March 20, 2013 … Footsteps of Faith

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 79

[Click on photo to read poem]

Passage of the Day: Psalm 143: 7 - 10 [NLT] …
  7 Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die. 8 Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer. 9 Save me from my enemies, LORD; I run to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Psalm 143 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [I know; … here we go again! ] …[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. 

My Journal for Today: Have you ever noticed how many of David’s songs (i.e., the Psalms) begin in self-directed anguish and end in God-uplifting hopefulness. Psalm 143 is one of those; and when I was meditating on that Psalm this morning as Os Hillman’s devotional highlight passage, I thought of the oft quoted poem of confused authorship, ”Footsteps in the Sand,” depicted in the attached photo. … How often, like David in so many of his Psalms do we come to God in anguish; but in our surrender in the face of our disappointment or discouragement leads us to the hope we can ALWAYS find in the One who picks us up and carries us … our Lord and Redeemer, … Christ.

David was an interesting study in his life-long pursuit of the understanding this truth. And even his son, Solomon, who wrote the Proverb I probably end up quoting more than any other in my daily journal entries, Prov. 3: 5-6 (above again!), also had to go on a life-long quest of this truth, only to write about it in the Book we know of as Ecclesiastes.

 It’s an elusive truth, isn’t it; … that we can come to God in anguish … anytime, anywhere, and in any set of circumstances, … honestly bringing our surrendered heart to our Lord; and He will do what Carolyn Carty wrote about in her poem, … pick us up and carry us until we can get back on our feet again to walk with God, following Him in purpose and direction.

Where are you now? Are you in a place of discouragement or defeat, needing to come to God in honesty and surrender? … Or are you in a place where He has carried you further down the beach … to a place where you can now walk on your own, but following closely in the footsteps of the One Who picked you up and carried you for as long as you needed Him to be there for you? That’s why I wish that the picture attached here depicted the two sets of footsteps again on down the beach … with the smaller prints, not walking beside the larger ones, as in the outset of this foto, … but later in line with and closely following the larger ones.

I’ve been where David was in Psalm 143; and right now I’m walking down the beach with my Lord, doing all I can to put my footprints right in line with my Lord’s.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I step where You step. … Amen

March 19, 2013 … Full-time Christian Ministry

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 78

Passage of the Day: Colossians 3: 23-24 [in the context of verses 22-24 [NLT] …  
22 You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Colossians, Chapter 3 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Romans 12: 1 : [As Christians, we are all in full-time “service” to Christ, … slaves to Him for life – eternal life.] …[NKJV] …  
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

My Journal for Today: One of my favorite “ice-breakers” when I speak to a Christian group who has never heard me speak before is to tell them I’m trying to get to know my audience; and I ask all in the audience to stand if they consider themselves “disciples of Christ.” Of course, most – if not all – in the audience will stand. … Then I ask all who are in “full-time Christian ministry” to remain standing; and usually only a few will do so. … Then, I shake my head and I say, “I’m confused; …I thought most all of you said you were disciples of Christ; and yet there are only a few of you who say you’re “full-time” Christians in ministry. So I say, “Let me repeat that last point. Would all who are FULL-TIME [said loudly] Christian ministers please stand up.” And by this time some have figured out my ploy; and more will stand. Then, when I ask – for a third time – for all “full-time” Christian ministers to stand, and usually all in the audience will stand, understanding what I’m getting at.

And so, I ask you if you’re reading here with me, “Are you in full-time Christian ministry?” And if you’re a born-again Christian, you simply must answer affirmatively to that question, … right? And in today’s workplace ministry devotional, the author, Os Hillman, points to one of the Scriptures which brings that issue to the fore. In Colossians 3: 23-24, the Apostle Paul exhorts (no actually, he really COMMANDS) all Christians to do “whatever you [i.e., “we”] do as though you [we] were working for the Lord.” And are not all Christians under the “Great Commission” (i.e., Matt. 28: 19-20 as well, … charged to be “full-time” ministers of the gospel of Christ? Of course we are; but in this dualistic world in which we live, somehow when we say “full-time Christian Ministers,” most Christians have been duped into thinking of those who are working in the church for pay, especially those who’ve gone to seminary and have degrees, addressed as “Reverend” or “Father” or some other priestly designation. But we don’t think of ourselves as the ones who should be considered “full-time” ministers of the gospel.

As Os Hillman puts it today in his devotional blog, ”We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you TODAY and see your vocation as worship to His glory.”

I really don’t think any more need be said to any Christian reader here today, … do you? But above, I also pointed out another of the Apostle Paul’s exhortations in Romans 12: 1 (from the NKJV), which calls on ALL Christians to be living … 24/7, … giving our ALL, as “living sacrifices,” … which is our “reasonable service” to our Lord. And so, if you’re one who now considers yourself to be a “full-time” minister of the Gospel of Christ, what will you be doing in the place of your calling today?

And that certain is … NUFF SAID!!

My Prayer for Today … Lord, my Master, … give my Your grace to serve You today. … Amen

March 18, 2013 … Discerning God’s Ways

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 77

Passage of the Day: Jeremiah 6: 14 [NLT] …  
14 Remember, O my God, all the evil things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. And remember Noadiah the prophet and all the prophets like her who have tried to intimidate me.”
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Jeremiah, Chapter 6 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Isaiah 55: 8-9 : [Sometimes we just don’t get it – i.e, we just don’t grasp the high workings of God. ] …[NLT] …  
8 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.... "

Reference passage #2 : 2nd Corinthians 12: 1-10 [NLT] … Go to this link … 

My Journal for Today: Ever been in a place in your life where you wanted to disclaim your circumstances and yell at God with something like, “Hey God, what gives; … this is not fair?!” Or maybe you were tempted to disclaim to God with something like, “Hey, Lord, … I’m doing Your work; I don’t deserve all these troubles!” Here you were (or are); out there in life, doing things the way you think God would want you to do them; and you run up against all kinds of worldly troubles or injustice. And not understanding the “WHY” behind your circumstances, it’s all too tempting to get angry at God, isn’t it?

Well, that was certainly Jeremiah’s deal in the text Os Hillman used today as his highlight passage from Jeremiah 6; and here was God’s designated workman, … Jeremiah, … doing God’s designated will, and what happens? He runs up against life and those who simply didn’t want him to live it God’s way. … Familiar?! … Maybe you’ve run up against it in life when you thought you were headed down God’s road, … God’s way; and people just kept wanting to get in the way or thwart your path.

Well, my friend, get in line with all of the rest of us … or at least be a follower of Nehemiah’s faithful walk. He simply would not be thwarted in moving toward finishing the task God had led him to carry out. And he just kept leaning on God and depending on the Lord to guide and protect him; and that should be the way we live, move, and have our being in this world.

Sometimes, as God’s word tells us in Isaiah 55: 8-9, copied above, we just don’t know the WHY in our circumstances; but when we do know the WAY, especially when it’s God’s way, it behooves us to move ahead in faith. If you go back and study one of my favorite practical passages in the New Testament (see 2nd Cor. 12: 1-11), where Paul had just been given a vision of heaven; and then following that, we read that, inexplicably, God allowed Satan to give Paul some painful malady – a “thorn” – which Paul first could not understand. And Paul prayed and prayed for God to take this “thorn” from him; but it just was not to be. Finally, Paul remembered something Jesus – somewhere/sometime – had told him, that “God’s grace is sufficient for us;” … and Paul saw that God had allowed the rough circumstances, this “thorn,” into his life to keep him humble enough to receive and use God’s grace.

Dear ones, … when we’re moving down God’s highway, … going His way, … it shouldn’t surprise us that Satan, his world, and even our own flesh will do all they can to thwart our path. So, if you’re doing life God’s way now; and things just seem unfair or unnecessarily hard, … join me in praising God to allow us to be part of building God’s walls for His Temple just as Nehemiah did.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, life is tough! But praise be that You are showing me the way; and I am following. … Amen

March 17, 2013 … Our Refiner’s Fire

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 76

Passage of the Day: Malachi 3: 2b [in the context of verses 2-4] [NLT] … 
  2 “But who will be able to endure it when He [The Lord] comes? Who will be able to stand and face Him when He appears? For He will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes. 3 He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD. 4 Then once more the LORD will accept the offerings brought to Him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as He did in former times. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Malachi, Chapter 3 [NLT] … Go to this link …  ============

Reference Passage #1: Luke 9: 23 : [The shouldering of our cross daily is the refiner’s fire of sanctification.] …[NLT] …  
23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow Me. ... "

My Journal for Today: Many Christians don’t want to “hear” (i.e., read) what I have to write today in journaling from Os Hillman’s devotional entry, or more importantly from God’s word in the last book in the Old Testament, written by Malachi, who was prophesying about the coming of our Lord as God’s ultimate messenger.

 And The Lord’s coming, as Malachi prophesied, was to be God’s refining fire in the lives of His children; and that is a process that we Christians don’t want to hear about. Sure, we love to hear about God’s everlasting love and His saving grace; but we’d rather not meditate in God’s word about the process we know of as “sanctification,” where our rough edges are burned off and we are refined by the fires of life into a purer, reformed, more Christlike image of our selves. And when Jesus charged His disciples to “take up our crosses daily” (see Luke 9: 23), He was warning us that we will be going through God’s refining fire to become a more purified or sanctified version of self. And that’s the part of Christianity we just don’t want to contemplate.

It was tough to read this morning; but Hillman writes, … “When God takes you through the refiner's fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment to turn you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal. And He will do this through certain events in your workplace, your relationships, and other circumstances in your life. Our job is to avoid trying to blow out the fire.”

And how do we, as believers, desiring that our lives become “living sacrifices” (as Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1) avoid blowing out the fire that purifies our worship and sacrifice into a life offering that is acceptable? Well, we do what Jesus told us to do (again, I repeat from Luke 9: 23), … we deny our self and follow our Savior. And in the process of living out our lives, we will be put through God’s refining fire; and when we surrender to that sanctification process, we will become the purified living sacrifice God desires from us.

I know what dampens God’s refining fire in my life. It is my pride, arrogance, and selfishness; and when I relent to these self-generated desires, trying to satisfy myself over my Savior, the fire is dampened in my life to burn off the rough edges and purify me the way God desires I be rendered for His glory. So, today I’m once again under conviction to relent to God’s refining and perfecting fire in my life, … surrendering to the process where He will purify my soul and allow me to be a more perfect, living sacrifice … for Him.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I know the potential of this prayer; but if it’s necessary turn up the heat and purify me as a living sacrifice, worthy of Your Holiness. … Amen

March 16, 2013 … Birth, Death, and Fulfillment – the Cycle of Life

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 75

Passage of the Day: John 12: 24 [in the context of verses 20-25] [NLT] …  
20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover 21paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 
23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory. 24 The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone — a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  ..."
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: John, Chapter 12 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Luke 9: 23 : [The cycle of life in discipleship.] …[NLT] …  
23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow Me." 

My Journal for Today: Os Hillman begins his devotional entry for this morning with this statement of truth: … “Almost every significant thing God births He allows to die before the vision is fulfilled in His own way.” And I seldom disagree with Brother Os; but I think he’s understated this truth here by saying “ALMOST every significant thing God births… .” Actually, in restating what Christ told His disciples in today’s highlight text [see John 12: 24] and then again in stating Jesus’ treatise on discipleship in Luke 9: 23, our Lord was much more inclusive and exhaustive in His stating what is God’s spiritual life cycle.

 As Jesus put it to His followers, for God to birth a vision, or a dream, or a prophesy in someone’s heart, that one must experience a death of self in order for God’s harvest to be realized. And Hillman went on, in his entry today to give several biblical examples …  
… Abraham had a vision of being the father of a great nation (birth). Sarah was barren and became too old to have children (death). God gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. He became the father of a great nation (fulfillment). 
… Joseph had a vision that he would be a great leader and that many would bow down to him (birth). Joseph’s brothers sold him to some merchants and he became a slave. Later he was falsely condemned to spend his years in prison (death). God allowed Joseph to interpret the dreams of the butler and baker and later the king, whereupon, he was made a ruler in the land (fulfillment). 
… Moses had a vision of leading his people out of the bondage of Egypt (birth). Pharaoh as well as his own people drove Moses out of Egypt after Moses’ first attempt to relieve their bondage (death). God gave Moses signs and wonders to convince Pharaoh to free the people and bring them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land (fulfillment). 
… The disciples had a vision of establishing the Kingdom of God with Jesus (birth). The very ones He came to save killed Jesus, and the disciples saw Him buried in a tomb (death). God raised Jesus from the dead, and the disciples performed great miracles until the gospel had spread through all the world (fulfillment).

I don’t know where you are in your spiritual life cycle; but I know that God has a vision or a dream for the fulfillment of His purpose for you and why you are here on this earth. But for that seed to be harvested as God’s fulfilled wheat field, the seed must be planted in the soil of God’s field and then it must die unto itself before it is nourished, grows, and is ultimately harvested for God’s glory. Perhaps the seed of God’s dream for your life has yet to be planted. Perhaps it’s in the ground now and you are experiencing the death of self; or maybe you’re in the agonizing stage of growth where that seed has been morphed into the plant of God’s plan. And maybe … you’re in the stage of God’s life cycle where you’re experiencing the harvest God intended for your life.

Years ago, God birthed a dream in my life; … that I would become an agent for God to use in helping Christian men experience a walk from death into life … by shedding the chains of sexual sin to walk in freedom with Christ. But for this purpose to be fulfilled, I had to go through God’s life cycle of discipleship, dying to self, being transformed in Gods’ soil of change, and then seeing God’s purpose being fulfilled in the harvest of my being used by God to help others walk away from the bondage of habitual sexual sin into the light of freedom with Christ.

I don’t know where you are now in God’s plan and purpose for your life; but I do know that for God to birth a dream in your life, you are going to have to traverse His death-to-life cycle in order for God to bring the fulfillment of His purpose for your life. And I pray you will die to self, take up your cross daily, and follow Him in allowing God’s Spirit to birth a dream for you and to see it harvested for His glory.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, thank You for letting Your dream to be planted in my life so that I might see its continuing fulfillment in my lifetime. … Amen

March 15, 2013 … Doing Life God's Way

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 74

Passage of the Day: John 5: 19 [in the context of verses 18-19] [NLT] …  
18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the more to kill him. In addition to disobeying the Sabbath rules, he had spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus replied, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: John, Chapter 5 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Luke 9: 23 : [Yes, again; in the context of verses 23-25! ] …[NLT] …  
23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. 25 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? 

Reference Passage #2: Philippians 2: 5 : [Becoming like Jesus! ] …[NLT] …  
5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 

My Journal for Today: Os Hillman begins his devotional today by asking his readers if we’ve ever really looked at a day in the life of Jesus, … especially during the last three years of His life with His disciples. And when one does, I agree with Hillman that most days [except when Jesus disciplined Himself to get off in solitude for prayer and fasting, which He did often] our Lord was a busy man. But as Os points out, He was not a man who seemed harried or stressed out. He always seemed purposeful, peaceful, and poised, didn’t He?

Hillman asks us to analyze why we think Jesus never seemed to be overly pressured; and the answer is found in the M.O. depicted when Jewish leaders of His day tried their best to put Jesus into a pressure caldron of challenge. In John’s Gospel account, in the fifth chapter, Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath, which the Jews contended – by God’s Law – was spiritually illegal; and Jesus really stepped into the hot waters (without even breaking a sweat), contending that He, God’s Son, was simply following the will of His Heavenly Father. And if you read on in John 5, you see that Jesus was, very clearly, claiming to be God’s Son; and as the Son, He would never do anything that was not under the will of God, His Father. And this caused the pursuit and pressure of the Sanhedrin to boil over into plans to kill Jesus.

But today, we’re looking at how we should live our lives by looking at how Jesus lived His; and it’s all found in how Jesus yielded – perfectly and powerfully – to the will of God – His Father. And in the great Godly order of things, as Jesus told His disciples in a passage I quote in my journaling, probably more than any other (i.e., Luke 9: 23), our Lord gives us (i.e., His followers) His instructions in Whom and how we are to remain calm, but powerfully purposeful, in life; … and that is to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses daily, and to follow Jesus.

You’ve heard the catch-phrase, ”What would Jesus do?”  But the Apostle Paul would have probably rephrased that discipleship motto by saying, “Are we becoming more like Jesus by living as Jesus lived?”

In Phil. 2: 5, quoted above, Paul said we should have the attitude of Christ in living our lives; and that attitude and Christ’s model for living is really expressed and put on display in John 5 for us. So, I would exhort any readers here with me to go back and meditate on this chapter to see that Jesus never did anything that was not first led by His Father and then enabled and empowered by God’s Spirit.

So, are we living our lives to follow our Savior (again, see Luke 9: 23); or are we living for self … or for the world … or to accommodate Satan? Do you remember Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12: 1-2? I hope you have that one memorized and internalized; because in it we read and learn exactly how we are live our lives in worship of our Lord … not by following worldly ways, but rather by becoming living, bodily sacrifices to God. And when we do, we may be tired at the end of each day; but it will not be a stressful tiredness. It will be peaceful (as we remember from Isaiah 26: 3); because just like Jesus, we’re just following our Lord and doing His will.

Good goal for the day, wouldn’t you say?

My Prayer for Today … Lord, today let me simply do Your will. … Amen

March 14, 2013 … Spirit-grown Empathy In Ministry

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 73

Passage of the Day: Joel 1: 9 [in the context of verses 8-10] [NLT] …
  8 Weep with sorrow, as a virgin weeps when her fiancé has died. 9 There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of the LORD. The priests are mourning because there are no offerings. Listen to the weeping of these ministers of the LORD! 10 The fields are ruined and empty of crops. The grain, the wine, and the olive oil are gone. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Joel, Chapter 1 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: 2nd Corinthians 1: 4 [in the context of verses 3-7] :  … [NLT] …  
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 

My Journal for Today: Have you ever felt you were put in a place or into a set of circumstances to be able to reach out and minister to others? Perhaps you’ve felt a clear calling to a personal ministry or to a mission-field to serve God because of your spiritual gifts and the leading of God’s Spirit to minister in Christ’s Name. Well, actually, if we’re born-again in Christ, we’re all called to be the eyes, ears, arms, and feet of Christ, aren’t we?

 If you know the calling of Acts 1: 8 or the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28: 19-20 - two verses I hope you have in your heart – all Christians are called to be “ministers” of the Gospel and missionaries, taking the light of Christ to a darkened world (see Matthew 5: 16). So, right now, wherever we are – perhaps in the workplace, or in “retirement” like me, or as a stay-at-home mom, or wherever we find our selves planted in life – we are called into ministry for Christ. Therefore, with that recognized and acknowledged, how do we reach out and minister in Christ’s Name and for the Father’s glory?

Well, Os Hillman begins his devotional entry today addressing that question? And to that end, he writes, … “ The first requirement for being used by God in the life of others is to mourn on their behalf. We must identify with their pain and suffering. Each of us must be broken for others first.” Yes, Hillman says that the first thing we can use as a prerequisite for ministry is our own experience and empathy for the hurts and needs of others. And he goes on to point out that, as ambassadors for Christ, we need to allow God’s Spirit to grow a heart of discernment (i.e., empathy) for others. And in this regard, Hillman goes on to write, ” What breaks God's heart? ,,, When we begin to answer this question, we begin the first step to becoming instruments of change for those things that are important to God.”

When we know the heart of God and can empathize – from life experience – with the hurts, needs, and desires of other, we’re in exactly the right place and frame of mind to be able to be agents for Christ. Have you ever been in a place where you know exactly how someone else is hurting or where they need to walk to be free from some misstep in life? Maybe it’s a place where you’re feeling, “Been there, down that, … got that T-shirt” and you know the heart of God – from your own experience – to help the person in question know exactly where to go or what to do. You can be the light of Christ in the darkness being experienced by that hurting soul.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was writing about to believers he loved in Corinth (and to all Christians by extension) in the reference passage from 2nd Corinthians 1: 3-7, which I copied for your study above. Paul wanted his fellow Christians (i.e., you and me) to know that they (we) go through the struggles, trials, and challenges of life to be seasoned and ready to be able to reach out and help others in their trials. Paul, himself, had experienced a whole boat-load of trials; and he knew that God had brought him through all of them so that he could be God’s agent of empathy to minister to the needs of others. And God wants us to know the same lesson.

So, as we move out this day as “double-agents” for Christ in a very dark world, realize that we’ve been equipped to reach out in Christ’s Name to be His ministry agents of change. And we need to pray that God will lead us to others where our Spiritual gifts and life experiences help us to empathize and help others who need exactly what we can bring to bear in their lives for God’s glory.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, lead me to someone today or soon whom I can be Your minister of glory to them. … Amen

March 13, 2013 … Obeying The Spirit

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 72

Passage of the Day: Acts 8: 26 [NLT] …  
26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Acts, Chapter 8 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [Yes, again! ] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

Reference Passage #1: Romans 12: 1-2 : [Doing life - in worship – God’s way, not the world’s ] …[NLT] …  
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. 

My Journal for Today: Please go back and study the 8th chapter of Acts and read of how Phillip, a Spirit-led and gifted preacher, who, along with Peter and John, were having a big time in Samaria, healing and seeing big numbers delivered into the loving arms of Christ; and God’s Spirit led Phillip individually to take a very different course and head toward one specific place and one specific person, an Ethiopian Eunuch, Whom God led, through Phillip, to Christ.

 Hillman, in his devotional entry for today, uses this story to illustrate the reality that we, as saved disciples of Christ, need to be sensitive to the Spirit of God, Whom now resides in us as transformed believers in Christ. And sometimes, as happened with Phillip, God’s Spirit may lead us to head in a direction which seems counter-culture and illogical. Phillip could have easily gotten caught up in the excitement and frenzy of new conversions in Samaria; but when God called him to head South, even without knowing exactly why or what God had in store for him, Phillip obeyed; and he was led to just one, the Eunuch from Africa, who was saved, by Phillip reading from the text of Isaiah 53.

This story is in Acts and Scripture, I believe, to show us the truths from two other passages which I end up quoting as references often from my memory bank as directives from God’s Spirit to Christian disciples, … the two I have copied above – AGAIN – for your consideration - Proverbs 3: 5-6 and Romans 12: 1-2. And both of these passages instruct us to pay attention to God’s Spirit in our lives and – as did Phillip – avoid listening to the world or our own flesh and worship God by obeying the Spirit, Who will lead us in the direction HE wants us to go for God’s glory.

Remember the commands of Christ from Luke 9: 23 and Acts 1: 8 (if you don’t know these by heart – PLEASE – look them up!). We’re to avoid selfish leanings and become God’s witnesses in the world by following CHRIST, not by being led by Satan, the world or our own deceitful hearts (see Jer. 17: 9). And when we do as Phillip did, God will lead us to be His witnesses and others just might see Christ’s light shining in and through us [see Matt. 5: 16]; and perhaps we’ll have an opportunity to let the angels in heaven celebrate the conversion of one, like the Eunuch, in our own lives.

Maybe you have a family member or a co-worker whom God’s Spirit is leading you towards as His witness; and you have been chosen as God’s Spirit-guide to lead that one, as Phillip did the Eunuch, into God’s family. If you’re clearly feeling that leading from God’s Spirit, … as the old Nike motto says, “Just do it!” Do it for Christ and in His Name!!

My Prayer for Today … Lord, You are leading me today; and I will follow. … Amen

March 12, 2013 … The Source of Our Anger

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 71

Passage of the Day: Proverbs 29: 11 [NLT] …  
11 A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back. 
Passage of the Day: Proverbs 29: 11 [NKJV] …  
11 A fool vents all his feelings, [or “spirit”] But a wise man holds them back. 
Passage of the Day: Proverbs 29: 11 [The Message] …  
11 A fool lets it all hang out; a sage quietly mulls it over.  
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Reference Passage #1: Isaiah 26: 3 : [God is the source of our peace.] …[NKJV] … You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You. 

Reference Passage #2: Galatians 6: 22-23 : [Choosing peace over anger is a fruit of the Spirit.] …[NLT] …  
22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. 

My Journal for Today: Ever had a time at work or at home when you let the volcano of anger erupt and for a time thereafter all relational interaction was messed up bigtime. Today Hillman quotes from Proverbs 29: 11 as the highlight truth he discusses in his devotional; and it is certainly most pertinent, as a behavioral guide, for must of us.

I would bet that most here, reading along with me, have had their Vesuvius moments, when something inside of us, personal frustration or underlying jealousy or some root of emotional tension, built up to the point it exploded in an expression of anger, which, when vented, broke down all normal communications and made human interaction very difficult, if not impossible. And Hillman had a quote for his readers about this today, which influenced him deeply. He quoted Dr. Sam Peeples, a TV screenwriter who wrote on series like Star Trek, Gunsmoke, and others. … And he wrote this…  

"The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am." 

Wow! That one just punched me in the gut with conviction. How about you? And Hillman himself, in his devotional today, further writes about anger explosions, … 

“It has been said that anger is like the warning panel on the dash of your car. It is the light that tells us something is going on under the hood and we need to find out what is the source of the problem.” … Again, wow! That one really gets at the reality of anger, doesn’t it?

I can recall a time when my dad let me take over the wheel in a big city traffic when I first was learning to drive; and someone pulled in front of me rudely; and I reacted by pounding the steering wheel and yelling some almost obscenity (I never would cuss in front of my dad); and my father, quietly – as was his nature – asked me, “Did he hear you” He was trying to get me to learn that my outburst of anger had no effect on the one to whom it was directed. It only affected me. But when such an outburst is exploded in public, it does affect others and it causes severe damage to any attempts to communicate normally.

As Peeples quotes above and Hillman teaches, when we feel like exploding in anger, we should realize that the anger is but a symptom of something wrong deeper in our emotional engine which needs repair; and as today’s Proverb truthfully states, we should put a lid on our anger – especially in public interactions – until we can determine the source of the anger and possibly get an emotional repairman to help us fix the underlying cause of our near emotional eruption. I’ll let you mull over what this might mean for you.

Have you got any seething anger bubbling in your soul, about ready to erupt, at this time? If so, as a Christian, God’s word (see Isaiah 26: 3 and Galatians 5: 22-23 above) tells us that we have the Spirit-led ability to put a damper on the anger and let patience and self-control take over, … allowing us to do what it says in 1st Peter 5: 7 (and if you don’t know that one by heart, I’ll charge you to look it up and meditate on it as God’s prescription for anger).

If you need someone with Whom you can vent your anger today, GO TO THIS LINK , and let Wayne Watson’s poignant song help you to see that Jesus is always there to help you soothe over your anger and to let Him meet you where you are and to heal your scars. He is the “Friend of a Wounded Heart!”

My Prayer for Today … Lord, … thank You for giving me all I need to suppress my anger and allow You, Holy Spirit, to rule in peace in my soul. … Amen

March 11, 2013 … Being Christ In Their Eyes

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 70

Passage of the Day: Matthew 5: 11 [along with verse 12] [NLT] …  
11 “God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Matthew 4 [NLT] … Go to this link … 

Reference Passage #1: Galatians 6: 7 : [Those who mock Christians mock God!] …[NLT] …  
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 

My Journal for Today: Do you have anyone – especially someone close, … like a relative or a co-worker – who ridicules or derides you because of your faith or Christian discipleship? Well, according to Jesus, from His famous “beatitude” section of the Sermon on the Mount, which is today’s highlight Bible passage [i.e., Matthew 5: 11, you will be blessed by God if you hold on to your faith and continue to witness the love of God to your friend or loved one.

It’s tough when you have someone with whom you are close, maybe it’s a sibling or an old friend or maybe even someone at work, and that person mocks or makes fun of your faith. They don’t realize how serious such mocking is in the presence of God (see Gal. 6: 7, copied above). And our loving patience and tender understanding may likely be the only way this loved one or coworker or friend will ever be able to see Christ.

Our charge to be witnesses for Christ (see Acts 1: 8) can really be tough at times; but as it says in that verse, God will give us the power of His love and the qualities of His humility and meekness (see Matt. 11: 29) if we need them to be restrained in the face of another’s mocking or derision. Just remember our charge, also from the same Matthew 5 passage (i.e, in this case verse 16), is to shine the light of Christ for others to see Him … so that God, the Father, will be glorified by our witness and works.

Just stick in there, my friend; and let’s do all we can, in the presence of our lost friend or loved one, to be Christ for them until they know and love Him like we do.

My Prayer for Today …Lord, my wife and I have some in our life who think we’re fools for loving You. Help us to be You in their eyes until they know You too… Amen

March 10, 2013 … God’s Timing is His … Not Ours!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 69

Passage of the Day: Joel 2: 25a [in the context of Joel 2: 23-27 [NLT] …  
23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil. 25 The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27 Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Joel, Chapter 2 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 11 : [God’s timing is God’s timing!] …[NLT] …  
1 There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. … 
11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 

Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [Trust in God’s timing! ] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

Reference Passage #3: Isaiah 55: 8-9 : [There are just some things we cannot or will not be able to see or understand. … God is God and we are not! ] …[NLT] … 
 8 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 

My Journal for Today: Once again, in my recent series of devotionals from Os Hillman, I end up quoting from Proverbs 3: 5-6 as a reference passage, … this time in the context of interpreting and applying a truth about God’s timing being obscured from our human understanding. Joel 2: 23-27, quoted above for our meditation, contains a wonderful promise to God’s people in a time when they had experienced a horrible time of privation from invading armies (pictured by Joel as “the locusts” devouring the lands). And God promises a restoration and a renewal and expects His children to trust Him as their Heavenly Father to restore them and the land.

But when we’re in the midst of such trials, troubles, or tribulations, it’s hard – if not impossible – to see and understand that God has sent the testing or temptations for a reason … HIS reason [see Isaiah 55: 8-9]; and not being God we simply can’t perceive God’s reasoning or His timing. Solomon wrote about this in his later-life revelations in the book of Ecclesiastes (see Ecclesiastes 3: 1 and 11 above). God’s timing is God’s timing; and there are going to be times when we just don’t have a clue; and I’d bet you can recall a time – perhaps you’re in it right now – when things were rough, maybe even seemingly impossible – and you just wanted to throw in all the cards and fold! …

But … But … But!!!  

BUT (and it’s one of those really big “BUTS” that God sends our way!) … these are times when we have to go into a “Prov. 3: 5-6” surrender mode and just trust that God knows what HE is doing. Because my friend, God is God and we are not!

I have a dear friend and brother in Christ right now who is in one of those times where the locusts of life are – in his perception – ripping him apart. Life, at this time for my friend, just seems totally not right, … way unfair, … and at times just too tough to bare!

I know what he feels like. I’ve been there! But all I can do is be there for him and pray that he will trust that God will do what He promised through Joel or Solomon above. … And I’m praying that my friend will trust that God – in spite of this time of the locusts – will restore him and give him a time of renewed hope in Christ. And He will; … because that’s God’s promise; and so, … I’ll continue to pray that my friend sees that truth and that God will restore, … SOON … for my friend, … what the locusts have eaten.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, Your promise of renewal – in Your timing – is Your promise; and I do so pray for that – SOON – for my friend! … Amen

March 9, 2013 … Pride So Often Leads To A Fall

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 68

Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 24: 10 [NLT] …  
10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly and shouldn’t have taken the census. Please forgive me, LORD, for doing this foolish thing.” 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: 2nd Samuel, Chapter 24 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: 2nd Samuel 24: 1-3 : [Pride goes before a fall; doesn’t it?] …[NLT] …  
1 Once again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the LORD told him. 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Take a census of all the people in the land—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so that I may know how many people there are.” 3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God let you live until there are a hundred times as many people in your kingdom as there are now! But why do you want to do this?” 4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and his officers went out to count the people of Israel. 

Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 16: 17-19 : [Beware when things lead to easy-chair choices. ] …[NLT] …  
17 The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe. 18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. 19 Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. 

Reference Passage #3: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [God’s providence tests our pride.] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

My Journal for Today: Oh so often when life leads us into, what I call “easy-chair choices,” we default to human pride and WHAMMO [!!!], the hammer of God’s tough love leads to our fall. That was the lesson King David had to learn, as described into today’s highlight passage; and he learned it bigtime … in that 70,000 of his countrymen died because he pridefully decided to count God’s people to see how many soldiers he had, … rather than just to do a count, following God’s command. You can read about it in the last chapter of 2nd Samuel, linked above for your study.

And it’s so true that God’s good providence and things going well in our lives can often lead us into the test of Proverbs 16: 17-19, copied above. It’s the old adage that pride goes before a fall, isn’t it? And I’d almost bet – if I were a betting man – that you have (as have I) experienced such a test of our prideful nature and maybe even the fall which resulted from a drift into making pride-filled or puffed-up choices. And here I go, quoting Proverbs 3: 5-6 again. Why can’t we just live by the latter truth rather than, as did David, letting our pride lead us to follow the human path of Prov. 16: 18.

David, as a conquering King, couldn’t just let God’s reason for counting the people be enough. God very likely just wanted to show David how blessed he was, along with God’s people, for their growth and power; but David reverted into counting the people to see how many soldiers he would have for future battles. But God didn’t let this anointed King’s conscience get away with that prideful decision; and David’s conviction led him to confess his sin; … which led to the plague on God’s people which yielded 70,000 dead.

So, how about let’s meditate on this story and these truths from Proverbs today and learn the lesson that God simply cannot and will not put up with pride; and let’s also learn the lesson of Proverbs 3: 34 (you look that one up!) … that God resists the proud but gives His grace to the humble.

Let’s learn the lesson and live by it in order to avoid the ultimate fall which WILL result when we let our pride and arrogance supersede our humility. Let’s recognize that it all comes from God and we can do nothing without Him [yeah, … I’ll bet you’re remembering Jesus’ words right now from John 15: 5, aren’t you?].

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I can do NOTHING without You. … Amen

March 8, 2013 … Running Ahead of God

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 67

Passage of the Day: Genesis 16: 2b [in the context of verses 1-3] [NLT] …  
1 But Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children. So Sarai took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar, 2and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. “The LORD has kept me from having any children,” Sarai said to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram first arrived in the land of Canaan.) 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Genesis 2 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [Guarding against presumption.] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 
Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 11: 14: [God’s prescription for the disease of assumption.] …[NLT] …  
14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety. 

My Journal for Today: Have you heard it said, “The road to hell is paved by assumptions”? Well, not only have I heard it; … I’ve experienced it. And in my Os Hillman devotional today, he takes his readings back to a great Old Testament illustration of this old adage; and it’s the story of Abram and his wife hearing, but not heeding God’s promise. And Sarah yields to the temptation of trying to run ahead of God’s promise by yielding to a cultural practice of the day – when a wife was seemingly barren – to give her husband over to a maid-servant as a surrogate to have a son; and as we know, that’s what Abram and Sarah did with Haggar. And we also know,… our world is still dealing with the historical outcomes of Abram and Sarah running out ahead of God’s promise and presumptuously doing life their own way.

 I think, all too often, we really know – in our spirit from God’s Spirit – that we should be patient, following the advice of Proverbs 3: 5-6 (which I seem to quote very often in my devotionals); but oh so often we fall prey to human presumption and we take over the course where God is leading (see Deut. 31: 8) and we try to decide what is best on our own, … rather than to be the follower God has commanded us to be (see Christ’s command of discipleship in Luke 9: 23). As disciples of Christ, are to seek God’s will and His way for our walk through the minefields of life. And as Abram discovered, it’s dangerous to let our own presumptions and assumptions take us off into the minefield, … especially when we’ve gotten direction from God’s word.

So, how do we move ahead in life to avoid such self-inflicted presumptuousness? Well, first we look to the word of God for HIS direction. When Joshua was getting his marching orders from God, after Moses had died, the Lord gave him clear directions about staying in and following His word, as Joshua was taking God’s people into the promised-land. Go back and mediate on Joshua 1: 8 (linked here)  to see God’s #1 prescription to be able to stay in a safe-zone and to avoid self-induced misdirection in life.

Then it’s always wise, when we want God’s direction – especially when we are thinking of following our own human leaning (always remember the truth of Jeremiah 17: 9), to activate God’s prescription against the dangers of human assumption by following the truth of Proverbs 11: 14, quoted above. And if you’re married, it is good to get feedback and advice from your wife; but as we can see with Abram, he should’ve sought the advice of other Godly counselors as well.

And finally, I think it’s also God’s wisdom to seek God’s way in prayer, taking our human leanings – after we’ve received advice from human counselors – and in the wisdom of God’s word in James 1: 5-6 and Phil. 4: 6-7, going before Gods’ throne of grace in prayer and seeking His peace to corroborate our own feelings about the direction we seek to walk. And if we get good advice from Godly counselors, and we have a peace that goes way beyond human reason [see Phil. 4: 7], we should move ahead, following God’s will.

 But if after we’ve gone through this process above, and we still have a cautionary pause in our spirit, we should WAIT until we can clearly know that we’re moving ahead, crossing over our Jordan, and moving into the promised land with God’s leading and not just our own leaning. When we do that, we’ll avoid our own presumption and the assumptions of the world; and we’ll follow God’s promised way from His word.

And then we just … GO FOR IT!!!

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I seek Your will today – as all days – by seeking Your way from Your word … and then, getting Godly counsel before I move ahead on the road in life. … Amen

March 7, 2013 … Battling Beyond Self

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 66

Passage of the Day: Philippians 4: 13 [in the context of verses 11-14 [NLT] …
  11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. 14 But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 

Passage of the Day, Version 2: Philippians 4: 10-14 – GO TO THIS LINK from The Message …

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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Philippians 4 [NLT] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passage #1: Philippians 2: 2-5 : [God’s exhortation to “otherness,” … which is Christlikenss!] …[NLT] … 
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4 Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. … 5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 

My Journal for Today: Today Os Hillman lifts up Philippians 4: 13 as his Editor’s pick from God’s word to illustrate his teacher’s point that we need to live beyond self for something higher in life … for God’s kingdom and for His glory! That verse means a lot to me, personally, because it was the verse God used to break me away from my selfish pursuit of pleasure and upward to live for Christ. But that’s too long of a story to relate here.

Hillman, though, uses a reference to the life of William Wallace, which you may know of from the movie, Brave Heart, where Mel Gipson played the legendary 13th century Scottish hero, pictured in the photo attached here from the movie. Wallace learned that he had to live beyond his selfish desire for revenge; and doing so, he led Scotland on a quest for freedom from a tyrant king in England. He is quoted to have said to the Scottish nobles who desired to hold on to their own serfdoms, … "Yes, we might die. We will all die sooner or later. But we will die for a cause worth dying for … so that our children and their children might live in freedom." 

Well, as a Christian, in many respects, we, like William Wallace, have to put on the war-paint of Christ, using HIS strength to do battle against the world’s forces in order to stand up for the freedom the Lord won for us on the cross. We are charged as Paul wrote about in Phil. 2: 5 to take on the attitude of Christ and to live for HIS freedom in the strength HE provides for us to do battle in HIS mighty Name.

 What about it, fellow warrior? Are you willing to stand for Christ when you go out against the world today, facing the biggest tyrant of all, Satan, on his worldly battle-fronts? Are you well-armed for battle (see Eph. 6: 13-17? Do you carry His sharpened and well-practice Spirit-sword (Eph. 6: 17) Have you taken the high ground of prayer for battle today (see Eph. 6: 18? And do you realize that only going beyond self can we capture the strength which Jesus has for us [again see the highlight verse above!], … i.e., His resurrection power, … to be strong and to walk in the freedom He has already won for us?

Today, … this very morning, … this warrior, … another “William, the conqueror,” … is putting on my face-paint, as well as my full armor. … And, I’m taking up my Spirit-sword, ... and taking the high-ground of prayer ... to do battle in Christ’s Name.

My Prayer for Today … Oh, my LORD, … I CAN do all things through You … because You give me Your strength for battle. … Amen

March 6, 2013 … God’s Calling = God’s Enablement

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 65

Passage of the Day: 2nd Corinthians 1: 6 - 7 [NLT] …  
6 So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God’s comfort. 

Passage of the Day: 2nd Corinthians 1: 6 - 7 [The Message] …  
6-7 When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: 2nd Cor. 1: 1-11 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [Trusting in His preparation and purpose!] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

My Journal for Today: If you’re reading/meditating along with me here, please take in the Scriptural references above, which Os Hillman has led me into today. What did they mean for you, … personally? They certainly had potent meaning for me.

Hillman describes God’s truth from the highlight scripture today from 2nd Cor. 1: 6 by defining what he calls “faith experiences” in his life where God either revealed Himself in the trials of Hillman’s life or through uplifting encouragement Hillman recognized as God’s preparation for the purposes God had for Hillman’s life; and he defines a “faith experience” In the following way.  

[Os Hillman] A "faith experience" is an event or "spiritual marker" in your life about which you can say, "That is where I saw God personally moving in my life." It is an unmistakable event in which God showed Himself personally to you. It was the burning bush for Moses; the crossing of the Red Sea or the Jordan River for the nation of Israel; Jacob's encounter with the angel. It was the feeding of the 5,000 for the disciples. It was the time when you saw God face to face in your life.

 Ever had any such experiences? I sure have. I first came to Christ out of a long stupor in atheism through such a “faith experience,” where God broke me to the core of my being to show me just how spiritually weak I was; and then He showed up in an incredible set of circumstance which only could have been a “God thing,” showing me just how personal God can be and how He wanted to give me the strength I needed to handle life. Later then, … down the road of my life, … He showed up again very clearly in my interaction with another immature Christian, where I was able to share my story and help this young, misdirected man to get his life back on track and to walk free from habitual sexual sin. I saw in this “faith experience” that it was God, not Bill Berry, Who had prepared me readily for just such a moment; and through another Christian, a mentor, He gave me counsel that … truly “God’s calling is His enablement!”

Perhaps you’re in the midst of a faith-building set of circumstances right now, … some trial or set of troubles which don’t seem to make sense but are very real in your life. Maybe you need to pray to God to reveal Himself in these challenges and to show you HIS purpose for your life. But above all, I can assure you – FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE – that God has a purpose – HIS PURPOSE – for you; and He wants to use YOU for HIS glory.

Oh so often, as I have again this morning, I end up quoting the exhortation of Solomon in Proverbs 3: 5-6, which is my wife’s life verse. She learned a long time ago that this truth is GOD”S TRUTH! And He so wants to show us HIS WAY to walk WITH HIM for HIS GLORY! But we’ve got to be willing to endure the “faith experiences” of life to allow Him to direct us on THE path of life – HIS PATH .

My Prayer for Today … Lord, here I am again, … seeking Your path; … oh, please, …shine Your light brightly in any “faith experience” YOU deem necessary to keep me on Your narrow way. … Amen

Blogger’s PS: Here’s a song I remembered - AT THIS YouTube LINK - and went back to hear this AM; and I think hearing it may help you if you’re going through some tough “faith experience” right now …  Hearing it right now, tears are streaming down my cheeks, remembering the “faith experiences” in my life. I pray you are so touched.

March 5, 2013 … Os Hillman: “Striving Versus Abiding”

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 64

Passage of the Day: Psalm 127: 1-2 [NLT] …  
1 Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. 

Passage of the Day: Psalm 127: 1-2 [The Message] …  
1 If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those he loves? 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Psalm 127 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [God’s advice to His children.] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

Reference Passage #2: John 21: 1-6 : [Jesus on the shore of Capernaum after His resurrection … on the beach where He had chosen many of His disciples.] …[NLT] …  
1 Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night 
4 At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn’t see who He was. 5 He called out, “Friends, have you caught any fish?” … “No,” they replied. 6 Then He said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of fish!” So they did, and they couldn’t draw in the net because there were so many fish in it. 

My Journal for Today: Ben Franklin wrote … “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.” Most of us have heard that Franklin proverb; but he probably got the idea from Aristotle, who wrote, "It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom." … But all of this human wisdom flies in the face of what Os Hillman points out today as God’s way to becoming productive or fruitful for God’s glory; and it’s all wrapped up in the biblical advice we get from the passages of Scripture which I was led to study in today’s devotional and meditation.

I’m assuming that you’ve done that from my journal citation of Scriptures above; and once you have, what is your interpretation of what God says about getting things done in life … as opposed to the advice of old Ben Franklin or Aristotle? And I think the answer can be wrapped up in Os Hillman’s title for his devotional today: ”Striving Versus Abiding.”

So often, in our work-a-day world, we get trapped into thinking that it’s OUR work (i.e., striving in self) which is the key to getting through life and getting things done the right way. However, God’s word is clear that the key to productivity from our work (and yes, we are commanded by God to work) is found in our attitude of surrender (i.e., abiding in the Savior). This was clearly the message from Solomon in his Psalm 127; and I think it was best illustrated by what happened when Jesus appeared to His Disciples after the resurrection on the beach where they were fishing one morning.

When you read that story, accounted in John 21: 1-6, copied above, what is the message that you get? Personally, I get the same which Solomon was trying to get believers to live and move and have our being in Ps 126. It is saying, ”Working and doing life our own way just won’t cut it!” But when we abide in Christ and do life (especially our work-life), our surrender to His Sprit will lead us in the right path and to fruitfulness for God’s glory.

So often I find myself falling into the Franklin trap of “white-knuckling” life on my own; but when I learn to rise early to find God’s will and His way from His word; and when I surrender and follow His ways, I’m so – so – so much more productive and fruitful for God than when I’m rising early to get my own “to do” list done in the time God has given me. It’s a matter of whether we’re STRIVING or ABIDING; and when we do life, ABIDING, rather than STRIVING, we’re going to catch a lot more fish for God’s glory than we ever will STRIVING to catch them for our own glory.

So, … are we here today to STRIVE in self or to ABIDE in the Savior? Our choice; … but I figure I’m here to do it Solomon’s way rather than Aristotle’s. ... How about you?

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I’m up early here this morning to seek out and surrender to Your way. Please help me catch some fish for You today. … Amen

March 4, 2013 … Knowledge + Action = Faith

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 63

Passage of the Day: Hebrews 4: 2 [NLT] …  
2 For this Good News—that God has prepared a place of rest — has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t believe what God told them. 
Passage of the Day: Hebrews 4: 2 [NKJV] …  
2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Hebrews, Chapter 4 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Matthew 14: 24-31 : [Faith in action – Peter steps out of the boat.] …[NLT] …  
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 

My Journal for Today: In teaching about the Greek concept of “belief,” which is captured in the Greek word “pisteuo,” I’ve often referred to the illustration which Os Hillman used today. If you were to see a wire-walker traverse the Niagara Falls on a wire strung from one end to the other; and then if you witnessed him do so a second time pushing a wheel barrow, you might “believe” that this man could do the task. However, would you “believe” in his skills/abilities enough to get in the wheel-barrow for him to push you over the falls? That’s the difference between intellectual “belief” and totally-surrendered emotional “belief;” and it is the latter which was referred to in the Greek word “pisteuo,” which you find in the much quoted John 3: 16 or in the Apostle Paul’s clear declaration about salvation in Romans 10: 9.

Faith … real faith … i.e., the faith that saves one in receiving God’s free gift of His saving grace, … is not just knowing something and understanding it. No, it goes beyond the head and into the heart and requires the action of decision. The title Hillman gave to his devotional today, which I’m stealing for mine, is ”Knowledge + Action = Faith”.

And it’s also illustrated by the powerful story of Peter, seeing Jesus walking on the water in the midst of that life-threatening storm [see the story in Matthew 14]. Peter, as you probably remember, BELIEVING that Jesus was the Messiah, was willing to step out of that boat to demonstrate that he had FAITH that Jesus could save him from drowning and allow Peter to walk on the water just as Jesus had. And he did, as long as his heart faith was not clouded by his head faith, which waned in power when his head told Peter that he was actually doing something impossible, like walking on water in a storm.

The question posed to us by Hillman today is … ” Has God spoken to you about an area in your life that requires a step of faith?” Hillman then follows the question with this exhortation … ” Let God provide the courage, as He does the knowledge, to act in faith on what you believe.” And the question which really got to me this morning was, “Do we really BELIEVE in God enough [in the Greek sense of the word] to step out of the boat of our comfort zone and walk where He calls us to walk, … even in the storms of life?” 

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I BELIEVE!!! … Amen

Blogger's PS:  And to help one meditate on the Greek concept of belief, which adds action to understanding, here’s a link to a song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean entitled … I Choose To Believe … 

March 3, 2013 … Feeding the Big Dog or the Bad God

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 62

Passage of the Day: Hebrews 12: 15 (in the context of verses 14-15) [NLT] …  
14 Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Hebrews, Chapter 12 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Galatians 5: 19-21 : [The fruit of the flesh] …[NLT] …  
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Reference Passage #2: Galatians 5: 22-23 : [NLT] … [The fruit of the Spirit] …  
22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. 

My Journal for Today: Brother Os Hillman, my devotional editor/writer, has brought us to a powerful and practical highlight passage of New Testament Scripture this morning. Hebrews 12: 15 exhorts Christians to a truth that all too often hinders and handicaps the life and work of disciples of Christ; … and that is BITTERNESS. Whoever the author of Hebrews was, he knew that if a root of bitterness were to grow in the life of any Christian, God’s grace could not grow and that believer could not experience the outcomes of God’s enriching, enabling, and empowering grace.

 My friend, … there’s an old word picture, illustrating this when it comes to the choices we make as Christians. And the story goes that there are two dogs living in born-again Christians – the dog of “FLESH” and another, the “SPIRIT.” And the dog which will become dominant and rule in our lives is the dog we feed the most. So, which one is flourishing and growing in us?

The Apostle Paul wrote about this comparison in his passage on the fruit of the flesh when compared to the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 6: 19-23, copied and contrasted above). We can choose which fruit thrive in our lives as Christians, the fruit of the flesh … or the fruit of God’s Spirit; and we make that choice by the decisions we make and the behaviors we choose to act out in our lives. And one of those choices, one that blunts the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT growing and maturing in our lives, is the choice to hold onto grudges, anger, or unforgiveness; and that is the root of bitterness we allow to grow in our hearts.

Oh, yes, there are other flesh-driven choices in our lives which can block our experiencing the fruit of God’s Spirit (see Galatians 6: 22-23); and those choices (see Galatians 5: 19-21) will only result in the outcomes which that dog of the “FLESH” can produce and which blunt or dampen our experiencing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. And one of the most common of these is the fruit of the flesh which we feed with bitterness.

My fellow disciple, are you holding on to bitterness in your life? If so, you are feeding that dog, FLESH, and it is unlikely that any of the fruit from that wonderdog, “SPIRIT,” are growing in your life. But if you can cut out that root of bitterness from your life, by forgiving someone with whom you’ve held a grudge or by letting go of some long-standing anger, or by dropping any attitude of covetousness you’re holding for someone, you can begin to choose to feed that Spirit-dog in you; and when you do, you’re going to begin experiencing His Fruit, which are the characteristics of Christlikeness Paul listed in Galatians 5: 22-23.

What about it, friend, … do you want to hold on to and feed that fleshly dog of bitterness; or would you prefer to have the BIG DOG of God’s Spirit to provide you with His grace, which will produce in you love, joy, peace, and all the other fruit of His Spirit? … Yeah, it should be a no-brainer, shouldn’t it? So, why then do we choose to feed that BAD DOG of bitterness?

My Prayer for Today … Lord, thank you for helping me to avoid feeding the bad dog – bitterness - and letting your grace flow in my life from my being here this morning to feed Your big dog of The Holy Spirit. … Amen

March 2, 2013 … Your Prayer Warriors

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 61

Passage of the Day: Colossians 4: 12 [NLT] …  
12 Epaphrus, from your city, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident of the whole will of God. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Colossians, Chapter 4 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Ephesians 6: 18-20 : [NKJV] …  
18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. … 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. 20 I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should. 

Reference Passage #2: Hebrews 7: 23-25 : [NKJV] …  
23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 

My Journal for Today: Os Hillman, in his workplace ministry devotional for this date, has reminded me of an important point of spiritual emphasis as we go about the “business of life.” Hillman, of course, is writing his journal entries to Christians in the workplace, helping them (us) to apply God’s will, from His word, as we go about our work life on the job or in running a business. But the principles Hillman espouses apply to all Christians in the marketplace we call LIFE. And today Hillman really reminded me of one such process in my life and in the ministry God has led me to direct for His glory.

Hillman wrote about this powerful process by highlighting one of Paul’s prison epistles, … his letter to the church in Colosse, where he sites in Chapter 4, verse 12 above the prayer ministry of Epaphrus, the brother in Christ visiting Paul in the Roman prison, and the brother who had brought the Gospel to Colosse. Paul sites Epaphrus as a prayer warrior who was praying diligently and with discipline for his brothers/sisters in Christ back in Colosse. And in the highlight passage (linked for your study above), Paul wanted the Colossians to know that there was a cohort of prayer warriors, including Paul himself, Epaphrus, Timothy, Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, and Mark, … who were all attending to Paul in the Roman prison from whence Paul wrote this letter; but they were all praying for the spiritual needs of the Christians in Colosse, whom Epaphrus had apparently enlisted to pray for, … because Colosse was being besieged by false teachings.

And reading Paul’s teaching and exhortation to the Colossian Christians reminded me of the Christian brothers/sisters who pray for the ministry I lead, BattlePlan Ministry, which is a ministry on the frontlines of spiritual warfare. But really, any Christian who is out there, confronting Satan, the world, and the temptations of the flesh (our spiritual enemies) needs to have a cohort of prayer warriors praying for us, don’t we? If I were to ask you, “Whom do you rely on as your prayer warriors?”; … could you list a handful of reliable Christians who pray for you on a regular basis? If not, why not? Most of us have a prayer list of people who need our prayer, don’t we? So, hopefully you’re not to prideful to have a group of prayer warrior partners praying for you. If not, my friend, you need some warriors praying for you just as Epaphrus had done to enlist prayer warriors for Colosse.

Certainly, according to Hebrews 7: 23-25, we have Jesus, our High Priest in heaven, praying for us. However, His intercession is enhanced by the numbers of humble Christians who are praying for us regularly. That’s why Paul, in the context of his writings on spiritual warfare (in Ephesians 6), begged for His beloved Christians warriors in Ephesus to pray diligently for him while he was in prison; and it’s why he was writing to the Christians Epaphrus was praying for in Colosse. We all need a cohort of prayer warriors praying for us, lifting us up to the Chairman of the Prayer Board in heaven, … CHRIST, … Who will always intercede for us to His Father and to cover us – by our faith – with His blood.

I’m so thankful to have warriors praying for me and our ministry on a regular basis. Without these prayer warriors, taking the high ground for battle daily, I’d be naked out there on the battle fields of life.

Praise God for our prayer warriors!!

My Prayer for Today … Amen and amen, … as to my thanks for those who pray for BattlePlan Ministries and for the warriors who are praying for those who take the battle field today in Christ’s Name. … Amen

March 1, 2013 … From the Head to the Heart

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 60

Passage of the Day: Zechariah 9: 13 [in the context of verses 11-13] [NLT] …  
11 Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. 12Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise this very day that I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes! 13 Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow! Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.  
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Zechariah 9: 9-17 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 23: 12 : [NKJV] … [Living out the New Covenant in faith … from our hearts, … rather than just from our head.] ... 
12 Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge. 
Reference Passage #1: Proverbs 23: 12 : [The Message] … [The disciplines we develop should come from the heart after capturing the knowledge we need to turn into action.] ... 
12 Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge. 

My Journal for Today: Os Hillman, in his workplace devotional for today, provides his readers [me included] with a little church history lesson, pointing out that in the third/fourth centuries, the church moved from being influenced by more emotional “heart” influence of the Middle-Eastern culture to the “head” influence of the Greeks, following the teachings of intellects like Aristotle and Socrates. And we, in our post-modern, western church, have been heavily influenced by the Grecian approach to religion, which is more logical and pragmatic … as opposed to the Hebrew roots of the faith, which were more emotional and “heart oriented.” Hillman contends, and I agree, that we need to have both, but lean back to capture more of “heart” of the faith, which is more relational than intellectual.

The essence of this argument is found in the exhortation of Proverbs 23: 12, which Hillman put forth to espouse his argument; and I have copied this truth from God’s word above in two versions, the NKJV and The Message. And if I were to give you the Bill Berry paraphrased version of this exhortation, I would state it like this: Learn Gods’ truth from the head; and then surrender to the disciplines of the faith from the heart.

We were given an intellect by God to be able to understand His will and follow His ways from His word; but when it comes to application out of this understanding, we need to surrender our will to God’s from “the heart,” which if the essence of our spiritual being. As Proverbs 23: 7 says (in the NKJV), … … as a man thinks in his heart, so is he …,which, of course, is saying that we become, in our decisions and actions, what we think in our minds.

So, in this age of grace under the New Covenant, established from our RELATIONSHIP with Christ and His blood-bought, finished work on the cross, we need to take in the reality and truth of His completed work, and be covered – IN OUR HEART – by His blood to allow Him to transform us from the reality of our humanity into the nature of His Spirit. This transformation, of course, must be understood by our heads; but it must implemented by our hearts.

Hence, when we pursue God’s will (and we must) and follow His ways from understanding God’s truth from His word, we do so with our heads. However, we will implement it into the disciplines of the faith from a surrender of our hearts to the heart of God’s Spirit. So, this morning I ask myself … “Bill, … do you know God’s will from His word; … and … have you surrendered your heart every day to the disciplines He calls for from your life?”

 I guess being here, writing these things, is, at least, a partial “YES!” to that question. May it continue to be so for me; and I leave it to you to answer it for yourself.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, help me live in surrender of my heart to You from the mind you gave me to understand Your word and to follow Your will for my life. … Amen