April 3, 2023: … God’s Empowering Grace …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2023 - Day 93 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from;Steven Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly and powerfully singing of how our God provides His enabling grace to cover our weaknesses as His disciples. 

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Highlight Passage: … 2Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 

9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. …  

… The Apostle, dealing with a “thorn in the flesh,” remembers Jesus’ promises to give Paul God’s empowering grace to deal with his weaknesses.                             

Highlight Passage (Context): …  2Corinthians 12:7-10 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

…Paul acknowledges, and remembers Jesus’ promise to give Him God’s empowering and enabling grace to give Paul the strength to deal with his “thorn in the flesh.”                          .       

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Reference Passage: … Isaiah 40:31, 41:10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …

… God’s promises, thru Isaiah, to provide His strength with His chosen people need it.   

Reference Passage: … Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…Jesus promises His faithful, born-again followers, His strength in times of trial. .  

Reference Passage: … Matthew 28:20 [NLT] … 

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”.  

… Following Jesus’ “Great Commission,” Jesus promises to be with His disciples ALWAYS and forever, providing them (us) with His enabling grace.

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 10:13 [NLT] … 

13 The temptations [also translated “trials, troubles, or tribulations] in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.   

… God’s promise to Christians to show us His way to deal with the trials of this life.  .

Reference Passage: … Philippians 4:13 [NLT] … 

13 For I can do everything through Christ, Who gives me strength    

… Paul declares to fellow Christians his call for believers to rely on God’s strength.      

                                                                                                        

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Kimya Loder … AT THIS LINK …  tells of young American soccer star, Christian Pulisic, learning to rely on God’s strength when He was weakened from an injury; …  and coming in as a substitute, late in an important game, and having the strength to make a key play to win the game for His team.          

And if my readers have taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above, I hope you all are uplifted to remember God’s promises, through no less than Jesus Himself and others like Isaiah and the Apostle Paul (again, see Scriptures above), … that we, who believe in and follow Christ as our Lord God, can rely on His strength when we’re feeling weak.

And my friends, I sorely needed that reminder today.  How about you?                                                      

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for being my strength when I am weak … as I am now.     

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to rely on Your strength, Lord, when we’re feeling weak and needing Your empowering grace.      …  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.