December 25, 2017 … Christmas Traditions

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 359 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images from traditional Christmas scenes and Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra singing THE Christmas classic … Silent … and please take in the images we traditionally associate with the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior as these two great singers honor His birth with one of the most sung and recorded Christmas carols of all time.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 2:10-11 [NLT] … 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 
… Again today [see my blog from 12/24] … on this Christmas Day … we remember the GOOD NEWS of God’s greatest gift of all time, which we celebrate today.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 2:1-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Luke, announces the Hope of the World born in Bethlehem … the coming of King Jesus, The Messiah, … The Christ. And that should be our focus today!!
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Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NLT] … 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 
… What a gift to mankind … the thrill of hope … the Son of God … come in flesh as the Lamb of God to save the world!!

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And our Lord came, humbly in a manger, to shed His blood ad the Lamb of God, to save us all with the hope of eternal life. And that’s what we really celebrate today!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, used the depiction of the candy cane to illustrate the traditions people have all over the world to celebrate Christmas and the birth of our Savior, … The Christ. The ODB author wrote: As you savor a candy cane this Christmas, say “danke schön” to the Germans, for that confectionary treat was first created in Cologne. As you admire your poinsettia, say “gracias” to Mexico, where the plant originated. Say “merci beaucoup” to the French for the term noel, and give a “cheers” to the English for your mistletoe. 
But as we enjoy our traditions and festivities of the Christmas season—customs that have been collected from around the world—let’s save our most sincere and heartfelt “thank you” for our good, merciful, and loving God. From Him came the reason for our Christmas celebration: the baby born in that Judean manger more than 2,000 years ago. 

As the attached photo depicts, many of our families have Nativity Creche Scenes in our homes, which we pull out of storage each year to help us remember what we’re really celebrating on this Christmas Day. Most certainly, … we’re surrounded by what the world makes of this time of year each December … with all of the lights and music to promote the sales of products which we buy to give to our friends and loved ones.

But for those of us who truly desire to honor the birth of our Savior on this date, I pray that we can focus on our “reason for the season” as we celebrate whatever Christmas traditions we will share today. And that’s why our Pastor at Christmas eve service yesterday preached a wonderfully pertinent message about the origins of probably the most popular Christmas carole of all, … Silent Night. 

And I, for one, hope all reading here will use the link above to hear Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra sing this old traditional carole written by an Austrian Pastor and his organist in the 19th century.

 The carole really says its all when it comes to what we celebrate today; and I pray we can keep our focus on what God brought into our world that night to save mankind.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Today we focus on You, King Jesus, and Your birth to save us all. 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.

December 24, 2017 … A Broadcast of Hope

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 358 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images from Josh Groban singing … O Holy Night … poignantly singing of that night divine when Christ was born. … O what a hope filled night it must’ve been; … and what a hope-filled life we have awaiting with the Son of God, our Messiah, Who will come and take us home to be with Him forever.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 2:11 [NLT] … 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 
… Incredible news - GOOD NEWS - for these lowly shepherds, keeping watch over the flocks of lambs being prepared for Temple sacrifice, … to be invited by God’s Angels to be present at the birth of the Lamb of God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 2:8-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Luke, announces the Hope of the World born in Bethlehem … the coming of King Jesus, The Messiah, … The Christ.
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Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NLT] … 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 
… What a gift to mankind … the thrill of hope … the Son of God … come in flesh as the Lamb of God to save the world!!

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And our Lord came, humbly in a manger, to shed His blood ad the Lamb of God, to save us all with the hope of eternal life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses the illustration of the first radio broadcast to compare with the incredible Angelic broadcast of the birth of Messiah, the Lamb of God, to the Shepherds on that incredible morning in Bethlehem. The ODB author wrote: Reginald Fessenden had been working for years to achieve wireless radio communication. Other scientists found his ideas radical and unorthodox, and doubted he would succeed. But he claims that on December 24, 1906, he became the first person to ever play music over the radio. … 
He reportedly played a record of an operatic aria, and then he pulled out his violin, playing “O Holy Night” and singing the words to the last verse as he played. Finally, he offered Christmas greetings and read from Luke 2 the story of angels announcing the birth of a Savior to shepherds in Bethlehem. 

And those shepherds, the lowest cast in that culture, … the ones who were watching over the lambs to be used for Temple sacrifice, … were invited by God’s angels to come see the Lamb of God, … the Son of hope, … their Messiah, … the One Who had been born there in Bethlehem. What a THRILL OF HOPE they must’ve felt as Reginald Fessenden sang in that first radio broadcast and as Josh Groban sings in the linked song. … “O Holy Night” of hope!!

And this Christmas eve, I pray we all feel that kind of hopeful thrill, in the face of this degraded world; because we should realize that God’s Lamb has come to save you and me, as well as those shepherds; and we can revel in the reality that He’s coming again for us … just like He came to save Mary and Joseph and all who were there to see that Babe in the manger.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … We await Your second coming with hope, Lord Jesus!! … 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.

December 23, 2017 … Immanuel

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 357 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video and lyrics from an anonymous soloist singing the 6th century … Hymn of St. Patrick … poignantly singing of the reality that God fulfilled the prophesy by giving us Christ to live in us forever.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 1:22-23 [NLT] … 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” 
… Matthew quotes the Prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 7:14) as to the coming of the Messiah born of a virgin and to become “Immanuel” - God with us!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 1:18-23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Matthew’s account of the birth of Messiah, Who would become Immanuel - “God With Us” 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20 [NLT] … 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
… Jesus as He ascended into Heaven after the resurrection, promises to NEVER leave those who would believe on Him as Lord.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NLT] … 5 … “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
… God reminds his people what He promised in Deut. 31:6, that, no matter what, He would be with them and never leave them.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, uses a 17th century poem to illustrate how God changes our hearts when He is born into the manger of our lost souls. The ODB author wrote: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left . . .” These hymn lyrics, written by the fifth-century Celtic Christian St. Patrick, echo in my mind when I read Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth. They feel like a warm embrace, reminding me that I’m never alone. … 
 St. Patrick’s lyrics [use song link] remind me that Christ is with believers always through His Spirit living within. When I’m nervous or afraid, I can hold fast to His promises that He will never leave me. When I can’t fall asleep, I can ask Him to give me His peace. When I’m celebrating and filled with joy, I can thank Him for His gracious work in my life. 
Jesus, Immanuel—God with us. 

If any reader here today takes in all that I’ve journaled and posted here, taken from the Our Daily Bread entry today, I really should not have to write might more.

No, … if we believe in Christ as Lord, especially during this Advent season where we celebrate God’s incarnation, and we believe in HIs promises, … that He would would be with us by indwelling our hearts, … then we should really be praising our Lord, especially coming up on the day we wish Him “Happy Birthday!”

So, take in St. Patrick’s hymn, linked above, and meditate on the Scriptures provided; and then please join me in a robust HALLELUJAH !!! Because ”Immanuel” dwells in us and will never leave us or forsake us … NO MATTER WHAT!!! 

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … You dwell in my heart/mind, Lord; and that is why I can write this today! … So, I praise Your Holy Name!! … 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.

December 22, 2017 … Into Our Silent Night

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 356 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing… Somewhere In Your Silent Night … poignantly singing the reality that God came in a manger and died on a cross to be the light in our life and in the dark manger of our heart.
 

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2nd Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] … 17 This [i.e, being redeemed by Christ’s blood] means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 
… And living in/for Christ means what He is born into our hearts as He was in the manger, bringing life to a dead heart as He did being born to bring light to a darkened world.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2nd Corinthians 5:11-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Got, thru Paul, writes of the change in the hearts of believers so that we can become His ambassadors, … His witnesses as His disciples.
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Reference Passage : … John 3:5-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus to Nicodemus (and us) that we must be born-again in the Spirit to be raised from spiritual death to eternal life.

Reference Passage : … John 5:24 [NLT] … 
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 
… Jesus on what happens in the heart of man when He is born into our hearts, … bringing us from death to life … just as He was born in a manger to bring life to a deadened world.

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
… Jesus’ promise that His Spirit will indwell the hearts of believers and the will be born-again to become believers.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, uses a 17th century poem to illustrate how God changes our hearts when He is born into the manger of our lost souls. The ODB author wrote: Long before Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber created the familiar carol “Silent Night,” Angelus Silesius had written: 
Lo! in the silent night a child to God is born, 
And all is brought again that ere was lost or lorn. 
Could but thy soul, O man, become a silent night 
God would be born in thee and set all things aright. 
Silesius, a Polish monk, published the poem in 1657 in The Cherubic Pilgrim. During our church’s annual Christmas Eve service, the choir sang a beautiful rendition of the song titled “Could but Thy Soul Become a Silent Night.” 

Note in the poem the connection between Jesus’ birth in a manger, being like the light and life which comes into our hearts when we are born-again in Him. God became a babe in a manger to bring light to a darkened world. And when He is born into our hearts by our faith, His Spirit lights up our silent night so that we can come alive and live for Him rather than trying to live for a deadened self.

The attached picture is what our darkened/dead self must be like before His Spirit brings warmth/light into the silent night in our hearts. We reach out, … faceless, … in the coldness of our selfish spirit, seeking to come alive from His love. And in our faith, He is born into our hearts just as He was into that silent night and manger; and His love brings warmth and life to our cold/dead hearts.

And as Paul wrote in the highlight passage, His rebirth into our hearts, brings the light of His grace and the newness of life so that we can serve Him with our witness (see also Acts 1:8). So, I pray, as the group Casting Crowns sings, that somewhere in the darkness and loneliness of our hearts, we let Christ in to bring light/life to the manger of our souls.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … You were born into the manger of my heart to bring me light and life. And may I serve You to spread that light to others. … 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.

December 21, 2017 … Going Home for Christmas

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 355 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video and lyrics from Michael Buble’ singing the old Christmas classic … I’ll Be Home for Christmas … a reflection of what Christmas is … AT HOME!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 28:15b-16 [NLT] … 15b One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” … 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
… In a dream God promises Jacob of the ultimate home coming.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 28:10-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God promises Jacob that one day He, The Lord, will take Jacob and God’s people back to the Promised Land … to their eternal home.
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Reference Passage : … John 14:1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ promise to His Disciples (and us) that He will come for His Bride and take us to our eternal home.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 22:20 [NLT] … 20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” … Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 
… And what a great Christmas wish this is!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, relates a personal story of a very special Christmas tree and a reminder of being home for Christmas. The ODB author wrote: One year Christmas found me on assignment in a place many of my friends couldn’t locate on a map. Trudging from my worksite back to my room, I braced against the chill wind blowing off the bleak Black Sea. I missed home. 
When I arrived at my room, I opened the door to a magical moment. My artistic roommate had completed his latest project—a nineteen-inch ceramic Christmas tree [see photo] that now illuminated our darkened room with sparkling dots of color. If only for a moment, I was home again! 

This season can be warmly special if we’re home for Christmas, as Michael Buble’ sings. Or it can be a lonely time if we’re not home, longing for loved ones to share the Advent season.

I have wonderful memories of Christmases spent with my grandparents as a child. I have special memories of seeing our kids squeal for joy around our Christmas tree as they grew up. And this year we’ll spend our Christmas around a tree with our grandchildren in the home of one of our girls.

But the greatest Christmases are yet to come; and they will be spent with my Savior in the home He has waiting for all who’ve come to long to be home with our Lord and Savior. And, my dear ones, … God promised His people that one day He’d bring them HOME to the Promised Land (see highlight passage); and our Lord promised us that He would come again to take us home for the ultimate Advent season [see John 14:1-4].

So, as the Apostle John wrote longingly from his vision of going to our home in glory, [see Rev. 22:20] … I say longingly this Christmas, … ”Come soon, Lord Jesus!”

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … I so look forward to spending all my eternal Christmases … in our home with You, dear Lord. … 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.

December 20, 2017 … It Was Heaven’s Child

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 354 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with from The Martins poignantly singing about … Heaven’s Child … about how God interrupted history with HIS STORY and His plan to fulfill the Old Covenant with the New Covenant Babe in a manger.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 2:11-12 [NLT] … 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 
… The Angels declare to the shepherds what has transpired in a manger … that the long awaited Messiah had been born.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke Chapters 1 and 2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Reading Chapters 1-2 from Luke reminds us of the excitement and the monumental happening in a manger over 2000 years ago.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 9:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Prophesied over 700 years prior to his birth.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And that’s how far God was (and is) willing to go to bring His Bride home to be with Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Philip Yancey, reminds us of the coming of the Messiah after centuries of waiting for the Old Covenant to be realized. The ODB author wrote: At the end of the Old Testament, God seems to be in hiding. For four centuries, the Jews wait and wonder. God seems passive, unconcerned, and deaf to their prayers. Only one hope remains: the ancient promise of a Messiah. On that promise the Jews stake everything. And then something momentous happens. The birth of a baby is announced. 
You can catch the excitement just by reading the reactions of people in Luke. Events surrounding Jesus’s birth resemble a joy-filled musical. Characters crowd into the scene: a white-haired great uncle (Luke 1:5–25), an astonished virgin (1:26–38), the old prophetess Anna (2:36). Mary herself lets loose with a beautiful hymn (1:46–55). Even Jesus’s unborn cousin kicks for joy inside his mother’s womb (1:41). 

Over 700 years prior to the coming of The Messiah in a manger in Bethlehem, Isiah prophesied His coming to save His people [see Isaiah 9:6-7]. But after all that time, only the prophetic few would see that the little babe which came in that manger (see photo) would be, as the Martins sing, “Heaven’s Child.”

And so there’s a reason for all the confusion and excitement that Luke wrote about in the first two chapters of his story about Jesus’ coming. And you know, … it’s been over 2000 years since our Savior, born in that manger to a blessed virgin and the One Who died on a cross (again, see photo), would become the One Who promised that He would come again to take His Bride to be with Him in eternity. And like the shepherds on that breakthrough day, we, here and now, wait for Him to come (AGAIN).

And as we try to look past all the worldly hustle/bustle of the Advent Season, perhaps we can stop for a moment in silence and just celebrate our Lord’s incarnation, His resurrection, and His promise that He is coming again.

Who knows?! … Maybe today!

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Come soon, Lord, to take us home! … 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.

December 19, 2017 … The “Hound of Heaven”

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 353 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing their song … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of the lengths God will go to save and sanctify those who’re lost in His kingdom.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 19:10 [NLT] … 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” 
… Jesus tells Zacchaeus (and us) just how far He will go to save those who are lost. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 19:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus seeking out one like Zacchaeus shows just how much God seeks the lost to bring them back into His loving arms.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 15:1-7, 11-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal illustrates just how far our Good Shepherd will go to seek out a lost lamb from His flock or a prodigal son to lavish His love on them.

Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And that’s how far God was (and is) willing to go to save and sanctify His children.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NLT] … Luke 19:10 [NLT] … 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 
… Jesus so wants his wayward ones to open the door of our hearts and let Him in to share His saving/sanctifying grace with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Joe Stowell, used a story of a mother seeking a lost child in a crowd to illustrate just how much love God had in sending His Son to save His lost children. The ODB author wrote: A few years ago, a friend of mine lost track of her young son while walking through a swarm of people at Union Station in Chicago. Needless to say, it was a terrifying experience. Frantically, she yelled his name and ran back up the escalator, retracing her steps in an effort to find her little boy. The minutes of separation seemed like hours, until suddenly—thankfully—her son emerged from the crowd and ran to the safety of her arms [see photo]. 
Thinking of my friend who would have done anything to find her child, fills me with a renewed sense of gratitude for the amazing work God did to save us. 

The ODB author’s story certainly puts a human spin on just how desperately God would seek to find one of His lost children. He’s been called “the Hound of Heaven,” because our Lord will go to all measures to bring a lost lamb back into the flock, just as Jesus illustrated that quality of the Good Shepherd in His parable of the lost lamb (see Luke 15:1-7) or in His story about the prodigal.

And the highlight passage of Jesus being willing to save a reprobate like Zacchaeus shows just how far God will go to bring someone to Himself. And that’s why I so identify with today’s OBD story and with the song Phillips, Craig, and Dean sings in the linked song … as well as Jesus reaching out to save one like Zacchaeus. My emotional tie to these scenarios is just how far and how long Jesus came after me when I was an angry atheist, deeply into habitual sexual sin, … a reprobate like Zacchaeus, whom Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, was willing to seek out and to save His wayward and lost lamb (me).

But He did!! … And in His prevenient grace, God reached out to save me! And now as the song proclaims, He’s doing all He can to hug me just as the mother hugs her foundling in the attached photo. And even more my Lord is willing (and able) to make me over in His own image [bonus verse - check out Phil. 1:6 on your own].

So, … if you feel estranged from God, either a lost lamb or one of His children in need of a loving do-over, … come to Him and as it says in Rev. 3:20, and He’ll be there to come to you, as He did for the prodigal son [also in Luke 15], and just as He did - and is doing - for me.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, thank You for coming after me as the Hound of Heaven. … 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.

December 18, 2017 … In Christ Alone!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 352 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with lyrics of Kristian Stanfill leading a large audience in worship singing a new version of the old Christian standby … In Christ Alone … powerfully singing of the of the only hope we have in this sorry world … IN CHRIST ALONE!!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 146:5 [NLT] … 5  But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 
… Our joy - our hope - is in our God!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 146 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The unknown Psalmist declares his praise, his trust, and his hope in Yahweh.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 63:1-5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David, even when he was in trouble, knew to seek and trust the presence and power of his God.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon knew that the only hope he had was to trust in God.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
 …Paul had learned from Christ’s own words that in times of weakness, his only hope was to seek and receive God’s grace.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NLT] … 5b  For God has said, … “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.“ 
 … God repeats His promise (also in Deut. 31:6,8) to never forsake us - no matter what!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a moment of weakness and grief to show how her (our) only hope is in the strength and grace we receive from our relationship with Christ. The ODB author wrote: The week before Christmas, two months after my mom died, holiday shopping and decorating sat at the bottom of my priority list. I resisted my husband’s attempts to comfort me as I grieved the loss of our family’s faith-filled matriarch. I sulked as our son, Xavier, stretched and stapled strands of Christmas lights onto the inside walls of our home. Without a word, he plugged in the cord before he and his dad left for work. 
As the colorful bulbs blinked, God gently drew me out of my darkness. No matter how painful the circumstances, my hope remained secure in the light of God’s truth, which always reveals His unchanging character. 

Tho I’m not a gambler, I think I could safely wager that we’ve all, as Christians, been in a place where we were so weakened or broken that the only hope we could hold on to was our hope in Christ. … Can I get a witness? …

Yeah, we’ve all been there, felt that, … got that T-shirt, haven’t we? Perhaps you’re there now, feeling like God is way far away and you’re having trouble trusting … maybe even hoping? But I would hope, … and I will pray today below, … that using the song link above and meditating on the powerful - AND TRUE - passages provided, your faith and trust in God will be buoyed and bolstered to a point where you see/feel a glimmer of hope and at least another glimmer of trust in a God … our God … Who will never leave us, nor forsake us.

So, let’s trust Him enough today to even praise Him and to seek His empowering grace to lead us thru any troubled times we may be experiencing. Yes, dear one, He is our ONLY HOPE!!

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, lift us all up today as we trust you, … seek You, … and praise Your Holy Name! … 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.

December 17, 2017 … Clay In His Hands

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 351 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with lyrics of a group of children singing … I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus … preciously singing of the of the desire of what should be in the hearts and pursuits of all who know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 4:2 [NLT] … 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
… Paul’s exhortation for his fellow Christians to become more like Christ … humble and gentle.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 4:1-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Becoming more like Christ is becoming more humble and gentle.
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Reference Passage : … Jeremiah 18:5-6 [NLT] … 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 
…As Jeremiah prophesied to God’s people, … our Lord wants His children to be like the clay in the hands of a Master Potter, … totally surrendered to Him as He makes us into His image.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:29 [NLT] … 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
 …Jesus declaration of what He was like - “HUMBLE and GENTLE”

Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 
 …God, thru Paul, promises that, if we surrender to His sanctifying work, He will remake us into the image of our Lord/Savior.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-5 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. … 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 
… Paul trying to exhort Christians to become more like Jesus.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, taught on how Christians need to submit as clay in the hands of The Master Potter and let Him mold us into the image of Christ. The ODB author wrote: The troubles of life can make us cranky and out of sorts, but we should never excuse these bouts of bad behavior, for they can wither the hearts of those we love and spread misery all around us. We have not fulfilled our duty to others until we have learned to be pleasant. 
The New Testament has a word for the virtue that corrects our unpleasantness—gentleness, a term that suggests a kind and gracious soul. Ephesians 4:2 reminds us, “Be completely humble and gentle.” 

“Gentleness” [also translated “meekness”) is a character trait which most in our western culture reject, thinking that it’s anti-strength or too submissive. But the Greek root for the term, which Jesus used to describe Himself (see Matt. 11:29) really means “strength under control.” And that was Jesus’ character. As He walked this earth, even all the way to the cross, He was totally submissive to the will of His Father; and that’s why the Apostle Paul was so insistent on teaching his fellow Christians that we must do all we can to let God’s Spirit mold us, as a Master Potter molds His clay, into the character traits of our Savior; … and that most certainly includes being humble and gentle [or “meek”].

The questions we need to ask ourselves today are: … 1. Are we being the Potter’s clay (see the photo and Jer. 18:5-6). 2. Are we surrendering to have our Lord’s Spirit to do a complete make-over of our Spirit into that of His likeness; and i.e., Christlikeness (see the reference Scriptures above). 

Personally, I’m here to put myself on the Potter’s wheel today and let Him do His reshaping work in me. How about you?

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, You are the Potter; and I am Your clay … 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.

December 16, 2017 … Big Problems - Way Bigger God

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 350 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with lyrics of Carrie Underwood singing an old classic … How Great Thou Art … singing of the greatness of the God who made little old me and the entire universe. … And ON TO THIS LINK  with Phillips, Craig, and Dean helping us to appreciate just how great is God’s grace, which He provides us to be His overcomers in the challenges of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 1:15-16a [NLT] … 15  Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16  for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. … 
… Truly, as Carrie Underwood sings, “How great is our God!!”
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 1:11-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, teaches Christians just how great our God really is.
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Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NLT] … 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.…The word’s problems are big, but no where near as big as our God!

  Reference Passage : … 1st Corinthians 10;13 [NLT] … 13 The temptations [or also “tests, trials, or troubles”] 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. 
 …Again, … the word’s problems are big, but our God is always there to show us the way.

Reference Passage : … 1st John 4:4 [NLT] … 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 
…No matter how big our problems might be, our God, Who lives in our hearts, is bigger … WAY BIGGER!!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, used a personal story to illustrate that our God, Who is bigger than the universe, is way big enough to handle our problems.  The ODB author wrote: As we drove through northern Michigan, Marlene exclaimed, “It’s unbelievable how big the world is!” She made her comment as we passed a sign marking the 45th parallel—the point halfway between the equator and the North Pole. We talked about how small we are and how vast our world is. Yet, compared to the size of the universe, our tiny planet is only a speck of dust. 
If our world is great, and the universe is vastly greater, how big is the One who powerfully created it? 

Our God is WAY BIG; … way bigger that anything we can see or encounter. As the photo exclaims: “God’s grace is immeasurable, His mercy inexhaustible, His peace inexpressible!” …

THAT’S BIG!!!

Yes, … the universe is vast, … way beyond our comprehension; but our God created it!! So, just how great is our God?!!

Yes, … our problems may seem very big, … sometimes even unsolvable; but our God has overcome anything in the world on the cross [see John 16:33]; and His power, … which is in us, … is far greater than anything our spiritual enemies can throw at us (see 1John 4:4).

So today, I will worship, … and serve, … the God Who will take me thru anything that I will encounter (see 1Cor. 10:13).

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, You are are SO GREAT; … way bigger than anything I will deal with 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.

December 15, 2017 … My Super-Hero Savior

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 349 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the acapella group Pentatonix singing a contemporary version of the old Christmas classic … Joy To The World … singing of the joy we should feel, in this Advent season, … that God would send us the ultimate Super-Hero to save mankind thru His free gift of King Jesus, … born incognito in a manger.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 1:14 [NLT] … 14 So the Word became human [or “flesh"] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness [or “truth and grace”]. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 
… Jesus is our Super-Hero Savior!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 1:1-5, 9-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus came to save us all from ourselves!!
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 9:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The prophesy of the coming Super-Hero Savior … 700+ years before He came.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… And our Super-Hero came by setting aside His majesty to humbly show Himself in a manger and then go to a cross to save all of those willing to receive His free gift of grace.

Reference Passage : … 2nd Timothy 4:18[NLT] … 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. 
 …Yes, as King Jesus was for Paul, He is my Super-Hero … Who has saved me from my self and is taking me with Him to glory. … HALLELUJAH!!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, used a modern-day movie hero to illustrate how God sent the ultimate super-hero in His Son, Jesus, to be the King Who would save the world. The ODB author wrote: As Star Wars fans around the world eagerly await the release of Episode 8, “The Last Jedi,” [see photo] people continue to analyze the remarkable success of these films dating back to 1977. Frank Pallotta, media reporter for CNNMoney, said that Star Wars connects with many who long for “a new hope and a force of good at a time when the world needs heroes.” 
At the time of Jesus’s birth, the people of Israel were oppressed and longing for their long-promised Messiah. Many anticipated a hero to deliver them from Roman tyranny, but Jesus did not come as a political or military hero. Instead, He came as a baby to the town of Bethlehem. As a result, many missed who He was. 

And I find it interesting that the Star-Wars phenomena in the last decade or so, along with the many DC Comics movies, play to our need, as humans, to seek a super-hero to save us from ourselves. But God, in His eternal plan, put the ultimate Super-Hero in a manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago to be our Savior! In that regard, that King, born in a stable, is the first and the last Jedi Knight Who has saved us from our humanity.

But this Super-Hero baby confused the people in the first century AD, because they were looking, as many are now, for a super-strong image-bearer to be their (our) savior. But, as Pentatonix sings in the linked song, “Joy To the Word!”

Yes, … our Super-Hero has come; and, as we read in the Scriptures above, He did His Super-Hero work on the cross so that we can be saved from our selves for eternity.

I can only pray that any reader here believes - completely and utterly - in our ultimate Jedi Savior; … that HE IS KING JESUS!!!

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, You are my HERO … and You came to save me from myself. 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.

December 14, 2017 … Here I Am … Send Me!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 348 

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 and powerfully singing of the reality that our Lord will always be there for us … no matter what we face in life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Joshua 10b-11 [NLT] … 10 … Today I am eighty-five years old.  11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. 
… Caleb knew that His God would be with him for the remainder of his life; and so he knew that he could serve his Lord.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Joshua 14:7-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Caleb, at 85, still knew that he could serve His Lord.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 6:8 [NLT] … 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” … I said, “Here I am. Send me.”. 
 … The question is how we will answer God’s call to serve Him.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:11-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… No matter what the circumstances in life, our Lord is always there to give us the strength to serve Him.

Reference Passage : … 2nd Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
 …Jesus reminded Paul that God’s strength would always be there to cover his (our) weakness.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NLT] … 5  … “ I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” [from Deut. 31:6] 
…We can ALWAYS rely on God to be there for us and with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washington, used a story about God’s servant, Caleb, who, at 85 still had the faith to take on whatever God would lay before him. The ODB author wrote: As I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed more joint pain, especially when cold weather hits. Some days, I feel less like a conqueror and more like someone conquered by the challenges of becoming a senior citizen. 
That’s why my hero is an older man named Caleb—the former spy sent by Moses to scout out Canaan, the Promised Land (Num. 13–14). 

As I write this, just last week I turned 74; and there are times I identify with what the ODB author writes about feeling my age and weakness. But, like Caleb in the highlight passage and in today’s ODB entry, I’m reminded that no matter how creaky these old bones are, I can stand up (as in the photo) and realize that I serve a God that is so big and so willing to give me the strength to cover my weaknesses [see the reference scriptures above].

As Kari Jobe sings in the linked song, my God is with me! And in Him and for Him, I can know that (as in Heb. 13:5) my God will NEVER leave me or forsake me. But with Him, “I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength.”

So, no matter what we face today, let’s go out there, and serve our Lord just as Caleb knew he could.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, just as Isaiah declared to You, I declare, … “Here I am, … send 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.

December 13, 2017 … It’s All His Doing!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 347 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and thoughts from Natalie Grant and Dennis Jernigan singing his song … You Are My All In All … poignantly and powerfully singing of the reality that without our Lord, we are nothing!

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Corinthians 11:8 [NLT] … 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 
… Even when Paul compared himself with his fellow Apostles, he recognized his own weaknesses. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Corinthians 15:1-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Note the opinion Paul had about himself realizing that without Christ, he was NOTHING! 
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 25:5, 145:4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The psalmists description of whom we are with/without our God.

Reference Passage : … John 15:4-5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus showed His disciples without an abiding relationship with Him they could not be fruitful in their lives.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 2:20 [NLT] … 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. 
 … Paul recognized (and taught) that he (we) must die to self so that we can serve the One Who died so that we might live in/for Him.

Reference Passage : … 2nd Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
 …Jesus reminded Paul that his strength could only come thru His humble surrender to His Lord.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, used a story about Arturo Toscanini to show how we must always think of ourselves dependent on our relationship with Christ, … always an attitude of humble surrender to His grace. The ODB author wrote: As one of the most celebrated orchestral conductors of the twentieth century, Arturo Toscanini [see photo] is remembered for his desire to give credit to whom credit is due. In David Ewen’s “Dictators of the Baton,” the author describes how members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra rose to their feet and cheered Toscanini at the end of a rehearsal of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When there was a lull in the ovation, and with tears in his eyes, Arturo’s broken voice could be heard exclaiming as he spoke: “It isn’t me . . . it’s Beethoven! . . . Toscanini is nothing.” 

The great conductor’s attitude toward Beethoven, according to our ODB author, was much like that which the Apostle Paul held for himself when he was comparing himself to the other Apostles (see 1Cor. 15:8) or most certainly with His Lord and Savior (see Gal. 2:20). Paul knew the truth of what Jesus taught His Disciples in John 15:4-5 … that without an abiding, surrendered relationship with our Lord, WE ARE NOTHING!

But with that humble relationship, we can receive His enabling/empowering grace [see 2Cor. 12:9] to overcome our humanity and become fruitful in/for God’s kingdom.

And that is my prayer for myself and all who read here today.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, help us to be fruitful for Your glory as we humbly surrender to follow 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.

December 12, 2017 … Worried? … Stop and pray!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 346 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Ryan Stevenson singing … Eye of the Storm … poignantly and powerfully singing of the strength we can receive in the storms of life, anchored by our faith in Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 
… Anxious?!! … Well, here’s God’s prescription for your worries.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 4:1-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, teaches us how to handle the anxieties of life
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s prescription for worry is trusting in Him.

Reference Passage : … Luke 8:22-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus showed His disciples that He was in control - total control - even when we’re in life-threatening storms.

Reference Passage : … 1st Corinthians 10:13 [NLT] … 13 The temptations [or also “tests, trials, tribulations, troubles”] 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. 
 … If we truly believe it, we’ll be okay - no matter what comes.

Reference Passage : … 2nd Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
 … In the presence of dire pain, Paul remember Jesus’ promise that His grace was enough to give him the power to handle his own pain/weakness.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Karen Wolfe, in the midst of anxieties about a move, remembered Paul writing about how God promises to be with us and provide us with His strength and direction when we pray. The ODB author wrote: We were excited about moving for my husband’s job. But the unknowns and challenges left me feeling anxious. Thoughts of sorting and packing up belongings. Looking for a place to live. My finding a new job too. Making my way around a new city, and getting settled. It was all . . . unsettling. As I thought about my “to-do” list, words written by the apostle Paul echoed in my mind: Don’t worry, but pray (Phil. 4:6–7). 

The simple - but life-affirming - question is … do we trust our Lord … especially when we’re in the “Eye of the Storm,” as Ryan Stevenson sings in the linked song. And that song reminds me of a powerful teaching miracle where Jesus showed His Disciples, when they were worried about their lives in the midst of a storm (see Luke 8: 22-25), that He was in control - no matter what!!

But, as the remainder of the reference passages teach, do we really trust God [see photo] enough to quell our anxieties when we’re faced with the storms of life? That’s the focus of my prayer today.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, You are in control … ALWAYS! … 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.

December 11, 2017 … The Gift of Living Waters

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 345 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Keith & Kristyn Getty singing … Living Waters … poignantly singing of God’s greatest gift to all of us who thirst in sin, free access to His living waters.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 2:8 [NLT] … 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 
 … And what a gift it is!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, teaches on how His greatest gift brings mankind from death to life. 
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Reference Passage [NLT] : … John 3:16 [NLT] … 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. …” 
… The greatest gift of all !!!

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Revelation 3:20 [NLT] … 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. … “ 
… Jesus offers to come in and dine with us … but we must open the door and let Him in.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Revelation 22:17 [NIV] … 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. 
… The water of life … for us desperately thirsty sinners … is a free gift for those who would come to receive it in faith.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Sheridan Voysey, uses the illustration of a restaurant in London which gives away free meals as God gives away His wondrous gift of living waters and the access to eternal life. The ODB author wrote: London’s Café Rendezvous has nice lighting, comfortable couches, and the smell of coffee in the air. What it doesn’t have are prices. Originally started as a business by a local church, the café was transformed a year after it started. The managers felt that God was calling them to do something radical—make everything on the menu free. Today you can order a coffee, cake, or sandwich without cost. There isn’t even a donation jar. It’s all a gift. 
I asked the manager why they were so generous. “We’re just trying to treat people the way God treats us,” he said. “God gives to us whether we thank Him or not. He’s generous to us beyond our imaginations.” 

I don’t think any reader here would deny that we are most definitely a people (or culture) starving and thirsting for God’s grace and His living waters. And as we read in the highlight passage, God was (and is) willing to make His saving grace and sanctifying living waters available to ANY/ALL who thirst and desire to come and receive it freely from our Lord.

As long as we’re willing to humbly come, repentant of our sins, … just as we can enter the Cafe Rendezvous in London and receive a plate of food (see photo), … we can simply open the door of life and partake of God’s life-giving bread of life and living waters. … Dear one, … He’s paid for it; … for us IT’S FREE!!

So, as Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts today (see Rev. 3:20, let’s open the door and dine with Him.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Come on in, Lord, I’m thirsty for your bread of life and Your living waters! … 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.

December 10, 2017 … Redeemed and Restored

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 344 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Big Daddy Weave singing … Redeemed … poignantly and powerfully singing of how God’s grace redeems and restores ALL who truly believe on Christ as LORD.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 145:14 [NLT] … 14  The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. … God’s promise, thru David, that He will lift up and restore all who are down.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 145:1-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David praises His Lord, our redeemer!!
============= Reference Passage [NLT] : … Romans 12:1-2 [NLT] … 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 
… In Christ we are to avoid the patterns of the world which try to lead us astray as we are transformed in His image.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … 2nd Corinthians 3:18, 5:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… Paul strongly teaches fellow Christians that we have been reconciled to Christlikeness and are made over in His image.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Colossians 3:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… In Christ we can now put on His robes of righteousness and be free from our dirty, sinful past.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 
… God’s grace will complete His work on me in glory, when I will become like my Lord.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Leslie Koh, uses the illustration of a transformed group of singers who sang their praises to the God who has redeemed them. The ODB author wrote: A guest band was leading praise and worship at our church, and their passion for the Lord was moving. We could see—and feel—their enthusiasm. [See photo] 
Then the musicians revealed that they were all ex-prisoners. Suddenly their songs took on special meaning, and I saw why their words of praise meant so much to them. Their worship was a testimony of lives broken and restored. 
The world may embrace success. But stories of past failure offer people hope too. They assure us that God loves us no matter how many times we have failed. Pastor Gary Inrig says that what we call the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 could well be entitled God’s Hall of Reclaimed Failures. “There is scarcely an individual in that chapter without a serious blemish in his or her life,” he observes. “But God is in the business of restoring failures . . . . That is a great principle of God’s grace.” 

Is there anyone reading here who has not had some failure in the past? No one, I assume!!

Well, I’m certainly one who can, as did King David in Psalm 145 linked above, lift my enthusiastic praises to God for how He, as Big Daddy Weave sings, has redeemed me from the pits of hell.

If you saw my blog yesterday, it was all about God changing believers from in “Inside Out” (see link here), you’ll note that I’m using the same reference scriptures today to lend truth to the reality that our God redeems/restores any/all who come to receive our Lord’s saving and sanitizing grace.

I pray that all who read here are in that number. Being one I certainly raise my hardy … HALLELUJAH!!!.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Dear Lord, … Again today I praise You for my make-over into 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.

December 9, 2017 … Outside In vs Inside Out

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 343 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Natalie Grant singing … Clean … poignantly singing of how God’s grace makes a true Christian cleanses a believer from the inside out.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 3:27 [NLT] … 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
… In Christ, as Christians, we now wear His robes of righteousness to cover our rags of sin. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 3:19-29 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, promises that we are changed in Christ from the inside out.
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Reference Passage [NLT] : … Romans 12:1-2 [NLT] … 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 
… In Christ we are to avoid the patterns of the world which try to lead us astray as we are transformed in His image.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … 2nd Corinthians 3:18, 5:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… Paul strongly teaches fellow Christians that we have been reconciled to Christlikeness and are made over in His image.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Colossians 3:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… In Christ we can now put on His robes of righteousness and be free from our dirty, sinful past.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 
… God’s grace will complete His work on me in glory, when I will become like my Lord.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica Brands, uses a personal story to illustrate how God’s grace, which we don’t deserve, changes our lives. The ODB author wrote: “Change: From the Inside Out or the Outside In?” the headline read, reflecting a popular trend today—the idea that outward changes like a makeover or better posture can be an easy way to change how we feel on the inside—and even change our lives. 
It’s an appealing concept—who wouldn’t want improving our lives to be as easy as a new look? Many of us have learned the hard way that changing deep-rooted habits can seem nearly impossible. Focusing on simple external changes offers hope that there is a quicker path toward improving our lives. 
But although such changes can improve our lives, Scripture invites us to seek a deeper transformation—one that is impossible on our own. 

About 30 years ago, Christian Counselor, Larry Crabb, wrote a book entitled Inside Out (see Photo), which challenged the worldly premise mentioned by our ODB author - that we can change our character on the inside by changing our image on the outside. Crabb’s book taught what the Apostle Paul was trying to convey to Christians thru his letters [see Reference Passages above] - that we are made new in Christ; and His Spirit will do a complete make-over in our character and behavior - from the INSIDE - OUT.

I’ll let you (and I hope you do) take in the song and scriptures above; and then realize that our Lord is giving us the ultimate make-over; and we can - if we choose to surrender to Him - become completely new in Christlikeness.

And I pray that is our goal as we contemplate moving into the New Year. Let’s all walk in the newness of Christ’s robes of righteousness covering our rags of sin.

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Dear Lord, … I sit in this chair of life and I surrender to Your make-over. … 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.

December 8, 2017 … Truly Amazing Grace!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 342 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … Your Grace Still Amazes Me … poignantly singing of how God’s grace, which pours out to surrendered Christians every day, is so, so amazing!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 9:11-12 [NLT] … 11 The Lord told him [Ananias], “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 
… God gives Saul the grace of sight again as Saul is being called out to be an Apostle of Christ. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 9:1-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Saul of Tarsus, becoming the Apostle Paul, at his conversion, receives a return of his sight thru the hands of Ananias, who was called by the Lord to be God’s agent to Paul.
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Reference Passage [NLT] : … 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 12:9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… God’s amazing grace gives the lost a make-over into Christlikeness; and His grace is sufficient for all of our lives.

Reference Passage [NLT] : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] …  6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 
… God’s grace will complete His work on me in glory, when I will become like my Lord. My 

Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Randy Kilgore, uses a personal story to illustrate how God’s grace, which we don’t deserve, changes our lives. The ODB author wrote: It was an early Saturday morning in my sophomore year of high school, and I was eager to get to my job at the local bowling lanes. The evening before, I had stayed late to mop the muddy tile floors because the janitor called in sick. I hadn’t bothered to tell the boss about the janitor so I could surprise him. After all, What could go wrong? I thought. 
Plenty, as it turns out. 
Stepping in the door, I saw inches of standing water, with bowling pins, rolls of toilet paper, and boxes of paper scoresheets bobbing on top. Then I realized what I had done: While doing the floors, I had left a large faucet running overnight [see photo]! Incredibly, my boss greeted me with a huge hug and a big smile—“for trying,” he said.

Oh, … dear one, … as I read that story, allegorically illustrating God’s grace, and I hear today’s linked song [PLEASE take the time to let it touch you], I’m almost overwhelmed by how God’s grace has changed me like He did Saul of Tarsus (see the story in Acts 9, linked above.

Like Paul I was once an antagonistic non-believer, trying to persecute Christians. Oh, maybe I wasn’t trying to kill them as was Saul of Tarsus; but I did everything I could, for many years, trying to rip the faith out from under those who called themselves “Christian.” But as God did with Saul, who became Paul, His Spirit came after me and broke me with His prevenient grace to a place where I could become a called out agent of King Jesus.

Who would’ve ever thought that an angry atheist could become an ordained Minister of the Gospel of Christ? And that, my friends, is God’s grace in action in me.

Certainly, I’m no Apostle, like Paul became; but God’s grace is making me over, even as reluctant as I can be at times, into my Lord’s image [see 2Cor. 5:17]. And one day God’s grace will complete its work in me and I will be transformed COMPLETELY into a spiritual clone of my Savior [see Phil. 1:6].

And all I can say to that now is … ”HALLELUJAH!!!”

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Dear Lord, … You grace will ALWAYS amaze 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.