Corona Devotionals

There was a Bible prophet (one who speaks the will of God prior to it occurring) named Micah who lived seven hundred years before Jesus was born.   Seven hundred years  before.   And yet, Micah gave a single-sentence promise of someone ( whose origins are from of old   from ancient times ) that would come  from Bethlehem ...and that someone, or should we say, that S omeone would  be ruler over Israel . “But you, Bethlehem   Ephrathah,  though you are small among the clans of Judah,  out of you will come for me  one who will be ruler over Israel,  whose origins are from of old,  from ancient times.”  ~Micah 5:2 Can we "trust" or believe the Bible and Bible prophecy to be true?  We can if it comes true . And although no one (at that time) was expecting the Messiah to come out of Bethlehem , Jesus did.   ~~~ Are we expecting fulfillment to come from the wrong places in our lives? ...

This season-- Oh what fun it is! Oh what fun it is...to bake the thumbprints and snowballs and gingerbread men and buckeyes. Oh what fun it is...to listen to all the Christmas carols and jingles and hymns. Oh what fun it is...to shop and wrap and check our lists twice. Oh what fun it is...to go to the gatherings and have holiday fun. Oh what fun it is...to reminisce, to remember, to recall the Christmases past. But-- is it just me?   Oh what sadness it can bring when we miss those that are not having the holiday fun with us anymore. We all  know  that life is a cycle, and there comes an end of it for each of us.  And the longer we live, the more that truth and wisdom becomes a part of our reality.  But even wisdom does not dull the ache of loved ones lost, and the holidays can stir that sorrow in surprising and unexpected ways. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;  the more knowledge, the more grief.  ~Ecclesiastes 1:18 ~~~ Oh what fun it is...to ...

I know someone who carefully mixed, rolled-out, cut, baked and then hand-dipped and decorated dozens of gingerbread men this week.  She served those guys along with fourteen other types of (delicious!) homemade cookies after the Christmas program at her kids school.  But she wouldn't mention to you the time, effort, work and love that went into that big baking task.   “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.   ~Matthew 6:1 ~~~ I know an older, hard-working man who witnessed a younger, hard-working man that had been struggling financially.  The elder blessed the younger with a check to "help him out".  But the generous elder wouldn't admit to that charity if you asked him.   I know another guy who is a business-owner and he gives a portion of every  sale to a charity that prevents children from entering the sex trade...

Do we want it?  (God's blessing and favor?) We are going to have to get active in our faith, then.   The salvation of God is free to anyone who receives it, but  the blessing  of God?  There will have to be proof in our faith-pudding for that to come.    But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ( 23)  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ( 24)  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ( 25)  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues  in it,  and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.  ~James 1:22-25 God called Abraham (originally known as Abram), and when God first spoke to Abraham, there was nothing special  about Abraham.  But Abraham became special ...

I have a friend who is in the throes of a faith-led life.  I didn't say "faith-filled" life, because her filling  is still coming.  She knows (believes/has faith) that God's promises  will come in God's time.  But for now, God has directed her steps, and she is putting one foot in front of the other as the Lord leads her in schooling, in marriage, and in life.   These are biggies ...and she is believing  God for the promises that He is showing her, and in real prayer/in real response/in real time: she is (boldly) walking forward in faith. She does  not  have all the answers, and nor does she know (any) of the eventual outcomes, but she is  believing, hoping, and having faith in God for those outcomes.   It's inspiring to me! But it's triggering for some others.  Another friend of mine heard the same  (bold-faith and believing-before-seeing)   story and credited her as crazy.   She questioned how lo...

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,  but the  Lord  tests the heart.  ~Proverbs 17:3  ~~~ There's a lot of silver and gold that encircles the holidays.  Gift-giving, gift-getting, and gift buying, buying, buying.  But for what purpose?  And to whom...and  why ?? ~~~ Speaking with a friend the other day, he fondly recalled that as children, they would each receive one special gift at Christmas.  Not five gifts or twenty-five gifts...but  one .   And he could recount what those (special) gifts were over the years...because they were singular and special and they made a (grateful) impression on him.   They meant something to him. He contrasted that with a recent holiday family party where the children received so many gifts that they knew not who gave them, and nor did they appear (at all) appreciative (or aware) of the bounty that they had just received.   It wasn't special. ~~~ Contrast the...