November 12, 2023… Clinging Faith …   

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Erin O’Donnell  singing  … Hold To Jesus …  Poignantly singing of how we Christians must choose to hold onto Jesus and follow Him not matter what we face in life.           

Clinging faith ... 

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Highlight Passage: … Matthew 9:21 [NLT] … 

21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 

… The woman, in faith sought to touch Jesus’s garment, knowing she would be healed. 

Highlight Passage (in context): Matthew 9:18-22 (NLT) … USE THIS LINK …  

… A woman healed by faith in Jesus by seeking Him out and touching His cloak.           

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

4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear Him alone. Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.    

… God, thru Moses, commands His people to fear and follow God alone, clinging to Him always. 

Reference Passage: … Joshua 23:8 [NLT] …  

8 ... cling tightly tot the LORD your God as you have done until now.  

… Joshua, as he was about to die, exhorts God’s people, thru their leaders to cling to and follow the Lord.  

Reference Passage: … Psalm 63:8 [NLT] … 

8 I cling to You (Lord); Your strong right hand holds men securely.   

… King David sings of clinging to God for his security.  

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

… Jesus invites His followers to yoke themselves in weakness to receive God’s empowering grace. 

Reference Passage: …  John 15:5 [NLT] …  

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.   

… Jesus teaches that those who abide in  (i.e, cling to) Him will become fruitful in life.                                                                                                               

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Karen Huang … AT THIS LINK …  tells of suffering from sudden dizziness as she walked down a staircase, clinging to the bannister for stability.   And then the ODB author used the biblical story of the bleeding woman who desperately sought in faith to merely touch the cloak of Jesus, the One she believed could heal her (see photo).   

And these are apt illustrations of what we all must do when we, followers of Christ, face the trials and obvious dangers of this life; and that is to cling to and yoke ourselves in faith to Jesus who promises to give us His strength.  

That’s why you find me here - right now - seeking to hold on to my Lord and be strengthened thru prayer and following HIs word.  Just seeking and clinging to God’s word is my way of clinging to that bannister when I feel dizzy or weak in going down the stairs of life.  How about you?  What are we all doing to cling to the Lord for strength and stability in these troubled times?        

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your empowering grace to give me Your strength, Lord.                                                        

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray. again today, that all reading here will join me, … to find Your strength, Lord, when we are feeling unsteady in following You.        … 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.