Corona Devotionals

Work at living in peace with everyone...  ~Hebrews 12:14 It is work to get along and be at peace with others...let alone everyone .  But God's standard for us is high.   And so is His reward. So... Work at living in peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14). Work... (try/submit/compromise/don't comment/die-to-ourselves/). Work   at living at peace with everyone.    Peace  is not silence.   Peace  is not the cold shoulder.  Peace is not judgement and disdain.  Peace is not condescension.   Peace is... peace .  We know when we are at peace with someone because we feel it .  Peace is palpable. We also know when we are not at peace with someone: there is a tension, a dis comfort, a dis cord.   Who comes to our mind right now?   Who are we not  at peace  with right now?  God's got a message for us today about that person:  Work at living in peace with everyone (Hebr...

We try so very hard to figure it all out.  ...To map out our lives.  ..To discern our callings and our giftings and to capitalize on our today and our tomorrow.   But God never said we had to do all of that.   In fact God never said that we could do all of that.  God clearly and simply and matter-of-factly said that all that we  have to do is: follow Him , and... if we do/if we will/if we are (following Him), then He will make it (whatever "it" is) happen in our lives.    Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  ~Matthew 4:19   He will put His plans in place if we will follow Him and defer to Him. He will make us .   He will make us into exactly who and what He has for us to be.  Remember the disciples?  Before they met Jesus, they believed in God and had been raised reading His Word.  They were working their jobs.  They had livelihoods and wives and fami...

As the deer pants for streams of water,  so my soul pants for you, my God.  ( 2)  My soul thirsts   for God, for the living God.   When can I go and meet with God?  ~Psalm 42:1-2   ~~~ We have had company at our house for the past week, and what a joy  to be with family.  And with overnight guests comes altered sleeping arrangements: we had extra mattresses and inflatable beds scattered around the house and bedroom-swaps too.  I haven't been in my bed for a week, and (as a result), I haven't sunk to my knees beside my bed in prayer for a week.   But with our (beloved) guests and gusts of busy-ness gone, as I knelt in prayer before hitting the hay last night, it was like coming home.  ...Like taking a long drink of water without knowing exactly how very thirsty I had become.   Time alone with our Savior cannot be replaced by anything else.  Time spent in His presence and in prayer ...

How much  labor  do we apply to the way that we look each day?  Our outfit, our shoes, our accessories: are they matching?  Are they trending?  Are they brand name?   Does it take us a while to do our hair, face, and make-up?  Do we pour time and energy into our physique and body? It seems that the older I get, the less I worry about what I wear and how I look, but as a younger girl and woman, I spent much time  setting my heart on outward-appearance and the popular/trending/social/monied concerns of life.  It would be fair to say that I ran after all such things.  And if we are blatantly honest with ourselves, many of us still run after such things from time to time.  It's hard not to. However, these days my concerns are usually less about outfits and more about outcomes.  Health: Is everyone okay?  Will they be okay?" .   Our minds drift to finances and our long-term provision  and  long-term-car...

As iron sharpens iron,  so a friend sharpens a friend.  ~Proverbs 27:17 Or...my interpretation for this verse as I have experienced it over the past week is: As iron sharpens iron,  so a sister sharpens a sister .    I've been sharpened this week by my  best friend,   my sister .  Her faith in every sense of the word has educated, taught, and exemplified to me what a Godly woman and friend looks like, and she has sharpened  me.   The Bible outlines the makings of woman-of-God, but it is a rare gift to experience  a woman  of noble character  in the flesh , because, as God's Word says: she is hard to find.   But find her I have, and God brought this friend  into my life just fourteen months after I was born, and we have been sharpening  each other ever since. I am blessed to have a sister who teaches me (and many) how to live for the Lord through her quiet example of grace, mercy, servitude...

Without oxen a stable stays clean,  but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.  ~Proverbs 14:4 We do not have a clean stable right now...our house is in a bit of disarray and needs a wipe-down and a full vacuum treatment.  But, oh, how we are blessed by the large harvest that created the mess.   Many friends and family recently came over and much food was enjoyed, and clean-up is an inevitable piece of the entertaining puzzle.  But as the author of Proverbs so poetically penned: we can either have a " clean stable " or " a large harvest ".  I'll take the large harvest everytime, and I praise the Lord for the blessing of a stable that was full. Without oxen a stable stays clean,  but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.  ~Proverbs 14:4 ~~~ The multi-family vacation is a ton  of work, I know.  Coordinating meals, sharing the space, dividing the responsibilities and time.  Compromise.   But the family ties that ...