Friday, September 13, 2019

September 13, 2019 … Today - His Day

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 256 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing Find Us Faithful ... poignantly singing of what should be the plan and goal of all who know Christ as Lord and Savior.

CS Lewis, Renown 20th Century Christian Apologist and Author

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 16:3 [NKJV] ... 3  Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. 
... When our plans are committed and surrendered to the Lord, He directs our lives each day. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 16:1-9 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Solomon shows us that we may plan our day; but God directs our steps for His plan and for His glory.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 139:23-24 [NLT] … 23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24  And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. 
... David’s song of surrender to God and my prayer EVERY DAY!

Reference Passage : ... Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] ... 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 
... God, thru Solomon, warns us that we become (or say) what we think.

Reference Passage : ... Romans 8:28 [NKJV] ... 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
... The Apostle helps us realize that ALL THINGS in the life of a Christian are for our good. And when our plans are surrendered to Christ they will be for our good and His glory.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 3:23 [NKJV] ... 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, … 
... Godly direction on how to plan - and work - each day - for God’s glory, not our own.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses reference to C.S. Lewis, coming to Christ as a 33 year old atheist, and over time becoming one of the most renown Christian theologians and apologists of the 20th century. … The ODB author wrote: In "Surprised by Joy," C. S. Lewis [see photo] confessed he came to Christianity at the age of thirty-three, “kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.” Despite Lewis’s own personal resistance, his shortcomings, and the obstacles he faced, the Lord transformed him into a courageous and creative defender of the faith. Lewis proclaimed God’s truth and love through writing powerful essays and novels that are still being read, studied, and shared more than fifty-five years after his death. His life reflected his belief that a person is “never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.” 

Today is Friday, the 13th, which some may see as “unlucky.” However, we Christians, wouldn’t say that, would we? … No, all days, as C.S. Lewis would attest, are the Lord’s days … and all our plans and our work is to reflect His glory [see scriptures above].

And also like C.S. Lewis, I came to know Christ in my 30s … and like Lewis, … I came kicking and screaming into God’s kingdom as a self-described “atheist” … but for me it was on April 13th, 1983. And God used the #13 in a wild and wonderful way [long story!} to get my attention on that date, leading me to the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 on that date. Yes, Phil. 4:13 on 4/13/83; and so I see any 13th of a month as a day that I can - and should - dedicate to my Lord; … yes, even a Friday, the 13th, like today. But really, … all of us who’re surrendered and committed Christians should be treating each day as the Lord’s day, shouldn’t we?

So, I’m praying that all reading here will take in the linked song and meditate on the scriptures above, which point us to plan our day - yes, even a Friday, the 13th - faithfully for God’s glory. Because, if we do, those scriptures - which are God’s truth - show us that any day given over to/for God will be a day spent for our good and for His glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for using today for my good, and prayerfully for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to dedicate and commit all we do for God’s glory today … and … for all our tomorrows. … 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.</ span>

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