Wednesday, March 04, 2015

March 4, 2015 … Finding Our Real Home

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 63

Devotional Song: ... Go to this link  … Please take the time to take in a video of Steve Green singing the pertinent and powerful song … Find Us Faithful; … declaring a prayer of faithfulness for all who are “pilgrims on the narrow road” in God’s Kingdom … that our footprints lead us others to King Jesus!


Highlight Passage Numbers 13: 27-28 [NKJV] … 
27 Then they [i.e., 10 of the 12 spies] told [Moses], and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 
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Highlight Context - Numbers 13: 25 - 14:19 [NKJV]USE THIS LINK …  … The story of Moses sending spies to see God’s Promised Land
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Reference Passage #1 - Deuteronomy 4: 29 [NKJV]
  29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 

Reference Passage #2 - Psalm 90: 1 [NKJV]
  1 Lord, … You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 

Reference Passage #3 - Proverbs 6: 6-8 [NKJV]USE THIS LINK
 … Solomon’s picture of doing due diligence to find our true home

Reference Passage #4 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV]
  23 Then [King Jesus] said to them all, If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 

Reference Passage #5 - 1st Corinthians 10: 13 [NKJV]
  13 No temptation [also "test, trouble, trial"] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Reference Passage #6 - 2nd Timothy 1: 7 [NKJV]
  7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Mart DeHaan, began today’s entry with a word-picture illustration. Using ants as his illustration, he wrote about how the European rock ants send out “scout ants” to find a home-place which will be moist, dark, and secure enough for their queen mother to lay her eggs.

 And then DeHaan, citing the scriptures from Numbers, Chapters 13-14, linked above, related the ant illustration (see also the Prov. 6: 6-8 link) to the story of Moses sending out the 12 spies to gather information on God’s “Promised Land.” And you, no doubt, know how that story went … with 10 of the 12 spies coming back, fearfully, and advising against going into that land. However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, came back to say [see Num. 13:30], “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 

 And isn’t that just like most of us, … fearful humans, … yes, even the planners and schemers among us, … the ones willing to scout out the future. So often all we can see is crisis rather than opportunity. But Caleb and Joshua, of the twelve spies, saw wonderful opportunity in the land ahead … because ... they trusted that God would not lead them where they couldn’t follow or find’s The Lord’s way (see Prov. 3: 5-6 [find it!], and above, 1st Cor. 10:13 and 2nd Timothy 1: 7).

Questions for us today from this ODB entry 
1.  Do we really believe God’s promises in the Bible? [e.g., Romans 8: 28 - find it!!]
2.  Are we really seeking God’s way in this world? [see Deut. 4: 29 above]
3.  Are we really willing to follow King Jesus … REALLY?!! [see Luke 9: 23 above]

My Prayer for Today O Lord, … in answering those questions … YES - YES - and YES!! … Amen

Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

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