February 16, 2017 ... From Garbage to Glory

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 47 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Josh Groban singing his song … You Raise Me Up … poignantly depicting the One who raises all who’ve fallen and are being cast on the junkyard of life, … being raised from garbage to glory by our Messiah, … the King Who came to transform all who believe in Him into the glorious remake of His image.

Assemblage (or Junkyard) Art

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 9:11, 25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The formerly blind man gives testimony to the healing power of Jesus.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus heals a blind man.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Luke 4:18-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus declares from the Prophet Isaiah that He had come to give sight to the blind; … and He did [see John 9].

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 20:31 [NLT] … 
31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. 
… The Apostle John led by the Spirit to write the Gospel message helping believers to have assurance that Jesus was/is The Messiah and Lord of all.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used a modern-day word picture of junkyard art to illustrate how Jesus could - and can - turn garbage into glory. The ODB author wrote: Noah Purifoy began his work as an “assemblage” artist with three tons of rubble salvaged from the 1965 riots in the Watts area of Los Angeles. From broken bicycle wheels and bowling balls to discarded tires and damaged TV sets—things no longer usable—he and a colleague created sculptures that conveyed a powerful message about people being treated as “throw-aways” in modern society. [See attached photo] … One journalist referred to Mr. Purifoy as “the junkyard genius.” 

Well, the word picture in this ODB entry is an apt analogy of what Jesus came to do, did in His time on earth, and is still doing today. Seven-hundred years before Jesus, the Son of God, came to mankind, Isaiah prophesied that a Messiah would come to set captives free and give sight to the blind [see Isaiah 61:1-2 ]; and In the writings of Luke and John (see scriptures above), we see that Jesus proclaimed that He was that Messiah; and He showed that he could - and did - give sight to the blind. 

And above you see a selfie of yours truly, … one of those who once was blind (spiritually) and now sees. I was once a pile of broken pieces; and now Jesus is reassembling me into His image. Perhaps you’re one of those the Lord has taken from the junkyard of this world, like me, and God's Spirit is making you over for His glory, ... in essence from GARBAGE TO GLORY!! … That’s my prayer for any reading here today.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I pray all here have come to You to be made over into Your image. I sure have!! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 15, 2017 ... Born That Way

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 46 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Big Daddy Weave singing his song … Redeemed … poignantly and powerfully declaring the reality of him (or anyone) being redeemed from their (our) sin by the blood of Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 5:20-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
… Yes, … we all sin! … But any and all who come to Christ in our sin can be made right with God through faith in the saving grace of King Jesus.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 5:12-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Apostle declares the truth with regard to the sin nature of mankind, … yet the redemption for Adams’s sin found in the atoning death of Christ in propitiation for our sin.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 51:5, 7, 12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...
… King David’s prayer/song of his desire to be cleansed for his sin.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 3:23, 5:8, 8:1, 10:13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … … Paul exclaims the wondrous mystery of God’s plan to save His lost people through the redemption of His Son, Jesus, The Christ.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st John 1:9 [NLT] … 
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 
… Our sin nature can be cleansed by confession, repentance, and faith in Christ’s cleansing blood.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses a cute, but pertinent, story to illustrate our sin nature. The ODB author wrote: Mom noticed four-year-old Elias as he scurried away from the newborn kittens. She had told him not to touch them. “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?” she asked. “No!” he said earnestly. So Mom had another question: “Were they soft?” “Yes,” he volunteered, “and the black one mewed.” 
With a toddler, we smile at such duplicity. But Elias’s disobedience underscores our human condition. No one has to teach a four-year-old to lie. 

And yes, we almost expect to see our little ones lie at some point in their toddler stage as they are born little heathens. However, what about a mature believer like King David? And we know from the episode with Bathsheba and then David’s year-long coverup, followed by his confrontation with Nathan, the Prophet, where he confessed, repented (see also Psalm 32 written after Ps. 51), and was cleansed of his sin by His merciful and loving Lord.

It’s true. Kids and even Kings are all sinners. And that’s the story of you and me, isn’t it? As Paul writes in the sequence provided above from his letter to the Romans, we’re all born sinners (3:23). Yet God provided a way for us to be redeemed (5:8); and when we believe in Christ’s redeeming blood, shed for us on the cross, we find freedom from the condemnation of our sin (9:13 and 8:1). 

And PTL, when I come and confess and repent of my sin, … yes, even now that I’m saved, … my Lord is faithful to cleanse me of my sin and redeem me before my Heavenly Father. Listen to Big Daddy Weave sing of our being REDEEMED by Christ in the song linked above. And then join me in a robust ”HALLELUJAH!” for King Jesus coming to save us from our sin nature.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I am redeemed from myself by my faith in Your blood. … HALLELUJAH!! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 14, 2017 ... His Love Shared Today

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 45 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jackie DeShannon singing Bert Bacharach’s 60s classic … What the World Needs Now Is Love … poignantly declaring what the world needs desperately … NOW!

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st John 4:9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 
… As the song today declares … “What the world needs now is love sweet love!” … Yes, God’s love shared with others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st John 4:9-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… John declares the truth about God’s love to a love-starved people (And … that’s US!!!) 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 3:16 [NLT] … 
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. …” 
… Jesus’ declaration of the extent of God’s love.
 

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 5: 8 [NLT] … 
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
… God’s ultimate Valentine to sinful mankind was His sacrificial blood on the cross (see photo).

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st Corinthians 13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Oh how we need to share more of this love (AGAPE) with the world. My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Schuldt, told a story of a young man’s extravagant proposal to his girl friend on Valentine’s Day. The ODB author wrote: [The young man’s] expression of love toward his fiancée may seem a bit over-the-top, but God’s expression of love for us is nothing short of extravagant! “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). 

And really on this special day, celebrating love, all we really need to do is take enough time to use the link above to hear Jackie DeShannon singing a popular love song from the 1960s; … from back in my college days when violent protesting was going on concerning the Viet Nam war. And Bert Bacharach’s song, declares what is desperately needed NOW in these turbulent times … the need for us all to recognize God’s love extends - thru us - to any and all who will receive that love - offered by His blood on the cross.

So after you take in the song; and meditate on the truth about God’s love from His word, let’s ask ourselves what we can do today to show His love to someone who needs it?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, let me be a conduit of Your love to someone special today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 13, 2017 ... Confusion or Conviction

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 44 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Stephen Curtis Chapman singing his song … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly declaring the promise that God’s strength is always ours to overcome the weight of our doubt, discouragement, and despair.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 11:14-16, 20:24-29 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Thomas believing and Thomas doubting. Which would we rather be?
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Habakkuk 1:2, 3:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s Prophet … from confusion to certainty … from death to life.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 7:24-25, 8:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul discovers the victory over doubt and death is found in a deep/abiding relationship with Christ.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:11-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, shows us how to capture His strength and be content, no matter what comes our way.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, compared Thomas when he was strong in his trust of Christ with a time when he was weakened and doubted. The ODB author wrote: Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44), Thomas still could not bring himself to believe that the crucified Lord had conquered death. Not until Thomas the doubter—the human—saw the risen Lord, could he exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus’s response gave assurance to the doubter and immeasurable comfort to us: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29). 

There was a time when Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, would’ve followed His trusted Teacher unto death (see John 11:14-16); but later, even after seeing Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and perform many other miracles, the Apostle doubted his Master (see John 20:24-29). And we, as disciples of Christ, also likely have moments of strong belief and then others where clouds of doubt almost paralyze us.

The Prophet Habakkuk in the OT journaled how he went from confusion to conviction (see the Habakkuk 1 & 3 passages above). The Apostle Paul went from a victim of self doubt to being victorious in Christ (see Romans 7 versus 8 passages). And God, thru many other character studies and promises (see Phil. 4:11-13 above, as well as Prov. 3:5-6 … Isaiah 26:3 … 1Peter 5:7), gives us ample promise of His strength to draw upon when we feel doubtful or discouraged.

The question is … in our trust and faith in King Jesus, will we draw upon the empowering grace of God to cover our doubts and weaknesses?

My friend, if we’re in a dumper of doubt right now, let us hear and be lifted up by today’s song and move away from being a “doubting Thomas,” [see photo] allowing God to give us the strength we need to overcome the doubt in our minds/hearts. Let us move from the darkness of doubt into the Light of Christ today.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to avoid being a doubting Thomas and use Your strength to cover my weakness. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 12, 2017 ... Giving Back

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 43 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Brian Littrell sining a contemporary arrangement of the old hymn … I Surrender All … poignantly declaring what should be the desire of all in Christ … to surrender our all to Him in return for Him surrendering His all for us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 8:1-3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ closest followers were His 12 and a few women who were giving their all to follow Him. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 8:1-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus tells His closest disciples about what it takes to be in surrender to Him.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 
23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. …” 
… Jesus on what it takes to be His disciple.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 2nd Corinthians 8:7, 9:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul teaches Christians about giving back to our Lord what He has given to us … EVERYTHING!!

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] … 
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 
 … What should we be giving back to Jesus to be His worthy disciples?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, taught on what it takes to truly be a DISCIPLE of Christ. The ODB author wrote: Jesus and His disciples needed financial support as they traveled from one town and village to another, telling the good news of His kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). A group of women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases helped to support them “out of their own means” (v. 3). One was Mary Magdalene, who had been freed from the presence of seven demons. Another was Joanna, the wife of an official in Herod’s court. Nothing is known about Susanna and “many others” (v. 3), but we know that Jesus had met their spiritual needs. Now they were helping Him and His disciples through giving their financial resources. 

My friends, how much did Jesus give so that we might have eternal life? … His ALL, right?! … And so, what should we be willing to give Him back in service to our Lord? If any of us took in today’s photo, the song, and the Scriptures above and we can’t figure out the answer to that last question, I’m afraid there’s not much hope for us in God’s eternal kingdom.

And in that regard the ODB author today closed by challenging her readers with this exhortation … How might you be a part of getting the good news of salvation to people in your neighborhood and around the world? Tell someone the story of what Jesus has done for you. Write a note of encouragement to someone. Share a gift with a missionary. … [Maybe] Pray? 
 … Jesus gave His all; He deserves our all. 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, You deserve so much more from me! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 11, 2017 ... To Know Him …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 42 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Hillsong singing their song … You’re Here With Me … powerfully and poignantly declaring our desire as Christians to know our Lord more and more intimately so that we more readily follow Him and become more like Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 139:3 [NLT] … 
3 You [GOD] see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 
… Our God is omnipresent and omniscient and omnipotent.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 139:1-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David sings about the attributes of His glorious God as He gets to know Him more intimately.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] … 
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 
… As Paul got to know God, he became more and more enslaved to His King; and he desperately desired for his fellow Christians to be worthy of God’s calling on their lives as “Christians.”

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Colossians 1:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul teaches Christians that our lives are transformed into Christlikeness the more we get to know our Lord.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st John 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… John teaches Christians how they can know other Christians truly know God - by the love they show to others.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, wrote about God being all seeing and all knowing from Psalm 139. The ODB author wrote: Psalm 139:1 and 3 speak of our all-knowing God’s all-encompassing, intimate understanding of us. David says, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. . . . You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” How comforting to know God loves us perfectly, is fully aware of what we will face today, and He knows how best to help us in every circumstance of life. 

When I read and meditated on the ODB entry this day, my mind took me back to reality that a dear mentor helped me realize years ago which has become a guiding goal for me as a Christian now … and till I’m with Jesus in Heaven. My mentor once asked me if, as a disciple of Christ, I desired to be blessed by my God. Of course, I responded “YES!” What true Christian wouldn’t?

Well, then he asked me what my primary goal in life was as a Christian; and I thought I know the right answer, responding from the old Presbyterian catechism … “To glorify God and to enjoy fellowship with Him.” I was so proud of my knowing that; … but my mentor told me that if I desired to be blessed by God, my primary goal in this life should be to KNOW GOD more intimately … day-by-day.

And here’s the chain of truths he spoke into my life, … truths which I remember to this day and try to affirm them by the way I live. He told me - To know God is to love God ->  To love God is to obey God -> To obey God is to serve God -> And to serve God is to be blessed by God. 

So, my fellow Christian I’m praying that we all know God and get to know Him more intimately today than yesterday … and even more tomorrow than today.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Help me to know You more deeply today than ever before; … and even more tomorrow! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 10, 2017 ... Thanks, I Needed That!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 41 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from a Gaither gathering singing the Southern Gospel hymn … Leaning On the Everlasting Arms … powerfully and poignantly declaring our need as Christians to lean on our Lord, especially in times of trial. … AT THIS LINK -  you can have the lyrics available for you to sing or follow along with the song on a separate website.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st John 2:1 [NLT] … 
23 The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. 
… In the Greek, the NLT phrase “sitting next to Jesus” is also translated “leaning on Jesus’ bosom” in the KJV.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 13:12-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Disciples had just seen Jesus wash their feet; and they recited at the table of the “last supper” with John resting his head on Jesus’ bosom.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
… [GOD to Isaiah] … If we lean on God in fearful times, … He promises to lift us up.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… [JESUS] … Commands us, as His disciples, to rest on Him … especially when the burdens are too heavy for us.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… [PAUL] … Exhorts Christians to avoid the sin of WORRY by thankfully bringing all our trials to Him so that He can give us His peace.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 5:7 [NLT] … 
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 
… [PETER] … The Apostle’s exhortation to bring all our cares to a God who cares and a Lord Who’s big enough to handle them.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, uses a personal image to illustrate how Jesus’ disciples (that’s you and me!) can - and should - lean on our Lord in times of trouble. The ODB author wrote: Sometimes when I put my head on my pillow at night and pray, I imagine I’m leaning on Jesus [see photo above]. 
 Whenever I do this, I remember something the Word of God tells us about the apostle John. John himself writes about how he was sitting beside Jesus at the Last Supper: “One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him” (John 13:23). 

And when I read Bank’s word picture today; and I sought an online image to illustrate it (see attached photo); … and then I found an old hymn, which I love to sing [see linked song], … my mind took me back to an old 1970s TV commercial (LINKED HERE), which states, … Thanks, I needed that!, … like a brisk slap in the face with after shave lotion.

And today, as I first went to pray in my morning quiet-time with God, I was feeling quite remorseful for all the divisiveness we are going thru in our world … as well as so many of my dear friends dealing with severe trials; … and then there’s my recent personal diagnosis of clinical depression which has led to bouts of rather severe fatigue and malaise.

Yeah, I know; … it’s the “Oh, woe is me!” attitude that Paul wrote about in Romans 7 or about which Isaiah describe in Isaiah 6. And then, after my prayer time, I read the ODB entry today; and it was like that brisk slap in the face in that commercial [see YouTube link] … where the beaten fighter was awakened by the slap of after shave.

God woke me up today to the reality of His promises from His word … to lift me up (see Isaiah 41), … to help carry my burdens (see Matthew 11), … to guard my heart with His peace (see Phil. 4), and from Peter’s admonition in 1st Peter 5 for my God to care for me ALWAYS when I bring my cares to Him. And that I did this morning! … Thanks, Lord … I needed that!!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … I’m lifted up and strengthened by Your promises to be there for me in my times of trial. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 9, 2017 ... My Advocate in Heaven

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 40 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Nichole Nordeman singing her song … Finally Free … poignantly declaring the reality of what Jesus has earned for us as our Advocate before His Father … FREEDOM from our sin debt.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st John 2:1 [NLT] … 
1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 
… We, who have received God’s saving grace in faith and freedom from our sin debt, have an eternal advocate before the Father in Heaven.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st John 1:8-2:2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God thru the Apostle declares the reality of His advocacy on behalf of sinful believers whom He has saved by His atoning grace.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Ecclesiastes 7:20 [NKJV] … 
20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. 
… Solomon learned - and declares before God - his need, along with everyone’s, of a Messiah.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 3:10-13, 23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, proclaims that we are ALL sinners, deserving death and in desperate need of an advocate in Heaven Who has covered our sin with His atoning blood.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Romans 10:9 [NLT] … 
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 
… God’s promise of Jesus’ propitiation for our sins and His saving grace when/if we believe in Christ’s atoning sacrifice and we sinners repent and declare openly that Jesus is LORD.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, uses an historical reference to illustrate how Jesus is our advocate before the Law of God which condemns all sinners to death. The ODB author wrote: From a Florida prison cell in June 1962, Clarence Earl Gideon wrote a note asking the United States Supreme Court to review his conviction for a crime he said he didn’t commit. He added that he didn’t have the means to hire a lawyer. 
One year later, in the historic case of Gideon v. Wainright, the Supreme Court ruled that people who cannot afford the cost of their own defense must be given a public defender—an advocate—provided by the state. With this decision, and with the help of a court-appointed lawyer, Clarence Gideon was retried and acquitted. 

However, as author DeHaan, brings out, we sinners are not innocent before our Heavenly Judge (see the reference passages above). Even those of us who have believed, confessed, and repented of our sin nature are guilty before God’s Law and His throne of grace. And that is where/why our Advocate, Jesus, pleads our case in Heaven (see photo). God the Father doesn’t see my sin nature because my Advocate, King Jesus, paid my sin debt, and He has covered my sin with His blood and His Robes of Righteousness so that His Father in Heaven sees not my sin.

And for all reading here who have similarly so declared (see Rom. 10:9), do I sense a robust “HALLELUJAH?!!” 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … I stand in awe of my Lord’s propitiation for my sin and His advocacy on my behalf of me in Heaven which will one day bring me to be His heir. … HALLELUJAH!!! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 8, 2017 ... My Bestest of Friends

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 39 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Alan Jackson singing … WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS … poignantly declaring the friendship all true Christians have with our Lord and Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Samuel 20:42 [NLT] … 
42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” 
… David and Jonathan had a covenant friendship which pictures the relationship Christians have with King Jesus.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Samuel 20:35-42 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The picture of the covenant friendship of Jonathan and David is a fore-shadow of the covenant friendship of Jesus with those He calls “friend.”
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 17:17 [NKJV] … 
17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. 
… Easy to see the word picture from Solomon here, isn’t it?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, proclaims the essence of friendship, which is reaching out to help others … as Jesus has done, is doing, and will always do for those who love/obey Him.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … John 15:14-15 [NLT] … 
14 “You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. …” 
… Jesus to His disciples proclaiming the essence of His friendship with them (i.e., us).

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Hebrews 13:5 [NLT] … 
5 … For God has said, … “I will never fail you. …  I will never abandon you.” [also in Joshua 1:5] 
… God’s promise to His “friends.”

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Keila Ochoa, uses a personal reference to teach about the most loyal of Friends, … King Jesus. … The ODB author wrote: A dear friend of mine sent me a text message that said, “I’m so glad we can tell each other the good, the bad, and the ugly!” We have been friends for many years, and we have learned to share our joys and our failures. We recognize we are far from perfect, so we share our struggles but we also rejoice in each other’s successes. …
Good friends don’t abandon us when external circumstances change. They stay with us through the good and the bad days. Good friends also may point us to God in the ugly days, when we may feel tempted to walk away from our Lord. 

The friendship between Jonathan and David (see highlight passage) was just such a friendship, … a covenant bond in their faith of God. And their friendship was a biblical fore-shadow of the New Covenant relationship (i.e., “friendship”) we have with Jesus.

 I’m praying today that all who read here are real friends with our Lord; but Jesus made it clear, in His word and especially to His disciples in John 15:14-15, that His real friends obey and follow Him (also John 14:21). It is only then that our covenant bond (i.e., friendship) with our Lord can manifest itself.

 Real friends, … loyal/giving friends, … are hard to come by, aren’t they? We’re fortunate to even have one or two in this lifetime among our human relationships. But when we know Jesus as Lord/Savior, we have the “bestest” of all Friends; and He will never leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5.

 So, as Alan Jackson so poignantly sings (linked above), let’s go to our Friend, Jesus, in prayer today.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord Jesus, thank You for being my BESTEST Friend. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 7, 2017 ... Sparking Joy

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 38 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images declaring that we should … CHOOSE JOY … no matter what we’re confronting in life … because of what Jesus did to give us HIS joy.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 4:8 [NLT] … 
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 
… We can CHOOSE to think joyfully of those thoughts which honor God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 4:4-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Apostle exhorts Christians to hold onto the joy of what Christ has done for us … the Gospel is our joy.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 23:7 [NKJV] … 
7 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he … 
… Easy to see the word picture from Solomon here, isn’t it?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Acts 16:20-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… In spite of their imprisonment, Paul and Silas sang of their joy.

Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Galatians 5:22a [NLT] … 
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, JOY, peace, ... 
… We have the Joy of God in our hearts as Christians; but we have to choose it over our self-driving emotions.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, uses a modern and biblical reference to teach about choosing joy in spite of the emotional clutter of life. The ODB author wrote: A young Japanese woman’s book on decluttering and organizing has sold two million copies worldwide. The heart of Marie Kondo’s message is helping people get rid of unneeded things in their homes and closets—things that weigh them down. “Hold up each item,” she says, “and ask, ‘Does it spark joy?’” If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, then give it away. 
The apostle Paul urged the Christians in Philippi to pursue joy in their relationship with Christ. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Instead of a life cluttered with anxiety, he urged them to pray about everything and let God’s peace guard their hearts and minds in Christ (vv. 6–7). 

This OBD entry hit home with me today because recently I was diagnosed with a type of clinical depression which produces severe fatigue but often results from a lot of emotional “clutter” in one’s (my) life. Perhaps you can identify. But the Apostle Paul, writing from the confines of a prison, tried to help his beloved friends in Philippi (and you/me by extension) to choose the joy we have in the Gospel and our relationship with Christ to overcome the emotional oppression of our lives and this world.

And that’s what the young Japanese author was trying to write about in her book, mentioned above, which used the analogy of reducing the domestic and personal “clutter” in our lives to spark joy to replace perceived angst and confusion.

As Solomon wrote (in Prov. 23:7 - NKJV) we become what we think in our heart. So Paul urged Christians (see highlight passage) to think only things which give honor to God. And in doing so, he knew, having experienced that kind of joy (see Acts 16:20-25 above), that we Christians can choose to revel in the joy God implants in us (see Gal. 5:22a) by His Spirit.

So, my friends, as the video linked above promotes, I declare here - today - that I will choose joy! … Common; … jump in and join me!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, in spite of all the anti-joy in my life, I choose today to partake of the fruit of joy You have planted in my heart. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 6, 2017 ... Refiner’s Fire

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 37 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing… Refiner’s Fire … gloriously and poignantly expressing the reality that God does His purifying work in us by the fires of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Job 23:10 [NLT] … 
10 “But He (the LORD) knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out pure as gold. 
… Job sees God is working through the trials in his life to purify his soul.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 23:1-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… In a moment of clarity amidst his trials, Job realizes that God is testing and refining Him by his trials.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 17:3 [NKJV] 
… 3 Fire tests the purity of silver and old, but the LORD tests the heart. 
… Easy to see the word picture from Solomon here, isn’t it?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Zechariah 13:9a [NKJV] … 
9   I will bring that group [God’s people] through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. … 
… The fires of life purify us for God’s glory.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Malachi 3:2-3 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God will purify His people in the fires of life.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are the called according to His purpose for them. 
… Yes, even the fiery trials of life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, uses the biblical story of Job to illustrate how God uses the trials of life to refine us as a fire which purifies fine metals. The ODB author wrote: In the middle of his despair, Job had a moment of clarity. His faith flickered to life like a candle in a dark room. He said, “[God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). 
Christians are tried and purified when God uses difficulty to burn away our self-reliance, pride, and earthly wisdom. If it seems as if God is silent during this process and He is not answering our cries for help, He may be giving us an opportunity to grow stronger in our faith. 

I think most reading here would agree that the fires of life, i.e., the trials/tribulations we encounter, are those times when our character is shaped and fashioned into a stronger, more Christlike self. And that’s what Job, going through all his horrible trials, came to realize [see highlight passages above]. And other OT writers, like Solomon, Zechariah and Malachi [see above], also wrote of this principle of God’s REFINING FIRE, … where our God uses or allows the challenges of life to burn away the dross of pride and selfishness from our character and to reshape us into our Lord’s image.

Any reading here, PLEASE take the time to view the linked song above with Steve Green singing his rendition of the song, Refiner’s Fire; and then realize that any trial were going through is, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, for our good.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, Help me to endure Your fires of life so that I can be reshaped and refined into the purity of Your image. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 5, 2017 ... Creation Calls Out Glory

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 36 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Brian Doerksen singing… Creation Calls … gloriously and poignantly expressing the reality that God’s creation all around us declares His glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 136:6 [NLT] … 
6 Give thanks to Him who placed the earth amid the waters; … His faithful love endures forever. 
… Yes, all that our Lord created is for us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 136:1-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist gives thanks to our God, who created all of Hs creation for the crowning glory of His creation … mankind.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 19:1 [NKJV] …  
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. … The skies display His craftsmanship. 
… Look around us. God is everywhere in His creation.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 1:1-3 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… All things, were created by the living word, our Lord, for mankind and His glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Roper, uses a quote from C.S. Lewis to help teach about God’s creation declaring His glory. The ODB author wrote: Author C. S. Lewis describes a walk in the forest on a hot summer day. He had just asked his friend how best to cultivate a heart thankful toward God. His hiking companion turned to a nearby brook, splashed his face and hands in a little waterfall, and asked, “Why not begin with this?” Lewis said he learned a great principle in that moment: “Begin where you are.” 
A trickling waterfall, the wind in the willows, a baby robin, the blue sky, a tiny flower. Why not begin your thankfulness with this? 

 Does God sometimes seem far away? … I think we’ve all worn that t-shirt of spiritual weariness at times, feeling distant from God. But today’s ODB entry helped me, … along with the teaching of C.S. Lewis, the singing of Brian Doerksen, and the truth of God’s word, to realize that all I have to do is look around me in creation, as the Psalmists did in Psalm 19 and 136 (above); and I can get a warm hug from what God has created for me and all of His crowning glory, … mankind.

 So, if you need a hug from God today, look into the heavens at the stars, or do as C.S. Lewis suggested to take a drink from a gentle waterfall (see photo); … or see a bird flying high, … or … well, you get the picture from God’s creation. He’s always there, … all around us, … reminding us of the love He has extended to us from His creation.

 Let us be thankful for all He has made for us.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I feel Your warm embrace as I see all You have made for me. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 4, 2017 ... ALWAYS !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 35 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Laura Story singing her song … Blessings … poignantly expressing the reality that often God’s blessings are disguised as the challenges we face in life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Thessalonians 5:18 [NLT] … 
18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 
… Yes, ALWAYS!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul trying to show fellow Christians how we should live.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … 
28 All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose. 
… Yes … ALL THINGS!

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 1st Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] … 
13 The temptations [also translated “tests, 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.
… No matter what we go thru, God’s faithfulness will allow Christians to deal with the situation.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 2nd Corinthians 12:8 [NKJV] … 
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. 
… Yes, even when we’re weak, Jesus, thru His Spirit, will give us the strength we need.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lawrence Darmani, uses a personal analogy to illustrate God lifting us up when we need His power. The ODB author wrote: In our suburb we complain about the constant power outages. They can hit three times in a week and last up to twenty-four hours, plunging the neighborhood into darkness. The inconvenience is hard to bear when we cannot use basic household appliances. 

Then the ODB made reference to Paul’s teaching (in 1st Thess. 5:8) that we Christians should have a thankful attitude no matter how uncomfortable our circumstances; and I think we’d all agree that in some of our trials, it can be really difficult to give thanks to God.

But then the ODB entry today made it clear that even the power outages were something for which we should be thankful with this further explanation: One day, however, our belief in thanking God in all circumstances took on new meaning. I returned from work to find our neighbor visibly shaken as she cried, “Thank Jesus the power was off. My house would have burned down, and my family and I would have perished!” … A refuse-collection truck had hit the electricity pole in front of her house and brought down the high-tension cables right over several houses. Had there been power in the cables, fatalities would have been likely. 

It’s really tough to be thankful ALWAYS, isn’t it? And certainly we have trouble seeing that even our tough times are blessings from God, as Laura Story sings (linked above) and the Apostle Paul preaches in the reference passages above. … Yes, those verses are some of the toughest verses to believe and live out when circumstances really challenge out faith and strength. But as God taught and promised, thru Paul (and Jesus Himself), we can rely on God’s grace to give us power when we’re weak; and we can be faithful that God will not allow us to get into any predicament that we cannot handle WITH HIS FAITHFUL HELP. 

So, … THANKFUL He calls us to be today and always; and thankful we can - and will - be if we trust in Him (see again Prov. 3: 5-6).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Even facing some tough trials right now, Lord, I am thankful for your enabling/empowering grace. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 3, 2017 ... He Sees … ALWAYS!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 34 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images with accompaniment sayings from Sara Groves singing her song … It’s Going to Be Alright … poignantly expressing the reality that our Lord see us and is with us… ALWAYS!!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 16:13 [NLT] … 
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” [El-Roi]  She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 
… God helped Solomon remember that we must choose to enjoy God’s providence and to be happy with what we have now.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 16:1-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God watches over and cares for Hagar and her needs - just as He does with all His children. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Deuteronomy 31:8 [NKJV] … 
8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” 
… ALWAYS watching over us.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 
10 Fear not, for I am with you; … be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, … yes, I will help you, … I will lift you up with My righteous hand. 
… God’s promise that He’ll be there for us, especially in the tough times.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 5:7 [NKJV] … 
7 … casting ALL your cares on Him, for He cares for you … 
… Yes, … but do we really?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Pye, took her readers (me) to the story in Genesis 16:1-13 where Hagar had run away from Sarai and Abram and felt abandoned. But God saw her in her time of need and ministered to her.

My friends and fellow believers, … Perhaps you’re in a place like Hagar where you feel far away from God. Maybe you’re prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling and going nowhere.

And in such times, it can be so difficult to realize and believe the truth of God being “El-Roi,” the God who sees and cares, just as Hagar discovered and just as Peter exhorted us in 1st Peter 5:7.

Of late I’ve been dealing with some degree of clinical depression in my life; and I’ve felt some (not as much, but some) of what Hagar must’ve felt. But every time I come here - each morning - and get on my knees in my quiet time with God and then I open the Our Daily Bread and God’s word to start my day, I’m touched by my EL-ROI, knowing the truth of what Sara Groves sings (linked above), … that “It’s Going To Be Alright.”

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your assurance that You are truly my El-Roi. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 2, 2017 ... Grasping My Joy

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 33 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Mike Winger singing his song … You Are My Joy … poignantly expressing the reality that our Lord is our joy … ALWAYS … His fruit onto which we can hold FOREVER.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 [NLT] … 
11 Yet 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. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 
… God helped Solomon remember that we must choose to enjoy God’s providence and to be happy with what we have now.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ecclesiastes 3:9-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon reminds believers to faithfully hold onto our joy … even when life is hard. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 
3 You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all those whose thoughts are fixed on You. 
… Don’t we all seek God’s peace; … well, herein He gives us His prescription for His peace, to which we can hold always.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] …  
23 The faithful of of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; … His mercies begin afresh each morning. 
… Truth unto which we can ALWAYS find joy.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Habakkuk 3:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Prophet learned that he could hold onto joy no matter what he must endure.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Romans 8: 28 [NLT] …  
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 
 … Yes … EVERYTHING!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, took his readers (me) to the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes and helped me to remember a truth to which I need to hold onto right now in my life.

My friends and fellow believers, … Recently I was diagnosed with a mild form of clinical depression which seems to bring on almost constant fatigue, … where I often feel so tired and down that I’d rather just choose not to do what I feel I should be doing. But today’s attached photo, the linked song, and God’s truth helped me remember [at least today!], that in my relationship with Christ, I can CHOOSE joy; … yes … even when I feel down in spirit.

That’s what the Prophet Habakkuk discovered when he wrote in his journal (see Hab. 3:17-18) that he could choose to rejoice even when things were oppressing his soul. … It’s what helped Paul to write that ALL THINGS work together for the GOOD for true Christians. … It’s what helped Solomon remember (in Eccl. 3) that we must CHOOSE to celebrate God’s provision and revel in what He lays out before us in order to live for His glory.

Today … I’m going to thank God for His fruit of JOY (see Galatians 5:22); and I’m praying that I can choose to hold onto His daily mercies [Lam. 3:22-23] and His peace [Is. 26:3] … ALWAYS!!! … And so, I’ll come back here tomorrow as a parched soul, … to drink from His pool of living waters, … filled to overflowing with His love, joy, and peace.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your joy to which I can at least hold onto today - no matter what!! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

February 1, 2017 ... Following God’s Lead

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 32 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Sara Groves singing her song … It’s Going To Be Alright … poignantly expressing how followers of Christ will find His peace and direction when we faithfully follow His lead, … seek His will and way from His word.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 32:8 [NLT] … 
8 The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway of your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 
… Isn’t that what all Christians desire … to let God lead us along HIS pathway in life. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 32 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David reveals what happens when we surrender completely and follow God faithfully; … we find his healing peace.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : …Deuteronomy 31:8 [NLT] … 
8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” 
… Moses charges Joshua just as God charges us … to follow our Lord into “our promised land.”

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 
3 You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all those whose thoughts are fixed on You. 
… Don’t we all seek God’s peace; … well, herein He gives us His prescription for His peace.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Joshua 1: 8 [NLT] …  
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 
… God shows Joshua (and us) how to be Spiritually successful in follow His lead.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] …  
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. … “ 
… Jesus tells His followers what it takes to be His disciple and to follow His lead.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dennis Fisher, used a personal story to illustrate how those who really love the Lord are willing to do what it takes to follow His lead. The ODB author wrote: On the day our youngest daughter was flying from Munich to Barcelona, I visited my favorite flight tracking website to follow her progress [see attached photo]. After I entered her flight number, my computer screen showed that her flight had crossed Austria and was skirting the northern part of Italy. From there the plane would fly over the Mediterranean, south of the French Riviera toward Spain, and was scheduled to arrive on time. It seemed that the only thing I didn’t know was what the flight attendants were serving for lunch! 
Why did I care about my daughter’s location and circumstances? Because I love her. I care about who she is, what she’s doing, and where she’s going in life. 

Well, if I was able - and motivated by love - to desire the safety and well-being of my daughter while she was traveling, as with the ODB author above, (and I most certainly would be), … just how much more does God want us to track His will and His ways from His eternal GPS (i.e., His word). Well, WAY MUCH MORE, … for sure!!!

 And when you have listened to Sara Groves sing about the outcomes of following Christ closely; and you’ve taken in and meditated on the Scriptures provide by OBD and yours truly, I pray we all see that diligently seeking God’s will and following His ways from His word is really the only way we’re going trek through life with any degree of peace and direction.

 The question then is … just how much do we stay focused on our Lord, following His truth and doggedly seeking His peace and guidance? Personally, … that’s why you find me here every day, using the ODB devotional, His word, and prayer to surrender to His guidance.
 What’s your plan?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your peace and leading me in Your ways by providing me with Your perfect GPS … Your word. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

January 31, 2017 ... The Tree of Life

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 31 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from an old Lutheran hymn with an anonymous soprano singing … The Tree of Life … poignantly expressing how God used “a tree” to bring life and death to the Garden and then to be the instrument of redemption with Christ’s blood being shed on that “tree” to atone for that sin in the Garden.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 1:19-20 [NLT] … 
19 For God, in all His fullness, was pleased to live in Christ; 20 and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. 
… Nehemiah, having faith in God’s power of restoration, commits to leading the people rebuild the walls around the City of David.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 1:15-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul lays out the supremacy of Christ and His sacrifice to pay our penalty for sin on the cross. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : …1st Peter 2:24 [NLT] …
24 He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. 
… God, thru Paul, states His promise to rebuild anyone into the newness which is the image of Christ Himself.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Revelation 22:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Seeing heaven, John saw the restored “tree of life” from which all mankind could then partake of its fruit forevermore.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dennis Fisher, used a rather obscure reference to an 8th century English poem to teach about how God has used the image of “a tree” to depict man’s sin as well as His plan of redemption. You can USE THIS LINK to read the ODB entry for today.

However, reading this ODB devotional and meditating on the Scriptures referenced (see above), my mind was taken back a few years when my wife and I sojourned to the Holy Land; and I had the opportunity to stand on the very stones where Jesus as nailed to that “TREE” (i.e., the Cross). In the attached photo you see my feet standing on those stones.

And it was there it impacted me how it was my sins which nailed my Savior to that tree; and I wept almost uncontrollably. And I’ll pray today that we all realize the extent of God’s use of Christ’s shed blood on “a tree” that ultimately will allow sinful man to be reconciled to God so that one day all who do so in faith will be able to partake of another tree, … “the tree of life” in Heaven (see Rev. 22:1-2).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for Your atoning blood which paved the way for all who come to you in faith to partake of the fruit of the eternal tree of life. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

January 30, 2017 ... Rebuilt In Christ

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 30 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly expressing how God can (and will) do all it takes to rebuild, restore, remake, and renew someone from selfish destruction into a semblance of Himself.

See image of “Berlin Before Restoration” 

See image of “Berlin After Restoration”  

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Highlight Verse[s]: Nehemiah 2:17 [NLT] … 
17 But now I said to them [God’s remnant in Jerusalem], “You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!” 
… Nehemiah, having faith in God’s power of restoration, commits to leading the people rebuild the walls around the City of David.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nehemiah 2:11-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Nehemiah, coming from Babylon to Jerusalem inspects the destroyed gates/walls and sets a plan (God’s plan) into motion to rebuild the walls.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 21:15-19 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
… After the resurrection and before His ascension, Jesus appears to Peter and restores him from the brokenness of his denial to a recommitment to surrender to Christ’s love and serve the Lord faithfully for the rest of Peter’s life.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] … 
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 
… God, thru Paul, states His promise to rebuild anyone into the newness which is the image of Christ Himself.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, uses a personal story to teach on how Christ remakes/restores His beloved into some brand now. The OBD author wrote today: When Edward Klee returned to Berlin after being away for many years, the city he remembered and loved was no longer there. It had changed dramatically, and so had he. Writing in Hemispheres magazine, Klee said, “Returning to a city you once loved tends to be a hit-or-miss proposition . . . . It can be a letdown.” Going back to the places of our past may produce a feeling of sorrow and loss. We are not the same person we were then, nor is the place that was so significant in our lives exactly as it was. 

In reading this story here in my quiet time with God here this morning, I thought about how much Berlin was transformed into rubble after WW2 (see photo #1) and then restored to a new and beautiful city after the wall fell more recently (see photo #2). And then the OBD devotional entry helped me remember the true story of now Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the temple walls in Jerusalem after God’s remnant was led back there following decades of captivity in Babylon (see Neh. 2:11-18).

And then my mind took me to the story of how Jesus restored the Apostle Peter on that beach in Capernaum after the resurrection, … when Peter was absolutely broken by his denial of Christ [see John 21:15-19. And then, from my memory of God’s truth, the reality of 2nd Cor. 5:17 bubbled up in my consciousness, reminding me that, as the linked song proclaims today, God will do whatever it takes in the mind/heart of a born-again Christian to rebuild our hearts and lives into a semblance of our living Lord.

I know that’s what my Lord is doing in my life. How about yours?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … I am not the old, lost, Bill Berry. I’m totally becoming new by You and in You and for You. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

January 29, 2017 ... “I AM”

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 29 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Kari Jobe singing … You Are For Me … poignantly expressing the reality of Whom we worship as our God.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 8:58 [NLT] … 
58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” 
… Jesus clearly declares that He is “Yahweh,” a reference the Jewish leaders understood from Exodus 3:14; and they thought this man, claiming to be the God of Abraham was committing blasphemy.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 8:48-59 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus declares the reality of just WHO HE IS to the Jewish leaders; and they couldn’t handle the truth, desiring to kill the God-Man.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Matthew 16:15 [NLT] … 
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 
… Jesus asks the most important question anyone can ever answer in their lives, one that everyone must answer to decide their eternal destiny.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Colossians 1:15-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Apostle declares the reality and supremacy of Christ , the one to Whom we must bear witness as our Lord and Savior.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, teaches about the confrontation everyone must have with the reality of Jesus being the great “I AM.” The OBD author wrote today: Jesus, when challenged by the Jewish religious leaders about His identity, also claimed to pre-date Abraham. “Very truly I tell you,” He said, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). His bold assertion shocked those who were confronting Him, and they sought to stone Him. They knew He wasn’t referring to a chronological age but was actually claiming to be eternal by taking the ancient name of God, “I am” (see Ex. 3:14). But as a member of the Trinity, He could make that claim legitimately. 

But in this confrontation above, the Jewish leaders couldn’t handle Jesus’ claim that He was Yahweh, … i.e., the very same “I am” Who confronted Moses at the burning bush. They felt Jesus was committing blasphemy and wanted to kill Him, which they ultimately did when He proved WHOM He truly was (and IS) … the Son of God.

And that confrontation with the reality of Jesus being the God Paul wrote about to us in Colossians 1:15-17 is the reality everyone has to confront, answering the question Jesus asked His disciples … “Who do you say I am?” [see Matthew 16: 15] And that, my friends, the most important question anyone will ever answer and one which will decide our eternal destiny.

I hope and pray that we all have answered Jesus’ question as Paul wrote about in Romans 10:9-13 (check it out if you don’t know the passage).

So, my friend, how do you answer Jesus’ question? … Prayerfully you join me with the essence of what Kari Jobe so poignantly sings in the song linked above.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Your Son is my Lord and my Savior; and He is the great “I AM!” … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.