June 5, 2019 … The Desert Blooms

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 156

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris McClarney singing … Beauty for Ashes … poignantly singing of how our Lord will one day come to make the desert of this world’s sinfulness bloom with the glory of God’s eternal presence and glory. … And then ON TO THIS LINK to hear the group Mercy Me sing their glorious reflection of what it will be like when we’re taken to be with our Savior in His glorious return for His Bride.

The Mojave Desert Blooms

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 35:1-2 [NLT] …  1 Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.  The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. 2  Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. 
 … The deserts of sin will bloom with the glory of God one day when Christ returns in glory. ==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 35:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s promise to His people that the parched earth that they were experiencing from Babylon would bloom with eternal beauty and glory when the Messiah returns in His glory to reclaim His Bride.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 61:1-3 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… 700+ years before Christ came, Isaiah prophesies of the coming Messiah … to give the parched earth a look at the glory that would be theirs (ours) if they (we) receive Him as Messiah.

Reference Passage : … Luke 4:14-20 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, fulfills God’s prophesy, thru Isaiah 61:1-3, of Him, as Messiah, coming to give the earth, parched of sin, an opportunity to bloom again.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 22:20 [NIV] … 20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
 Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 
… I pray all reading here join heartily in the wish of the Apostle John that our Lord would come soon to bring His Bride to glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses an earthly botanical occurrence to illustrate how God will one day make the desert of sin in this earth bloom once again as it did for Adam and Eve in the original Garden. And the ODB author wrote: The Mojave Desert includes the expected sand dunes, dry canyons, mesas, and mountains of most deserts. But American biologist Edmund Jaeger observed that every few years an abundance of rain results in “such a wealth of blossoms that almost every foot of sand or gravelly soil is hidden beneath a blanket of flowers.” [see photo] The Mojave wildflower show isn’t a yearly phenomenon, though. Researchers confirm the dry earth needs to be soaked by storms and warmed by the sun, at just the right times, before blooms will cover the desert with vibrant colors. 
This image of God bringing forth life despite the arid terrain reminds me of the prophet Isaiah. He shared an encouraging vision of hope after delivering God’s message of judgment on all nations (Isaiah 35). 

And oh how I pray that all reading here believe God’s promise (in Isaiah 35 and 61 above) that The Messiah will one day, after having come to show off His Kingship [see Luke 4:14-20], will come again in glory to allow this earth, parched in sin, to bloom again as it once did, before the fall of Adam&Eve from the garden.

Jesus came to show that He was The Messiah and that He would one day, as Chris McClarney sings, bring beauty from ashes and allow all those who’ve received His saving grace to bask in the eternal beauty He will bring to earth when He comes again.

Oh, as the group Mercy Me sings, we can only imagine … !!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your promise to come again and bring the bloom of Your glory to the desert of this world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to await and prepare for the coming of our King Jesus to bring beauty to the ash heap of this world. … 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.

June 4, 2019 … Heavenly Treasure

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 155

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Third Day singing … Blessed Assurance … poignantly singing the old hymn of how we praise Jesus for His sacrifice by giving our all in this life for His glory.

Saddle Ridge Hoard

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 13:44 [NLT] …  44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. 
 … Jesus’ parable showing the treasure in heaven awaiting those who’re willing to give their all for him in this life.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 13:44-46 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus relates the parable of the hidden treasure.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:19-21 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus warning about avoiding selfish hoarding in this life.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 16:24-25 [NIV] … 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. “ 
… Jesus clearly tells of what it takes to be His disciple.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 19:28-30 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus has an immeasurable heavenly treasure awaiting those who’re willing to invest their lives for Him in this life.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 25:14-18 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ parable of the three servants and God’s gift of talents to show us the heavenly treasure awaiting those who’re willing to invest their lives for our Master, King Jesus.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Banks, uses Biblical parables from Jesus to show us that we must be willing to invest all we have in our lives for Jesus to receive the heavenly treasure awaiting those who do. And the ODB author wrote: John and Mary were walking their dog on their property when they stumbled on a rusty can partially unearthed by recent rains. They took the can home and opened it, discovering a cache of gold coins over a century old! The couple returned to the spot and located seven more cans containing 1,427 coins in all. Then they protected their treasure by reburying it elsewhere. 
The cache of coins (valued at $10 million) is called the Saddle Ridge Hoard, the largest find of its kind in US history. [see photo]  The story is strikingly reminiscent of a parable Jesus told: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).

Today’s Scriptures, repeated by Matthew and copied above, and the ODB entry, show Jesus telling His followers, especially His 12 Disciples, of the heavenly treasures awaiting all who would be willing to invest their lives, giving their [our] all, to be willing to serve our Lord. I think the question from God’s truth for all reading here today is obvious.

ARE WE willing to give our all for King Jesus?!! Because if we are, the eternal benefits are heavenly!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving anyone and everyone the opportunity to receive unimaginable heavenly treasures by investing our lives for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to give up what we have now for the heavenly benefits which await those of us who’re willing to give our all for You, King 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.

June 3, 2019 … Our “Therapist” ALWAYS

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 154

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how the Lord is ALWAYS there to provide us with His strength to lift us us up in times of our weakness.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 14:27 [NLT] …  27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 
… Jesus’ promise of His peace thru the Holy Spirit.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 14:25-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus assures His Disciples, in a moment of panic, that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them ALWAYS.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… When we trust in the Lord completely, we can expect His peace to be ours as we follow Him.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NIV] … 3  You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 
… God’s prophetic promise of His peace being on all those who focus on and place their trust in their Messiah.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ promise of His yoke gives us His strength in times of trial and travail.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… No need to worry, we must thankfully bring our concerns to the Lord in prayer.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, uses a personal story of someone going thru the pain of physical therapy to be able find the ultimate release of pain in their life. And the ODB author wrote: Darnell entered the physical therapist’s office knowing he would experience a lot of pain. The therapist stretched and bent his arm and held it in positions it hadn’t been in for months since his injury. After holding each uncomfortable position for a few seconds, she gently told him: “Okay, you can relax.” He said later, “I think I heard that at least fifty times in each therapy session: ‘Okay, you can relax.’ ” [see photo] 
Thinking of those words, Darnell realized they could apply to the rest of his life as well. He could relax in God’s goodness and faithfulness instead of worrying. 

When we’re going thru the pain involved in the trials and travails of life, can we trust God enough and His promises to always be there for us? Because God, in His word (see all the passages above) has certainly promised us to provide us with the ultimate “physical therapy” in the presence/power of His Holy Spirit when - and IF - we’re willing to come to Him and surrender our troubles to Him.

But the question ALWAYS is .. do we trust Him enough to do so?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your Spirit as our constant life “therapist.”
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to surrender our troubles to the Holy Spirit today, as painful as it may be. … 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.

June 2, 2019 … Beautiful In God’s Eyes

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 153

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and images from Joy Williams singing … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, must strive to allow others to see Jesus in the way we live.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 1:27 [NLT] …  27  So God created human beings in his own image.  In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. 
… Each of us is created in God’s image.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 1:26-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God created man and woman in HIS image and He saw that it was good.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:13-14 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Each of us was wonderfully made and fashioned in the womb to reflect the image of God.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 24:44-45 [NIV] … 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ … 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 
… When we reject anyone - seeing them as less that God’s creation - we reject the One Who made them.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses a reference to a spokesmodel who came to accept her exterior as God’s way of showing His beauty thru her. And the ODB author wrote: When her beautiful brown skin started losing its color, a young woman felt frightened, as if she were disappearing or losing her “self.” With heavy makeup, she covered up “my spots,” as she called them—patches of lighter skin caused by a condition called vitiligo. It’s a loss of skin pigment, melanin, which gives skin its tone. 
Then one day, she asked herself: Why hide? Relying on God’s strength to accept herself, she stopped wearing heavy makeup. Soon she began gaining attention for her self-confidence. Eventually she became the first spokesmodel with vitiligo for a global cosmetics brand. [see photo] 
“It’s such a blessing,” she told a TV news host, adding that her faith, family, and friends are the ways she finds encouragement. 

When we look in the mirror, do we see the image God sees in us? Do others see the beauty and grace created in us by our Lord? I pray that we do; and like the model in the photo, I pray that we do all we can to show the world the face and grace of our Creator.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for creating us in Your image.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to show others the grace and beauty You have created in us to show others Who You are. … 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.

June 1, 2019 … Monster in the Mirror

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 152

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Selah singing … Press On … poignantly singing of how we must - and can - press on, leaving the past behind us, to seek “the prize” of our calling in Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 3:13-14 [NLT] …  13 …, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 
… God, thru Paul, exhorts us to press on toward our calling in Christ.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 3:7-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As a more mature Christian Paul learned and exhorts us, to let our past go and to move forward in/with Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God thru Solomon charges us to trust in Him to move on in life - NO MATTER WHAT we face.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NIV] … 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. 
… With this truth we realize that all our circumstances, … past, present, and future … help us to move on in life.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… When we believe - and realize - that God’s grace is sufficient for us, no matter what our burden might be - we can move in to realize the calling we have in Christ.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a reference to a popular movie to illustrate how we must leave our past monsters and move on in Christ’s calling. And the ODB author wrote: “Must. Go. Faster.” That’s what Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, says in an iconic scene from the 1993 movie Jurassic Park as he and two other characters flee in a Jeep from a rampaging tyrannosaurus. When the driver looks in the rearview mirror, he sees the raging reptile’s jaw—right above the words: “OBJECTS IN MIRROR MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” [See photo] 
The scene is a masterful combination of intensity and grim humor. But sometimes the “monsters” from our past feel like they’ll never stop pursuing us. We look in the “mirror” of our lives and see mistakes looming right there, threatening to consume us with guilt or shame. 

Tho not a betting man, I would almost wager that most - if not all - of us have monsters from our past in our rear view mirrors which, if we let them, can keep us from moving forward the way God would have us with His grace to propel us forward toward His purposes (see reference passages).

 The Apostle Paul, reflecting on his life as Saul of Tarsus, certainly had a lot of such “monsters.” However, as we read in the highlight passage, he learned - and exhorted his fellow Christians - to “PRESS ON” toward the goal and prize to which God called him. We have a calling in Christ (see Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:19-20 on your own); and we simply must not let the monsters in our rear-view mirror hold us back.

So, as Selah sings, and Jeff Goldblum, says, we “must go … faster,” leaving the monsters behind us and pressing on toward the calling which is ours in Christ.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for calling us to “press on” to fulfill Your calling.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to press on and leave the “monsters” in our rear-view mirror. … 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.

May 31, 2019 … Heavenly Investments

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 151

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Tim McGraw singing … Humble and Kind … poignantly singing of how we invest in the riches of heaven by sharing the love of God by staying humble and kind when it comes to how we deal with others.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Deuteronomy 15:11 [NLT] …  11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need. 
… God’s command to be generous and kind to the needy.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Deuteronomy 15:7-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God commands His people to be generous, sharing their blessings with the poor.
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Reference Passage : … Micah 6:8 [NIV] … 8  No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 
 … As Tim McGraw sings in the linked song, we are called by God to always be humble and kind.

Reference Passage : … Luke 12:33-34 [NIV] … 33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. 
 … Jesus teaching heavenly investments of giving to the poor.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:7-10 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We always reap what we sow … giving generously to those in need will always pay heavenly dividends.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a social commentary to highlight what all of us need to be doing to help the needy in our world. And the ODB author wrote: On the outskirts of Paris, as in other cities around the globe, people are coming to the aid of the homeless in their communities. Clothing, covered in waterproof bags, is hung on designated fences for those living on the streets to take according to their needs. The bags are labeled, “I’m not lost; I’m for you if you’re cold.” The effort not only warms those without shelter, but also teaches those in the community the importance of assisting the needy among them. 

God wanted (and still wants) His people to benefit from His law of reciprocity (i.e., we reap what we sow); so He commanded the family of God to help those in need (see highlight passage and Micah 6:8). AND … if we’re willing to do that, as Jesus taught, we’ll be laying up earthly investments which will repay us with heavenly dividends (see Luke 12 or Galatians 6 above).

It’s our choice! … We can sow seeds of selfishness, as our human nature would lead us; … or we can sow seeds of humility and kindness as Tim McGrow sings in the linked song. Personally, I’m going to try my best to do the latter because the dividends for Christlike sharing are heavenly. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us the opportunity to sew seeds of glory in Heaven by helping others in need.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to sow Godly seeds of humility and kindness 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.

May 30, 2019 … Lovingly Fearless

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 150

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Mia Fieldes singing … Fearless … poignantly singing of how we can - and must - reflect the love of God into the lives of others, … doing so fearlessly because of God’s fearless love for us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 John 4:118-9 [NLT] …  18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because He loved us first. 
… God showed His ultimate love for us; and so, we can fearlessly show our love for others, reflecting His love.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 John 4:7-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru John, express His truth about loving others fearlessly because He first loved us to die for our sins.
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Reference Passage : … John 3:16 [NIV] … 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. 
 … Yes, God truly did love us FIRST - and enough so to give the life of His Son for us. And that’s the kind of love we should be sharing with others every day.

Reference Passage : … John 13:34-35 [NIV] … 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 
… Jesus has commanded His disciples (that’s us too!) to show His love by loving one another.

Reference Passage : … John 15:12-13 [NIV] … 12 This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 
 … Jesus clearly shows the extent to which we, as His disciples, need to show our love for one another … the same kind of love He was - and is - willing to show for us.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK ...  
… God, thru Paul, shows us what real love is all about.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses a personal remembrance to illustrate the essence of Christlike - FEARLESS - love. And the ODB author wrote: For years I wore a shield of fear to protect my heart. It became an excuse to avoid trying new things, following my dreams, and obeying God. But fear of loss, heartache, and rejection hindered me from developing loving relationships with God and others. Fear made me an insecure, anxious, and jealous wife, and an overprotective, worrying mother. As I continue learning how much God loves me, however, He’s changing the way I relate to Him and to others. Because I know God will care for me, I feel more secure and willing to place the needs of others before mine. 

Hearing the poignant song today by Mia Fieldes and reading the ODB entry and meditating on the Scriptures referenced above, has helped me to realize the truth and extent of God’s - John 3:16 - love for us; and my conviction level has intensified that I need to show more “Christlike” love to others as a reflection of His love.

What are your feelings when you’ve taken in the truth I’ve shared above?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your fearless, relentless, incomparable - but “reflectable” - love.
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My Prayer Today:   Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to FEARLESSLY be willing to share the love God has shown to us with others 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.

May 29, 2019 … That Empty Bed

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 149

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing … People Need the Lord … poignantly singing of how we need to be ready and able to share Jesus and His Gospel with anyone we encounter who is lost and needs a Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] …  19 “… Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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 is about to ascend into Heaven, imparts His charge of evangelism to His disciples, and therefore, to ALL true, born-again believers.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 28:16-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus gives His “Great Commission” to anyone/everyone who had or will ever accept Him as Lord and Savior.
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Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NIV] … 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.” 
… All true Christians are charged by Jesus Himself with the mission to be Christ’s witnesses … everywhere and anywhere in our lives.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 3:15 [NIV] … 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 
… As disciples of Christ, we must worship Him with our lives, doing all we can to answer anyone who asks us about our faith with the truth of God’s word.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses a personal remembrance to highlight our need to share the gospel whenever we get an opportunity with lost souls who desperately need a Savior. And the ODB author wrote: I was eager to return to St. James Infirmary in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and reconnect with Rendell, who two years earlier had learned about Jesus’s love for him. Evie, a teenager in the high school choir I travel with each spring, had read Scripture with Rendell and explained the gospel, and he personally received Jesus as his Savior. 
When I entered the men’s section of the home and looked toward Rendell’s bed, however, I found it was empty [see photo]. I went to the nurse’s station, and was told what I didn’t want to hear. He had passed away—just five days before we arrived. 
Through tears, I texted Evie the sad news. Her response was simple: “Rendell is celebrating with Jesus.” Later she said, “It’s a good thing we told him about Jesus when we did.” … 
I’ll never forget the sadness of seeing that empty bed—and also the joy of knowing what a difference one faithful teen made in Rendell’s forever life. 

Normally, I try to add some tidbit of personal clarity or depth by adding what I can from my own perspective on the daily ODB entry. However, if any reader with me today has read what Dave Branon wrote above and has taken the time to hear the song sung by Steve Green linked above, I don’t need to add anything to the conviction we should all feel to take every opportunity we are given to share Jesus and His kingdom gospel message with anyone and everyone who will listen.

And so, … as the old Nike logo says … let all of us. as Jesus’ disciples … ”Just do it!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your challenge and charge to share You love/grace with anyone who needs you today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to be willing to share our witness of God’s grace with anyone He brings into our midst 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.

May 28, 2019 … His Spirit In Us

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 148

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of isong and lyrics from the Francesca Battistelli singing … Holy Spirit … poignantly singing of God’s presence and power comes to us thru Holy Spirit, residing in the hearts of all true born-again believers.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 14:16-17a [NLT] …  16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
… The Holy Spirit is present and resides in the hearts of all true, born-again believers. ==============
Highlight Passage [context]: John 14:15-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to come and live in them when He had left them; and now we are the beneficiaries of His promise.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We must trust in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to lead us in life.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20c [NIV] … 20c … I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 
 … As Jesus imparts the great commission, He promises to be with His disciples ALWAYS.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5-6 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s promise, from the Old Testament, that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia, uses a cultural story illustrate how the Holy Spirit is present and wielding His power in all born-again believers. And the ODB author wrote: While writing a Bible guide for pastors in Indonesia, a writer friend grew fascinated with that nation’s culture of togetherness. Called gotong royong—meaning “mutual assistance” [see photo] — the concept is practiced in villages, where neighbors may work together to repair someone’s roof or rebuild a bridge or path. In cities too my friend said, “People always go places with someone else—to a doctor’s appointment, for example. It’s the cultural norm. So you’re never alone.” Worldwide, believers in Jesus rejoice in knowing we also are never alone. Our constant and forever companion is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Far more than a loyal friend, the Spirit of God is given to every follower of Christ by our heavenly Father to “help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). 

Every morning I come to a quiet place, as today; and I begin my day by praying that the Holy Spirit will express His empowering grace so that I can sense the presence of the Lord and begin my day with a Prov 3:5-6 attitude of trust that He is leading me; … and EVERY DAY, I not only sense His presence, … but I’m lifted up out of my sense of self to a surrendered spirit of power, knowing, as Francesca Battistelli sings, that God’s Spirit is in me … leading me this day.

Oh, how I pray that all reading here experience that sense of God’s presence today and all days. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your promise of presence and power.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to follow You, Holy Spirit into this day, receiving the power of our Lord to serve and glorify 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.

May 27, 2019 … A Living Memorial

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 147

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing … Come To the Table … poignantly singing of howGod has given all in His family the recognition and providence of God’s table.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 Samuel 9:1 [NLT] …  1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 
… King David seeks to memorialize his dear departed friend, Jonathan, with kindness to his family. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Samuel 9:1-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David searched to memorialize his friendship with Jonathan by extending kindness to his relatives.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 25:40 [NIV] … 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 
… Jesus, teaching on how the King will reward His subjects in heaven for reaching out to serve others in His Name.

Reference Passage : … Romans 12:1 [NIV] … 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 
… Our living sacrifice to help others is the way we show our love and remembrance of what our Lord did for us.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NIV] … 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. 
… When we reach out to help others, we do so in memorial to Jesus, Who reached out to help us with His grace.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Blase, used a story of recognizing others to memorialize their lives. And the ODB author wrote: I grew up in a church full of traditions. One came into play when a beloved family member or friend died. Often a church pew or possibly a painting in a hallway showed up not long afterward with a brass plate [see photo] affixed: “In Memory of . . .” The deceased’s name would be etched there, a shining reminder of a life passed on. I always appreciated those memorials. And I still do. Yet at the same time they’ve always given me pause because they are static, inanimate objects, in a very literal sense something “not alive.” Is there a way to add an element of “life” to the memorial? 

Today, as I write this, it is “Memorial Day,” here in the USA, the day annually when we recognize those who’ve given their lives in armed service to our country. And many will be putting flowers on the graves of Veterans to remember their sacrifice; and as with plaques to honor the lives of others in the ODB story today, that kind of recognition is a lovely gesture of remembrance.

However, I think the remembrance to his beloved friend Jonathan, documented in today’s highlight passage, is a far more moving and honoring gesture to show love to those who are no longer with us. David, after Jonathan’s death, sought to find someone living in the house of Saul to honor his friend Jonathan’s passing; and he found young Mephibosheth to bring into his court and give him the cover and protection of the King’s table.

And that’s what Jesus has done for us, hasn’t He? And He has also reached out to bring us to His table as the linked song sings; and then He has said (see Matt. 25:40) that any time we reach out to help or serve others in His Name, we are remembering Him with our service. So, who can we reach out today and give a memorial to the love and service Jesus has offered to us by helping someone else today?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for bring me (us) to Your Table … forever.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to reach out and serve others to memorialize what Jesus did by dying on the cross so that we can come to His heavenly table. … 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.

May 26, 2019 … Lifting Us Up

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 146

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing his song … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how our God is gives us His empowering grace and strength when we feel weak.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Chronicles 28:10 [NLT] … [see photo]  10 So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” 
… King David exhorts his son to be courageous in the task ahead to build the Temple. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Chronicles 28:8-10, 19-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David encourages his son, Solomon, to build the Temple God had called him to build. 
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Reference Passage : … Deuteronomy 31:7-8 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Moses passes along the torch of leadership to Joshua to lead God’s people into the promised land.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6  Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 
… Solomon encourages his son to trust and depend on God.

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NIV] … 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, encouraging His disciples to be His witnesses throughout the world with His presence and power to give them courage.

Reference Passage : … 2 Timothy 1:6-7 [NIV] … 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 
… Paul encourages Timothy to be the leader of God’s church in Ephesus.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, used a historical reference to illustrate how Christians should encourage others to be courageous in the face of challenging circumstances. And the ODB author wrote: Among a display of male statues (Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and others) in London’s Parliament Square, stands a lone statue of a woman. The solitary woman is Millicent Fawcett, who fought for the right of women to vote. She’s immortalized in bronze—holding a banner displaying words she offered in a tribute to a fellow suffragist: “Courage calls to courage everywhere.” Fawcett insisted that one person’s courage emboldens others—calling timid souls into action. 

In the biblical examples today’s ODB entry uses, along with those added by yours truly, we see King David exhorting his son, Solomon, to courage in building the Temple God had commanded David to build (see highlight passage). In Deuteronomy 31 we read of Moses encouraging Joshua to take God’s people into the promised land. In Proverbs 3 we read of Solomon showing his son how to trust in God by following the ways of the Lord rather than the ways of self. In 2Timothy 1, we see the Apostle Paul encouraging young Timothy to be courageous in his task of ministry in Ephesus. And finally, in Acts 1, as Jesus ascended into Heaven, we read His charge to all of us, as His disciples, to have courage in being His witnesses to the world.

 n all of these, our God is personally or using one of His own to lift up another in the family of God, showing that it is the empowering grace of God which will help us move forward to do God’s work for His glory and giving us the courage to move on His behalf.

So, whom can we encourage today with such an uplifting message?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your charge to courage in being Your witnesses to the world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to encourage all we can to have courage in doing the Lord’s work 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.

May 25, 2019 … Our Chain Breaker

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 145

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing his song … Chain Breaker … poignantly singing of how our God is our chain breaker just like Paul and Silas experienced in the Philippians prison.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 16:25-16 [NLT] … [see photo] ...   25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 
… Even in the midst of imprisonment and a life-threatening earthquake, Paul/Silas could sing out to the Lord in faith.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 16:16-40 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul and Silas were imprisoned for their faith in Pillippi; but they sang out for God’s glory, even in the midst of an earthquake; and God delivered them to help even their jailer be saved. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6  Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 
… Following the ways of the Lord, thru His word, is the only path to free us from the prisons life imposes.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NIV] … 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 
… Jesus, declaring that He is our freedom from the prison of our own self-imposed shackles of worry and anxiety

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shares the truth that God’s empowering grace is ALWAYS there to give us His strength to cover us in times of weakness.

Reference Passage : … 1 John 4:4 [NIV] … 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. 
… God’s truth - thru John - about the reality that the Holy Spirit, living in us, is far more powerful than any Satan-imposed prison or self-imagined chains of worry.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Arthur Jackson, used a historical reference to illustrate how Christians should be able to proclaim the strength we get from God when we’re being persecuted. And the ODB author wrote: In the summer of 1963, after an all-night bus ride, US civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and six other black passengers stopped to eat at a diner in Winona, Mississippi. After law enforcement officers forced them to leave, they were arrested and jailed. But the humiliation wouldn’t end with unlawful arrest. All received severe beatings, but Fannie’s was the worst. After a brutal attack that left her near death she burst out in song: “Paul and Silas was bound in jail, let my people go.” And she didn’t sing alone. Other prisoners, restrained in body but not in soul, joined her in worship. 

Are any of us imprisoned by our circumstances today? I can just imagine some, reading here, might be saying a loud “AMEN!” Well, if so, I think it wise to go back and read [see highlight passage] of what happened when Paul and Silas were imprisoned and shackled in a Philippian prison. Read and meditate on how they sang out their faith and were delivered by their “Chain-Breaker,” as Zach Williams sings in the linked song.

And our Lord is our “Chain-Breaker” as well, my friends? The question is … are we able to sing that song of deliverance when we find our selves shackled by our doubts or imprisoned by the world’s challenges? But, like Paul and Silas … we need to recognize and believe that God can/will provide us with his chain-breaking grace to see us thru those self-imposed prisons of doubt.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your grace which is our chain breaker.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to reject the fears which shackle us in self-imposed prisons of doubt. … 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.

May 24, 2019 … Fear Is A Liar!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 144

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing his song … Fear Is A Liar … poignantly singing of how our fears are the lies of Satan, … who is the father of all lies.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 8:44 [NLT] … [see photo]  44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 
… Many following Jesus rejected walking into freedom by following the father of all lies, … Satan. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 8:31-47 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus challenges the Pharisees and the people to reject Satan, the father of lies, and to believe in Him, the Author of all truth.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NIV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6  Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 
… Following the ways of the Lord, thru His word, is the only path to take in life.

Reference Passage : … John 14:5-6 [NIV] … 5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” … 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. …” 
… Jesus, showing Thomas (and us), that following Him is the only way in life.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:7 [NIV] … 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 
… Satan wants us to worry about everything, lying to us that we can control things thru him; but he is a liar and our fears are his lies.

Reference Passage : … 1 John 4:4 [NIV] … 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. 
… God’s truth - thru John - about the reality that the God, living in us, is far greater than the agent of lies, living in this world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a story of a young man’s turning from the father of lies to the Author of Truth. . And the ODB author wrote: When Aaron (not his real name) was 15, he began praying to Satan: “I felt like he and I had a partnership.” Aaron started to lie, steal, and manipulate his family and friends. He also experienced nightmares: “I woke up one morning and saw the devil at the end of the bed. He told me that I was going to pass my exams and then die.” Yet when he finished his exams, he lived. Aaron reflected, “It was clear to me that he was a liar.” 
Hoping to meet girls, Aaron went to a Christian festival, where a man offered to pray for him. … Aaron turned to Christ from Satanism and now belongs to God. He ministers in an urban community, sharing the difference following Jesus makes. He’s a living testament of God’s saving power: “I can say with confidence that God saved my life.”

When I went off to college, like the young man in the ODB story, I was vulnerable to the lies Satan put forth thru many around me in the world who wanted me to believe my fears, which, as Zach Williams powerfully sings, are the lies of the devil. And as long as I believed that I was in control, those fears led me to wayward, sinful, ways of living.

But like Aaron in the ODB story, the Lord came after me with His truth; and when I realized that He, my Lord, was the Author of all truth (as Jesus taught the people in the highlight passage), I came to follow Him as Lord; and I was led from being a captive of my own fears to the freedom Christ offers by following Him (see the reference passages above).

And today, I pray that all reading here recognize that Jesus is the only voice to follow - thru His word, rejecting the lies of the father of lies, … Satan.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for leading us to freedom from our fears and worries to the safety of Your truth.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to reject the fears and lies of the enemy and find the freedom which comes from the Author of Truth. … 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.

May 23, 2019 … Throw the First Stone!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 143

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 God’s saving and sanctifying grace is truly AMAZING.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 8:7 [NLT] … [see photo]  7 They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 
… Recognizing the God’s Law about the sin of adultery, Jesus challenges the Pharisees to cast the first stone at the woman if they are without sin themselves.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 8:1-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus challenges the Pharisees to cast the first stone at the adulteress if they are without sin. 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 7:1-5 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ teaching on avoiding a prideful/haughty spirit and first examining ourselves before judging/blaming others.

Reference Passage : … Romans 3:23 [NIV] … 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 
… Not one of us could have been one to cast the first stone as Jesus commanded in John 8:7.

Reference Passage : … 1 John 4:1 [NIV] … 1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. 
… Before we judge/blame others, we must test the situation and have all the facts.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a story to illustrate how we are often tempted to blame others … when we, ourselves, must examine our own lives before casting the first stone of blame. And the ODB author wrote: Lisa felt no sympathy for those who cheated on their spouse . . . until she found herself deeply unsatisfied with her marriage and struggling to resist a dangerous attraction. That painful experience helped her gain a new compassion for others and greater understanding of Christ’s words: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). 

Anyone, besides myself, have a tendency to judge or blame others harshly when we see them involved in a flagrant sin? Our prideful/arrogant … very natural … spirits can, so easily, … raise up when we see someone sinning, can’t they?

But then, if we take into account what Jesus taught in the highlight passage … as well as the other truths in the reference passages, we need to hold back, don’t we, and examine all the facts, as well as our own, natural, sin nature, before we cast the first stone at others?

And I am one who, among many I think, will try to be guarded to avoid any knee-jerk blame if I see others sinning today, checking my own spirit to be in line with that of the grace of my Lord. And yes, like the song, linked above, I too am amazed that God would grant me His grace to have saved me, a sinner, … and now to give me the power to try to avoid sin in my life today … and tomorrow. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your amazing grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to do all we can to avoid casting the first stone at other, fellow, sinners. … 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.

May 22, 2019 …Real Worship?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 142

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Hillsong United singing … Here I Am To Worship … poignantly singing of how we were so wonderfully and fearfully created in the image of God for us to live for His glory.need to dedicate our lives to the worship of our Lord … true worship becoming our service to the Lord.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Zechariah 7:4-6 [NLT] …  4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 
… When we come to worship God thru corporate worship, fasting, or prayer, is our worship genuine?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Zechariah 7:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Thru the Prophet God challenges His people to genuine worship thru service to Him. 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 4:4 [NIV] … 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ [Deut. 8:3]” 
… Jesus responds to Satan’s worship challenge with the response which should lead any disciple or worshipper to genuine worship, which would be to feed on God’s word.

Reference Passage : … Romans 12:1-2 [NIV] … 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. 
… Paul exhorts true believers to genuine worship which is “living sacrifice.”

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 10:24-25 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK … … Our coming together in worship should be to spur us onward to serve the Lord with our love and good works. My 

Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses a personal story to illustrate how our worship, whether it’s fasting, prayer, or corporate, should be focused on God. And the ODB author wrote: Hunger pangs gnawed at my nerves. My mentor had recommended fasting as a way to focus on God. But as the day wore on, I wondered: How did Jesus do this for forty days? I struggled to rely on the Holy Spirit for peace, strength, and patience. Especially patience. 
If we’re physically able, fasting can teach us the importance of our spiritual food. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Yet, as I learned firsthand, fasting on its own doesn’t necessarily draw us closer to God! 

My very personal question from today’s ODB entry, challenges me to focus on God with my worship thru service. Which leads me to ask myself (and maybe my readers to ask) … Is my [our] fasting and prayer really focused on God?

God challenged His exiled people, thru Zechariah (see highlight passage), to show their worship thru service to widows and orphans and questioned their genuine surrender when they were fasting. The Apostle Paul and the Author of Hebrews challenge all of us (see Rom. 12:1 and Heb. 10:24) to worship God as living sacrifices with our service of good works.

And this morning I’m challenged by feeding on God’s word (as Jesus challenged us in Matt. 4:4) to live my life, feeding on God’s word and serving others, which is true worship by sharing God’s love. Perhaps any reader might be challenged in the same way by feeding on God’s truth today. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us the opportunity to be living sacrifices of service in worship to You today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to serve the Lord thru our worship of service to Him 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.

May 21, 2019 … Uniquely Fashioned for God

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 141

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Matt Redman singing … Fearfully and Wonderfully Made … poignantly singing of how we were so wonderfully and fearfully created in the image of God for us to live for His glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 139:14 [NLT] … [see photo above]  14 Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 
… David thanking God for how the Lord made him [us].
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 139:1-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David celebrates our uniqueness in song.
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Reference Passage : … Genesis 1:27 [NIV] … 27  So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female He created them. 
… God created us to be like Him … pretty special (!), wouldn’t you say?!

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1 [NIV] … 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. 
… Paul begs us all to realize who we are, created in/for Christ, and to live a life worthy of our creation.

Reference Passage : … Colossians 1:21-22 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We were created, reconciled, and redeemed for God’s glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses a a literary reference to illustrate that following the road of sin can lead many down the path of death. And the ODB author wrote: Human beings are not special—at least according to the London Zoo. In 2005, the zoo introduced a four-day exhibit: “Humans in Their Natural Environment.” The human “captives” were chosen through an online contest. To help visitors understand the humans, the zoo workers created a sign detailing their diet, habitat, and threats. According to the zoo’s spokesperson, the goal of the exhibit was to downplay the uniqueness of human beings. One participant in the exhibit seemed to agree. “When they see humans as animals, here, it kind of reminds them that we’re not that special.”

NOT!!! … If any readers believe in the truth of the Bible, as I do, the London Zoo’s project is, described in the very accurate term, … “BALONEY!” 

You and I, in the family of God’s creatures, are VERY SPECIAL, created by God - in HIS image - for His glory. Enough said about the truth of our creation!! … Now what we must do is magnify His grace by doing all we can to live for His glory [see Eph. 4 and Col. 1] !!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for the wonderful way You have created me to live for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to live in a way that is worthy of our creation. … 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.

May 20, 2019 … A Better Road

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 140

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the cast of the movie Sister Act singing  … I Will Follow Him … powerfully and joyfully singing of how we must follow Christ wherever He may go. 

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 11:53 [NLT] …  53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 
… The road the Jewish leaders chose led to Jesus’ death and the way of life for all who would choose to walk the Lord’s narrow highway.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 11:45-53 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The religious leaders of Jesus’ day chose to walk a road of conspiracy to rid them of the One Who was preaching a narrow road to life; and the road they chose led to sin and the eternal death of millions down the road of history.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 7:13-14 [NIV] … 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. 
… Jesus invites His followers to follow Him down the narrow road to eternal life. But all too few will follow Him.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NIV] … 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 shows any disciple how to follow Him down the narrow road to life.

Reference Passage : … Romans 6:26, … 23 [NIV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We get to choose the road we follow … the road to death or the road to life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses a a literary reference to illustrate that following the road of sin can lead many down the path of death. And the ODB author wrote: Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mystery The Clocks features antagonists who commit a series of murders. Although their initial plot targeted a single victim, they began taking more lives in order to cover up the original crime. When confronted by Poirot, a conspirator confessed, “It was only supposed to be the one murder.” 

Actually, I don’t think we need a dramatic novel to get the idea that we get to choose the road in life we will take. Certainly, Jesus made the road He was walking very clear, didn’t He (see the Matthew 7 and Luke 9 references above)?

But the Jewish leaders of the day and so many of the people following them chose to walk a wider road to perdition; and over the years of history since the cross and Christ’s resurrection, that road has led to the eternal death of millions of misdirected and lost souls.

But fortunately, Jesus has given us another road to follow (see the Romans 6 passages); and for those who follow His, more narrow, way, it leads to life. And I pray all who read this today are following that road.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for leading us down Your narrow road to eternal life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to steer away from that dark road (see photo) leading to death, following Jesus’ command (Luke 9:23) to follow Him. … 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.

May 19, 2019 … Crooked Steeple

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 139

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from of Steven Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how we all need to surrender our weakness/faults to God’s strength.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
… Jesus relates His promise of enabling grace to Paul, stricken with a "thorn."    
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Corinthians 12:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul discovered that he actually needed his “thorn” weakness to keep him humble enough to receive God’s grace.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 14:2-3 [NIV] … 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. … 3  But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! 
… Quoted by Paul in Romans 3:10, showing that we’re all broken … in need of redemption and repair.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NIV] … 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 
… Jesus invites His weakened disciples to rely on His strength.

Reference Passage : … Romans 3:9-10 [NIV] … 9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. [see Ps. 14:3] 
… Paul, documenting the OT truth that we’re all broken/sinners in some way.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a story about a “crooked church steeple” to illustrate how we all have imperfections but try to cover them up or get them repaired ASAP. And the ODB author wrote: Turns out that crooked church steeples make people nervous. When we visited some friends, they shared how, after a fierce windstorm, their church’s proud steeple was crooked, causing some alarm [see photo]. 
Of course, the church quickly repaired the flagging spire, but the humorous image got me thinking. Often church is seen as a place where everything is expected to look perfect; it’s not seen as a place where we can show up crooked. Right? But in a fallen, broken world, all of us are “crooked,” each with our own collection of natural weaknesses. 

We all have imperfections - i.e, weaknesses - don’t we? Both the OT and the NT document that condition (see Ps 14:2-3 and Romans 3:10). So, why do we take such actions, as individuals - or even organizations, like churches, to hide our flaws or get them corrected ASAP?

I think we’re simply being very human and are unwilling to surrender our control to God and to receive His enabling/empowering grace. The Apostle Paul sustained a damage, he described as a “thorn,” in the highlight passage; but after praying hard to have it taken way, he realized that he actually needed the flaw to keep him humble enough to receive God’s grace.

What flaws or imperfections do we just need to surrender to God and allow Him to empower us as Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for using our flaws to amplify Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me, to surrender our flaws to the Holy Spirit and let Him use them to glorify our 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.