Corona Devotionals

I'm not sure what part of the world you woke up in today, but where I live, it's been pretty cold lately.  Way below freezing temperatures, actually.   I remember learning in grade school about the experiments that scientist Ivan Pavlov did with dogs.  Pavlov knew that dogs drool (salivate) naturally when they see food (this is called an "unconditioned response", because it happens naturally).  Pavlov believed, tested, and proved that if he rang a bell in tandem with serving the dogs food, then eventually, they would associate the bell with food, and drool...even when there was no food being served (and just a bell ringing).  (This is called a "conditioned response", because a subject can be "conditioned" to behave in this way). The dogs in the experiment eventually drooled at the ringing of a bell, without any food in sight. That's our science lesson for today, but I have been a part of my own little scientific experiment lately.   I think the...

Our daughter gets on movie-kicks sometimes, and she will watch the same movie over and over for weeks.  It might be for twenty minutes here or an hour there, but when she is in a specific movie-routine, that show can be found playing on our TV whenever she has a few minutes to spare.  I think it is her way of relaxing to something comforting and familiar. This week her movie is The Sound of Music , and it is comforting and familiar to me, too.  As a child, we enjoyed it once a year on TV as a family, and I fell in love with the music and beautiful story that fills it.   We even performed the play in high school, and although usually a townsperson, for  The Sound of Music  I got to don a nun's habit for a few of the convent numbers.   And when I studied abroad for a college semester in Australia, I watched  The Sound of Music  movie with the eight women that I roomed with, and although we came from eight different nations and la...

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 ...