Tuesday, September 19, 2017

September 19, 2017 … Everything To Me

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 262 

Devotional Song:GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video and lyrics of the group Avalon singing their song … Everything To Me … poignantly sings of the reality which all Christians should claim … that we have EVERYTHING when we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior.


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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 73:26 [NLT] … 26 … My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but my God remains the strength of my heart; … He is mine forever! 
… Our God is all we need!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalms 73:21-28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… The Psalmist helps us realize that our relationship with the living God is EVERYTHING!
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Reference Passage [NLT] : … Psalm 119:57-58 [NLT] … 57 Lord, You are mine! I promise to obey Your words! 58 With all my heart I want Your blessings. Be merciful as you promised. 
… The Psalmist realized that the sweetness from God’s truth is all he needed to be blessed in life.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Habakkuk 3:16-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK  ... 
… The Prophet learned that He could find joy and sweetness in life even when everything else had gone sour.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Philippians 4:11-13, 19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 
… Paul shows us that when we have Christ in our lives, we can be content no matter the circumstances or trials; … and that He always will supply all our needs.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, uses a good word picture to show that our relationship with Christ is the biggest and sweetest piece of the pie of life. The ODB author wrote: “His piece is bigger than mine!” … 
 When I was a boy my brothers and I would sometimes bicker about the size of the piece of homemade pie mom served us. One day Dad observed our antics with a lifted eyebrow, and smiled at Mom as he lifted his plate: “Please just give me a piece as big as your heart.”  My brothers and I watched in stunned silence as Mom laughed and offered him the largest portion of all [see photo]. 
If we focus on others’ possessions, jealousy too often results. Yet God’s Word lifts our eyes to something of far greater worth than earthly possessions. 

When we realize just how much the Apostle Paul had gone thru as a disciple of Christ (see 2Cor. 11:23-27), one could wonder how he had the attitude he wrote about in Philippians 4:11-13. But we read that he had learned to be content in all circumstances; because He realized that when He had Jesus, like the group Avalon sings, he had EVERYTHING!

In the Old Testament, I love the story of the Prophet Habakkuk, who came to God very confused and disconsolate. Yet, in Hab. 3:17-18, we read that God had shown him that he could choose joy over sorrow no matter what trials may come his way.

So, we ask ourselves today: Is that our attitude? Do we feel that we have the biggest, sweetest piece of the pie of life because we have Jesus in our lives? … If not, I think it’s time we do an attitude inventory. And that’s why you see me coming here EVERY morning to start my day by having my God cut me a WAY BIG slice of His pie of truth … from His word (see Ps. 119:57-58).

 … And oh how sweet it is!!

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Dear Lord, … Your word and my times with You each morning are so, SO sweet. … 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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