April 14, 2023 … Long Road Home

Berry Patch Devotions in 2023 - Day 104 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics The Beatles singing … The Long and Winding Road … poignantly singing of how difficult is the long/winding road of life which leads homeward to God’s home.   

The long, winding road home ... 

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Highlight Passage: … 2Samuel 15:26 [NLT] … 

26 But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.”  

… David sings of his trust in His God to lead him in his difficult and dangerous road ahead being pursued by his son, Absalom.      

Highlight Passage (Context): … 2Samuel 15:13-14, 23-26 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… King David, flees his son, Absalom, trusting the Lord to lead him.                            .                 

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… God’s Spirit, thru Solomon, shows us that we must trust God to lead us on the long, winding road of life, … no matter where it leads us homeward.         

Reference Passage: … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 

23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.. 

… Jesus teaches His followers that His disciples must be willing to deny themselves (ourselves) and deal with the challenges (i.e., “crosses”) of life by ALWAYS following Him.  

Reference Passage: … John 8:12 [NLT] … 

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”. 

… Jesus teaches His followers that they will walk in the light, in a very dark world, if they (we) follow Him.  

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 11:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians (and us) to be willing to follow him as he, Paul, follows Christ on the long - hard - road in life.

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 2:21 [NLT] … 

21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 

… Peter writes to persecuted Christians, exhorting them to follow Christ’s example to be willing to suffer as they (we) follow the Lord on the road of life.  

                                                                                                                       

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Tom Gustafson … AT THIS LINK …   … tells how Christina Rossetti, a Christian devotional writer, suffered greatly in her life, eventually dying of cancer, .. but always remained true in her writings to follow the Lord’s lead all of her life.   

That,  most certainly was the desire of King David late in the life of God’s anointed King, even when David, late in his life, was being pursued by his son, Absalom (see highlight passage).   And we all likely have long, uphill roads (see photo) in our lives as we follow our Lord, Who will always be leading us homeward.   But if you’ve taken in the haunting song by Paul McCartney and the Beatles and the Scriptures above, I pray that we all are committed to follow our King Jesus WHEREVER He leads us.    

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for leading me, Lord, on the long - uphill - road Home.       

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to do all we can to follow Your light, Lord, as You lead us on the long, uphill, road home to be with You forever.     …  Amen               . 

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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.