Corona Devotionals

For to us a child is born,   to us a son is given,  and the government will be on his shoulders.   And he will be called  Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,  Everlasting Father,  Prince of Peace.   ( 7) Of the greatness of his government and peace  there will be no end.   He will reign on David’s throne  and over his kingdom,  establishing and upholding it  with justice and righteousness   from that time on and forever.   The zeal of the  Lord  Almighty  will accomplish this.  ~Isaiah 9:6-7 All that Jesus was born to be... He is.  Are we in-relationship-with/connecting-to/relying-on-Him in all of the ways and roles that He was born to  be  for us? He was born a baby in a manger, but He didn't stay that way.  Today He is everything (to us) that the Scriptures foretold that He would be. Come to Him.  Talk to Him.  Spi...

There's a catchy little line from the Disney movie, "Finding Nemo" that repeats, 'Just keep swimming" over and over. If you've ever seen the movie, you can probably hear Dory's voice saying it in your head right now. "Just keep swimming...just keep swimming..." Where are we in our faith today?  If we are feeling alone or even lonely in our service to the King..."just keep swimming". The waters may seem choppy or we may feel as if we are afloat in this huge ocean-of-a-world without any signs of (other Believer) life on the horizon. "Just keep swimming". In Romans 10, the apostle Paul encouraged his Believer-listeners b y referencing the prophet Elijah, who cried out to God because he felt like he was alone in persevering for the Lord. But he wasn't, and God reminded him of that.   God's reminding us of it today too: ...and do you remember God's reply?  He said, "No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed d...

Have we lost our way to  The Way ? Has that already happened in the past days and weeks?  Or are we too busy to even notice? The lists, the recipes, the wrapping, the pressures, the "fairy-tale expectations"...have we lost focus on the real  meaning of Christmas? Are we micromanaging, hyper-stressing, and possibly hyperventilating because of Christmas?   Are we distracted by all the preparations ? As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  ( 39)  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  ( 40)  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   (41)  “Martha, Martha,”  the Lord answered,  “you are worried and upset about many things,...

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,  out of the mud and mire; h e set my feet   on a rock  and gave me a firm place to stand.  ~Psalm 40:2 Will I go to hell  for (sometimes) feeling like this "Season" is a slimy pit ? I  try  to claw my way out, but the mud and mire  grip my mind, temperament, and my soul-fire...and I can't.   Can't jingle-and-dance like the songs on the radio. Can't spend money I don't have on things people don't need. Can't connect with the Bible stories of wise men seeking and amazed shepherds. Can't find the joy  that advertisements blare and that many exude effortlessly, even amidst the ticking clock and heaps of have-to's. I'm trying.  But I am in the mud and mire  and in the slimy pit.   Not everyone  calls this the most wonderful time of the year.   ~~~ He lifted me out of the slimy pit,  out of the mud and mire; h e set my feet   on a rock  and gave...

If I were to ever have another baby boy (which I won't), I might name him Jehoshaphat -- what a great guy (in the Bible) he  was.  But one day,  Jehoshaphat got some news that  the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on ( him).  ( 2)  Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army...is marching against you...   ~2 Chronicles 20:1-2 What would we  do if we heard that a vast army was approaching?   Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the  Lord  for guidance.    ~2 Chronicles 20:3 So...what did he do?  Where did he turn?  What was his gut-reaction? ... God. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.  ( 4)  So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the  Lord ’s help.   (5)   Jehoshaphat stood before the community... ( 6)  He prayed, “O  Lord , God of our ancestors, you alone ar...

Have you ever known someone that is a genius  in book-smarts but understanding the simpler things can be a challenge for them?  They have the "facts" down, but the "street-smarts" seem to baffle them sometimes. “How can this be?” , they might ask, or their body-language shouts. Such was the case with Nicodemus , a well-learned, highly-educated scholar and religious-elite among the Jewish people.  He knew God's Word and Law inside and out, and he followed all the rules of it.   But Jesus baffled him.   Or, more specifically, the simplicity and necessity of being " born again " baffled him. It baffles me too.   “How can this be?” But, just as Jesus explained to  Nicodemus, (and He  explains to us through the Bible today too)--a big part of faith is... having faith  in God's processes and order of things .  Believing, trusting, accepting...even when we don't understand fully .   I honestly don't think w...