Corona Devotionals

The Christmas season means a lot of shopping.  We often end up spending more money than we want on gifts that have very little meaning or value to the giver or recipient.  But I don' think we are hitting the Christmas mark when we engage in thhis type of giving and gifting.   God's gift of His Son was a priceless gift, but Jesus was born in (lowly) manger and initially, (lowly) shepherds were the first people to visit the child, and the Bible does not mention that they brought any gifts for Him at all.   And  she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a  manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.   ~Luke 2:7 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ( 16)  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Ba...

Have you ever been in a situation where you weren't sure what to say?    How should we broach a difficult circumstance?  Ever wondered what to say during a hard/sad/complicated/heavy interaction?                  Advice?  Prayer?  Anecdote?  Empathy?  Sympathy?  Scripture? What's the right  thing to say? What's the wrong  thing to say?   How to know what  to say can be a challenging choice in some cases, and in this case, I asked God. Guess what He told me to say?   Nothing.   Women should learn quietly and submissively.  ( 12) ... Let them listen quietly.    ~I Timothy 2:11-12 Through the Bible (God's Word), He made it quite clear that I wasn't to interfere.  Or commiserate.  Or Pollyanna.  Or anything.   Sometimes, if we are trying to be a friend, we just need to listen , and the best thing for us to say is ...

America has many nuances specific to its land and people, and one of them is today : Thanksgiving. I don't know of another country in the world that has dedicated a day to being grateful, and b ecause of this, Thanksgiving is a unique holiday...and a powerful one.  Gratitude forces us to focus on all that we have been given , and the very practice of gratitude erases entitlement and self-focus, because to be grateful, we have to acknowledge all that we have been blessed with.  And it's a lot. It is good to praise the  Lord...  ~ Psalm 92:1 ~~~ If we can make the historical mental-leap back in time to ponder the (emotional/physical/spiritual) place that the Pilgrims were in when they decided to dedicate a day to placing their gratitude on a platter and offering it to God for all that He had provided to them... If we can do that today: well, that's the secret to Thanksgiving: giving thanks.   The Pilgrims were (literally) forging their way in a land brand new...

My guests were due to arrive anytime now, and the house looked pretty good.  But I wasn't happy with how I looked. In jeans and a t-shirt, I certainly hadn't dressed to impress.  I could have (should have?) represented more positively.  More fancily.  More polished.   But the second hand on the clock told me that good would have to be good enough, and so I went downstairs just in time to open the door to the first knock of the morning.  It turned out that no one cared what I was wearing.  (And how shallow of me to worry that anyone would.)  No one walked in and asked me why I didn't dress-up more for the occasion.  And the "occasion" was nothing fancy anyway, just chit chat with some women.   And the response of my friends (or lack of a negative one) was exactly what God had already whispered into my ear earlier that morning when I sat with Him and His Word: our beauty isn't in our outfit or jewels: we are  attractive by o...

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  ( 3)  This is good and pleases God our Savior,  ( 4)  who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.   ( 5)  For, t here is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.  ( 6)  He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.   This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.  ( 7)  And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.  ~I Timothy 2:5-7 ~~~ Don't exaggerate .  Don't embellish.  Don't brag.  Don't be so self-proclaiming.  None of those traits are righteous as we seek to serve our Savior Jesus Christ.  But don't ignore what God has in store for us.  Don't be apathetic about our calling ...

God's giving us a message  in His Word (the Bible) today.   Close your eyes.   God told the prophet Jeremiah all of these things.   The  Lord  gave another message to Jeremiah.  ~Jeremiah 30:1. Listen  to the message .  Relax and receive it.  Drift off into it.  It is for us too. God told Jeremiah that the Israelites were His (God's) people, but they were not acting like it.  (Are we?)   The Israelites were afraid...and they were forgetting God in the midst of their circumstances.  (Are we?)    This is what the  Lord  says:   “I hear cries of fear;  there is terror and no peace.   ~Jeremiah  30:5 But it's not like the Israelites couldn't have hope because of the Lord and in  the Lord, because they could!  And no matter what we face today, we can too!  God reminded Jeremiah to remind the people...and to remind us... For in that day,” ...

I just can't get it right: I'm such a screw up.   Sometimes unintentional..I'm trying  to do good, but I do "me" instead of do "God", and the outcome falls short...  And sometimes I sin in tentionally.  I know  my attitude/actions/motive/resentment/fear/worry/unbelief is sinful and I willingly partake anyway. I turned away from God,  but then I was sorry.   I kicked myself for my stupidity!   I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger  days.’    ~Jeremiah 31:19 And not just  my younger days... TODAY .   Everytime I turn to my self and my will and my strength, I am turning away from God. I am so sorry, Lord.   I kicked myself for my stupidity!   I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did... ( Jeremiah 31:19). You must hate me, Father.  I hate myself sometimes.   ~~~ This is how we feel (sometimes), isn't it?  Like a failure and an outcast from others and...