives we have fashioned/created/orchestrated/and scheduled around ourselves. Waiting quietly is a...

It's a hard-knock life...to hear some people tell it. Sure, we all have our bad days, but some people bend your ear with their complaints and critiques until the weight of them begins to hold us underwater too.  And they aren't even our issues! I realized this the other day, as my mood and temperament were getting sucked into the waves of someones billows (via text, no less!).   I found myself getting upset and even slightly worked up about trivial-grievances that had nothing to do with me.   It was not even 7 A.M., and my mood had gone from ready-for-the-day to ticked-at-the-world, because I was checking in with my phone and my friends before checking in with God and His Word. I realized the negative chatter was pulling me down and also that it had absolutely nothing to do with me .  And I also remembered that we have choices and that I was allowing distractions (phone and a negative person) to disrupt my day before it had even really started.   I pu...

(15) Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. (16) John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (17) He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” (18) John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.  ~Luke 3:15-18 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. (Luke 3:17) Not many of us are agricultural farmers, and so the only fork we use is to lift food into our mouths.  But the winnowing fork that Luke speaks of was used to separate the good grain from the (unusable) chaff (or husks). I'm no farmer,...

You and I know most of the "big names" of Godly women in the Bible who did great things in the name of God, such as: Mary, Esther, Ruth, Rachel, Hannah, and of course Eve. But there are lesser-named Bible women who also served the Lord in strong ways, however we don't hear about them as much (or in the case of today's scripture, you've probably never heard of these women).  But that doesn't minimize their boldness, their faith and the voice that they had in serving the Lord and making-their-mark in doing what was right.   There are certain names that come to mind of famous women in more recent times: Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks and Amelia Earhart to name a few.   Watch for the underdog spirit that is espoused in Numbers 27 and be reminded that you and me may be lesser-known names, but we can absolutely have an impact for God in our own lives, and in the lives of others. As the Israelites got closer to actually entering the Promised Land, God said t...

Next to my time in the Bible, possibly my favorite minutes spent each day occur first-thing-in-the-morning when I greet my dog by scratching her ears and rubbing her belly before I go downstairs and begin the day's rat race.  I think it is a special time for her too. So I wondered what was up this morning when she chose not to acknowledge my existence, did not lift her head to me, stayed tucked-up against the wall laying beyond my reach, and chose not to participate in our normal morning routine.    She did not follow for her breakfast (the highlight of her  day), for a lap of water, to be let out...or anything .  She just laid motionless at the top of the steps.   As my tribe emerged from their rooms to begin the new day, a shout from one of our kids shed light as to why our dog was behaving differently this morning: "Mom, the dog peed in the basement!"    (1) Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great...