Corona Devotionals

God loves us!  ~~~ Did we ever get a spanking as a child?  I think (hope) the correct answer is--only when we deserved it.   To teach a child boundaries, right from wrong, authority, and consequences-to-poor-choices: discipline is a Biblical method of love that God the Father teaches and models for us throughout Scripture.   God loves us, and He reveals this in many ways, and sometimes, it's through a (proverbial or physical) spanking. And sometimes...it is through a big bear hug of mercy.  Let the Lord envelop us today with His word and His love, and His mercy .  No spiritual spankings today, just Heavenly arms spread wide-open for us, God's children. God loves us, and he is fully aware of our shortcomings before Him, but his love, compassion, and mercy supersede our sin: He will never give up on us. “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?   How can I let you go?  ~Hosea 11:8 Our Lord's hope and patience for our love-of-Him is always ...

It is a repeated message in the Bible: Our sin and worship of other things  is seen by God.  ...And there's a pattern with God's people: the more affluent our lives and our nations--the more pagan altars we seem to build.   How prosperous Israel is— a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit.  B ut the richer the people get, t he more pagan altars they build.   The more bountiful their harvests,  the more beautiful their sacred pillars.  ~Hosea 10:1 Written over 2000 years ago, we want to dismiss Hosea's words, and pretend that he wrote them to ancient Israel (alone).  But although Hosea penned these verses warning of faith-adultery against God... Hosea  did not write these words, disciplining Israel.  God wrote these words .  God wrote the entire Bible, including the book of Hosea, and He wrote it for  all of His people, for all time (yesterday's people/today's people/tomorrow's generations too.)   All...

When the   Lord   brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,  it was like a dream! ( 2)  We were filled with laughter,  and we sang for joy.   And the other nations said,  “What amazing things the  Lord  has done for them.”  (3)  Yes, the  Lord  has done amazing things for us!   What joy!  (4)  Restore our fortunes,  Lord ,  as streams renew the desert. ( 5)  Those who plant in tears  will harvest with shouts of joy. ( 6)  They weep as they go to plant their seed,  but they sing as they return with the harvest.  ~Psalm 126:1-6 ~~~ Lord, how we love You.  Your promises and processes for us will end well.  Have we seen it? Have we seen it in others?   You give us Biblical examples of the product and outcome of faith in You.  We can read in Your Word of other people's perseverance in pursuing You and Your promises.   The Israelites were ...

Sometimes at church you and I will have missionaries come to visit, and they will share of their call to serve the Lord in far away places. Sometimes at church you and I have friends and families that are weekly, regular, dear members of our church body, and then they are called by the Lord to leave our family and go and build God's family somewhere else. Sometimes at church you and I have visiting pastors, college students, children's choirs or others who are passing-through or staying for a spell. How do we respond to them? How do we support them? How do we serve them? How do we show hospitality to them? What do we DO for the brothers and sisters (in Christ) even though they are strangers to us? And, when it is time for them to leave, are we sending them on their way in a manner that honors God ? ~~~ Why am I asking? The truth is: I am not asking. But God, through the Bible (His Word) is asking us, and He is pricking-our-hearts about our treatment and reception of ...

I am so blessed  by the family of Christ, and I am so grateful-for/encouraged-by/and ignited by friends-in-Christ...and I hope that you are too. This living-for-the-Lord thing is a group-effort (We can't do it alone!) and friends and family (in the Lord) make the journey-for-Jesus fun at times, and possible  at other times. It can be hard to express what the family of Christ does for us and our spirit, but we should try to express it to them (thank them), so that they can know and be encouraged in knowing what an encouragement their faith is to us. I am writing to... my dear friend, whom I love in the truth.  ~3 John 1:1 ~~~ I   popped out of bed at 5:45 AM yesterday for a coffee date with one of my good friends-in-Christ.  We hadn't caught up in a while, and this early  hour was one that we both had available, and so we booked it--and I couldn't have been more tickled to do so.  Why?   Because I love this dear friend   in the truth ....

Let's just stop whatever ( else )  we are doing   right now.   Sit down.  Sit still.   He says, “Be still, and know that I am God"...  ~Psalm 46:10 ~~~ Let's open the Bible today: God's Word written to us... for  us.    Lord, we do not want to take this privilege (of meeting with You) for granted.  Lord, we do not want to take the power  of connecting-with-You and reading-Your-Word for granted.   We seek  You today, we thirst  for You today.  We long  for You today, Lord. (1) O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. (2) So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. (3) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. (4) Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. (5) My soul shall be satisfied as with m...