July 27, 2021 … Joy Is Our Strength …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 208 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... </b>   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Twila Paris singing  … The Joy of the Lord … Poignantly singing of how expressing the Joy we have in our Lord is our strength.   

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Highlight Passage:   Proverbs 15:13  [NIV] …  

13 A glad heart makes a happy face; … a broken heart crushes the spirit. 

… Solomon shows that a glad heart is shared with others with a happy face (i.e., a smile).       

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  Proverbs 15:13-14, 30 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Solomon teaches that choosing to share the joy we have in our relationship with joy brings joy to others. 

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 16:11 [NLT] …  

11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. 

… King David sings of the joy he finds in knowing of His God’s omnipresence.    

Reference Passage: … Habakkuk 3:17-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK  ... 

… A struggling Prophet learns from going to God that he can choose joy no matter his fearful and confusing circumstances.  

Reference Passage: … John 15:11 [NLT] …  

11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 

… Jesus shares truth with His disciples (and us) so that they (and we) can find joy in the midst of their confusion. fear and sorrow.

Reference Passage: … Galatians 5:22-23 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… As Christians, with God’s fruitfulness in our hearts, we can choose to share God’s love, JOY, and peace … ALWAYS!! 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Patricia Raybon, AT THIS LINK   … shares how a friend had a “smile ministry,” share the joy she felt in her relationship with Christ thru smiling to others.  But when the pandemic hit, wearing a facemark made it difficult.  But her friend learned that when she smiled the muscles in her eyes changed to reveal the joy she felt; and so she kept smiling and sharing her joy with others. 

As disciples of Christ, we need to realize that “JOY” is not a feeling; … it is a choice that comes from the fruit of the Spirit (see Gal 5:22), … given to all Christians.  And that’s what the confused Prophet, Habakkuk, learned when he went to God with his “WHY God” fears, learning, from seeking God’s wisdom, that he (as can we) choose joy in the midst of dire circumstances <b>(see Hab. 3:17-19); … and he did! … And so can we!! 

And that’s what I pray for all of us today; … that we share the joy of our relationship with Christ with others, … with our smiles and words of encouragement. … even tho we may still be doing so masked in these pandemic days and in this panicked world.  My friends, as Twila Paris sings in the linked song, “The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength.”  So, let’s share that joy with others today.     

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for being the joy of my life in the midst of trials, troubles, and turmoil.  

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to smile a lot today, … even if we don’t feel like it, … and share the joy of God’s love and grace with others  … Amen 

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

July 26, 2021 … God’s Love Blooms In Us …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 207 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from the group Selah singing  … How Deep the Father’s Love For Us … Poignantly singing of how God shows His love for us in spite of our sinfulness, …with His love growing in us to share with others.  

God's love blooms in us ... 

 

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Highlight Passage:   John 13:34  [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. 

… Jesus commands His beloved disciples to show love for one another just as He, Jesus, shows His love for all.       

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  John 13:34-35 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus commands His disciples to love one another to and show others the love of God. ==============                             

Reference Passage: … Matthew 5:6 [NLT] …  

32 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” 

… Jesus blesses those who seek after the righteousness that God plants in us as born-again followers of Christ.    

Reference Passage: … Romans 5:8 [NLT] …  

8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

… God shows HIs ultimate and eternal love for us, giving up His Son for us even though we were (and are) sinners.

Reference Passage: … Galatians 5:22-23 [NLT] …  

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

… God’s love and fruitfulness is on display in the lives of true, born-again, Christians.  

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, shows Christians how God’s work of love will bloom in the life of the surrendered believer until Jesus returns. 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Patricia Raybon, AT THIS LINK  … relates a story of making a show of joy in receiving a gift from her daughter of tulip bulbs, even tho the ODB author was not particularly fond of tulips, which she thought often don’t bloom or die quickly after the do bloom. But the ODB author realized that the gift was given in love; and later when the tulips bloomed (see photo) the author remembered how God’s love has been planted in all true Christians to bloom in us and show off the love of God to others.   

And as the group Selah sings in the linked song and the Scriptures above express, … we realize how deep the Father’s love is toward even us sinners; … that He would give up His Son to die for us and to live and grow in the hearts of all Who receive His love.  And that love, which is a fruit of HIs Spirit, will continue to grow and bloom in Christians to show God’s love to any/all who would receive that love from Him thru us.

So, I pray that any/all who’re reading here with me today, will go forth and show off God’s love thru the way we live and to reach out and share Christ’s love with others     

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for planting Your love in my heart to share with someone today. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to make choices today that show off Your love for us sinners.   … Amen 

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

July 25, 2021 … Being Real With God …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 206 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing  … One True God … Poignantly singing of how serve the one true God Whose words are ALWAYS true and how He honors our honesty.   

 

God's promise to Abram ... more than the stars ... 

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Highlight Passage:   Genesis 15:5-6  [NIV] …  

5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. 

… Abram believed God’s illogical promises and God counted Abram’s faith as righteous.      

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  Genesis 15:1-7 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Abram believed God, though the Lord’s promises were beyond          

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God will lead those who put their trust in and follow God, … even beyond our own understanding.  

Reference Passage: … Proverbs 12:22 [NLT] …  

<i>  10 The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth. </i>

… God delights in and honors those who are honest with Him.    

Reference Passage: … John 8:32 [NLT] …  

32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

… Jesus teaches on the freedom God provides when we know Him and are willing to be truthful with God.   

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 3:10-12 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Peter quotes from Ps 34:12-16, teaching God’s truth to oppressed fellow Christians that God sees/hears all we say/do and honors those who turn away from evil and speak the truth.    

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, James Banks, AT THIS LINK … tells of couple who learned from their doctor that they could not conceive and give birth; and who, thru prayer to God and consulting their Pastor, opened themselves to God leading them to an adopted child.  

And then the ODB author shared the biblical story (see highlight passage) where Abram opened himself to believe God’s illogical promise that a man well beyond child-bearing age could be chosen by God to have descendants greater in number than the stars (see photo).   And God honored Abram’s faith, whom God renamed as “Abraham,” to become the “father” of God’s chosen nation of people.  

And it is God’s delight to honor those who come to the Lord, seeking truth, and then trusting God’s call to share His truth with others.  The question from today’s ODB entry challenges us to be willing to be humble in seeking God’s truth and then being open/honest with God, to believe His truth, from His word; and then to share it with others <b>(see Scriptures above)</b>.     

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your truth in Your word to follow to Your freedom.       

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to humbly and honestly seek the truth from God and then to follow it today.     … Amen 

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

July 24, 2021 … God Is Our Protector …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 205 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing  … His Strength Is Perfect … Poignantly singing of how God’s strength is always there to lift us up even when our strength is gone. 

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Highlight Passage:   Deuteronomy 1:31  [NIV] …  

31 And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’  

… Moses reminds God’s people how the Lord provided and protected them all the years they had wandered in the wilderness.      

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  Deuteronomy 1:26-31 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Moses reminds God’s grumbling people that their God will never abandon them and always be the to lift them out of their fears and to go, as God promised, into the promised land.          

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 91:1-4 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God shows us, thru His Psalmist, how He is our protector .. ALWAYS.   

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 41:20 [NLT] …  </b>

20  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

… God, thru Isaiah, reminds the faithful seekers after the Messiah, that our God will ALWAYS be there to hold us up when we feel weak.  

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 53:6 [NLT] … 

10 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.   We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.  

… God’s promise thru Isaiah, that even tho we all can - and do - stray from God’s way, … He will bring a Messiah to carry those who faithfully surrender to follow the Lord.   

Reference Passage: … John 16:33 [NLT] …  

3 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

… Jesus reminds His disciples that, even tho they face trials in this life, … by following the Lord He has overcome the world and all we face in this life. 

Reference Passage: … Romans 8:35-39 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul shows fellow Christians that NOTHING can separate us from God’s infinite love and empowering grace.   

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Karen Pimpo, AT THIS LINK  … tells of a father who carried his handicapped son thru chin-high waters to protect and save him in the face of the oncoming hurricane Dorian.  And this story is shared to illustrate how a loving father will do anything and everything to save his child, which certainly shows how much our Heavenly Father will do - AND HAS DONE - to protect and save His children.  

I hope all reading here have taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above, and you all will join me here today to praise our Heavenly Father for being our guide and protector in life.  And my friends, … that’s what I feel every morning as I come here to seek my Lord’s comfort from His word; … yes, even when I face the storms and trials of life, as I am right now dealing with severe/chronic pain, … but knowing, as God’s word echoes clearly above, … that I can ALWAYS rely on my God to carry me thru the storm to the other side.  And I pray you realize and live under our Father’s protection.       

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for carrying me thru this storm of pain I face now.       

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to surrender and let our Lord lift us up, especially when we feel fearful, or weak, or under the oppression of the world or our flesh.     … Amen 

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

July 23, 2021 … Working In Harmony …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 204 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing  … With One Voice … Powerfully singing of how God’s church comes together in unity to sing - and work - with heavenly harmony for God’s glory. 

His Body in Harmony ... 

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Highlight Passage:   1Corinthians 12:13  [NIV] …  

13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.   

… Paul helps a divided Church realize that we are ONE BODY and should work TOGETHER in HARMONY for God’s glory.       

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  1Corinthians 12:12-20 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Paul writes to a divided church about the harmony which should be achieved by God’s body, with all of its parts, coming together and working in unity for God’s glory.          

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Reference Passage: … John 17:21 [NLT] …  

21 I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one—as You are in me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in us so that the world will believe You sent me. 

… Jesus prayed that once he left earth that His body of surrendered believers would come together in one and have a remnant of the harmony which is found in the Triune God.   

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 1:10 [NLT] …  

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other.  Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 

… Paul appeals to the Church in Corinth - and to us now - to come TOGETHER in harmony and, in unity, work for God’s glory.

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 4:1-6 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul also writes to the Christians in Ephesus (and to us) that we must CHOOSE to come together and become ONE BODY working together for God’s glory. 

Reference Passage: … Philippians 2:3-4 [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.

… Paul charges the Church in Philippi (and us) to avoid selfish interests and come TOGETHER to serve one another.   

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Mart DeHaan, AT THIS LINK  … writes of a survey done among the world’s leading orchestra conductors, who rated Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony as the greatest symphony ever composed, … with the range of harmonies and emotions, evoking the most powerful symphonic work ever created. 

You know, my fellow Christian, the Church was “composed” by Christ’s finished work on the cross to be God’s greatest, and most harmonic piece of work.   He created His body, the Church, to carry out His work on earth after our Lord went back to heaven when His ministry was completed on earth.  The question posed by today’s ODB is … are we now, as Christ’s “Ekklesia,” (i.e., His Church), working as God’s word calls us (see Scriptures above), to unify - as one voice - as Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song - and working TOGETHER for God’s glory?

I pray each of us, reading here today, are doing all we can to use our individual gifts/talents as part of the unified chorus of believers (see photo), coming TOGETHER to sing in harmony and work in unity for our Lord’s purposes and His kingdom.      

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for using me in some small way within Your Body today for Your glory.     

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to do all we can to unify - as Your body - and work TOGETHER for Your glory today … and then again tomorrow.   … Amen 

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

July 22, 2021 … God Is Mighty To Save …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 203 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Hillsong Worship, leading in worship and singing  … Mighty To Save … worshipfully singing of how dependent we are on our God, Who is mighty to lift us up and save us. 

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Highlight Passage:   2Chronicles 20:12  [NIV] …  

12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to You for help. 

… The prayers of God’s people reflect their powerless surrender, humbly relying on God’s mighty power to save His people.        

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  2Chronicles 20:5-15 [NIV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  The armies of Judah’s enemies were massed to attack God’s people; and Jehoshaphat, the King, has the people fast/pray to God; and a spokesman for God declares that the battle is not theirs; … it is His!         

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Reference Passage: … Deuteronomy 10:17 [NLT] …  

17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 

… God, thru His Prophet, Moses, reminds God’s people of His might and power to save and of His everlasting covenant with His chosen people.   

Reference Passage: … Zephaniah 3:17 [NLT] …  

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  

… God, thru His Prophet, Zephaniah, promises to save the remnant of believers in Judah, … in spite of the disbelief and rebellion of many of God’s people.

Reference Passage: … Matthew 19:26 [NLT] …  

26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”  

… Jesus helps His disciples (and us) to realize that many things can be impossible for man; but with God EVERYTHING is possible.

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 3:20 [NLT] …  

20 Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 

… Paul recognizes and teaches fellow Christians that our infinitely powerful God can do far more than we could ever imagine  

Reference Passage: … 2Timothy 1:7 [NLT] …  

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.   

… God’s promise, thru Paul to Timothy (and us), that we need not fear our circumstances because God has given us, thru His Spirit, a spirit of POWER, … God’s power.    

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Amy Boucher Eye, AT THIS LINK  … relates the miraculous story in the 1800s when a hoard of grasshoppers descended on the state of Minnesota and devouring the vegetation caused famine, leading the Governor to call for those in his state to pray to God for deliverance.  And in the days following deep freezing temps killed the larvae of the grasshoppers and the state was delivered by this act of God, demonstrating the power of reliance on our mighty God.        

And that’s what is sung in the linked song and all of the Scriptures above.  The question is … do we believe that we serve a mighty, miracle-giving, omnipotent God, … especially when our circumstances show us how needy we are in our own weakness.  

I pray we do.    

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for being my mighty God, especially when I languish in my own weakness today.     

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to seek after, … pray after, … and live for our mighty God … today and tomorrow.   … Amen 

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