March 12, 2017 ... Using Our Gifts/Talents

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 71 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Joy Williams once again singing her song … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of a question we all should ask ourselves everyday …

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Peter 4:10 [NLT] … 
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 
… A straight-forward exhortation to serve one another (and first, God) by using the great variety of gifts/talents we Christians have been given.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Peter 4:7-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Peter, exhorts Christians to use our Spirit-given gifts and talents to honor God. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 14:21 [NLT] … 
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 
 … Jesus on showing His love to others thru our obedience to His words/commands.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] …
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
… Jesus’ command to His disciples to become His witnesses to this world.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 4:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A1-17&version=NLT … God, thru Paul, preaches for Christians to use their diverse gifts to unify the Church and to show our worthiness, called as Christians.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Branon, used a personal story to illustrate how we must use our varied, God-given, talents/gifts for God’s Glory. The ODB author wrote: While on vacation recently, I gave my razor a rest and grew a beard. Various responses came from friends and co-workers—and most were complimentary. One day, however, I looked at the beard and decided, “It’s not me.” So out came the razor [see photo]. I’ve been thinking about the idea of who we are and why one thing or another does not fit our personality. Primarily, it’s because God has bestowed us with individual differences and preferences. It’s okay that we don’t all like the same hobbies, eat the same foods, or worship in the same church. … 
Jesus’s disciples didn’t check their characteristics at the door before entering His world. Peter was so impulsive that he cut off a servant’s ear the night Jesus was arrested. Thomas insisted on evidence before believing Christ had risen. The Lord didn’t reject them simply because they had some growing to do. He molded and shaped them for His service. 

No, Paul and Peter (see passages referenced above) used their varied personalities/gifts/talents to teach about how we Christians should let our diversity of gifts bring unity in His Church and glorify God with how we live. And Jesus, taught strongly to show that true Christians show His love to others by how we live in obedience to Him as His disciples [see John 14:21].

Question #1 from these thoughts is: Do we know what are God-given gifts/talents are? … And ?#2 … you guessed it! … Are we using those gifts/talents for God’s glory? … Yes, today … and all days?

Perhaps it would be productive for us to do this self-inventory; and then get busy, … as Paul exhorted in Ephesians 4 [see above], showing our worthiness to the calling we have as Christians (see also Acts 1:8).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … LORD, … Convict and empower me, thru Your grace, to use my gifts/talents for Your glory 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.

March 11, 2017 ... Help!!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 70 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of lyrics sung by Jordan Smith singing a contemporary arrangement of the classic hymn … Great Is Thy Faithfulness … powerfully singing of our assurance of God’s faithfulness when we are in dire need of His presence and power.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 86:6-7 [NLT] … 
6  Listen closely to my Prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent dry. 7 I will call to You whenever in trouble, and You will answer me. 
… David knew God would hear his “Mayday” call.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 86:1-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David’s faith and trust in His God for deliverance in dire circumstances.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
 … God will always direct and lift up His chosen one.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] … 
22  The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; … His mercies begin afresh every morning. 
… God’s mercies NEVER cease.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … John 16:33 [NLT] … 
33 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.” 
… We will ALWAYS have troubles in this life. That’s Jesus’ promise. But it is also His promise that He has overcome the trials of this world; and we are to find our peace in Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used a traditional emergency call for help, “Mayday,” to illustrate how we can - and should - call on God in times of trial. The ODB author wrote: The international distress signal “Mayday” is always repeated three times in a row—“Mayday-Mayday-Mayday”—so the situation will be clearly understood as a life-threatening emergency [see photo]. The word was created in 1923 by Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at London’s Croydon Airport. That now-closed facility once had many flights to and from Le Bourget Airport in Paris. According to the National Maritime Museum, Mockford coined Mayday from the French word m’aidez, which means, “help me.” 

The ODB entry today took readers back to a time when King David was in an emergency situation; and just as we should in dire circumstances, he knew exactly to Whom he must call on and to trust for deliverance. When threatened by life, King David put out a MAYDAY call to His God (see highlight passages above).

Do I really need to go deeper to write about the message for us Christians after you’ve taken in the Scriptures above and heard Jordan Smith sing his rendition of that classic old hymn. I think not!

Jesus promised His disciples (and that’s us too) that He had overcome the world with all of our trials/troubles. The question is do we believe it; … and will we, like David, go first - and foremost - to God when we get in a MAYDAY [!!] situation?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … LORD, … You are my MAYDAY Redeemer!! … 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.

March 10, 2017 ... Going Home With Hope

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 69 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics sung by the lead singer from Third Day singing a contemporary arrangement of the classic hymn … Blessed Assurance … powerfully singing of our assurance of a Savior and our hope of heaven.

Image of “Without a Home” taken from ODB Devotional  

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 2:12-13 [NLT] … 
12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 
… The blessed assurance of being IN CHRIST forever.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 2:11-22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul, writing to disenfranchised Christians to encourage them to know that their hope was in heaven, not in this world.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Trusting in Christ is being led to Him in eternity.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
 … God will always direct and lift up His chosen one.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 2:11 [NLT] … 
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 
 … As long as we’re headed toward our heavenly hope and staying away from earthly temptations, we’ll be okay.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, used a true story of a young african boy to illustrate our condition as temporary travelers, headed to our home in heaven. The ODB author wrote: A young African refugee who goes by the name of Steven is a man without a country [see ODB photo]. He thinks he may have been born in Mozambique or Zimbabwe. But he never knew his father and lost his mother. She fled civil war, traveling country to country as a street vendor. Without ID and unable to prove his place of birth, Steven walked into a British police station, asking to be arrested. Jail seemed better to Steven than trying to exist on the streets without the rights and benefits of citizenship. 

Sometimes it’s easy to feel lost, isn’t it? We can feel like we’re walking thru a minefield with all those deadly dangers all around us, … not knowing which way to go. But then, when we realize that we can follow THE ONE Who knows exactly where all the mines are, we can have confidence and hope that we’re headed in His right direction, … headed home with Christ.

That’s why Paul, from a prison, was writing to the Ephesian Christians, … a people who were on the run and feeling oppressed by the world, with their lives threatened every day. But he helped them (and prayerfully us) to realize that we need not fear this world, we can follow Christ out of the minefield of this life, … all the way to our permanent, eternal, home in heaven.

That’s the Blessed Assurance that Third Day sings of in today’s linked song (above). And I pray it’s the assurance that all who read here have, especially with the truths espoused in today’s highlight and reference passages.

My friends, all we need to do is follow our Savior; and He will lead us out of the minefield and all the way to our heavenly home.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … We follow You, … confidently today, knowing You will lead us home. … Amen

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

March 9, 2017 ... Oops! … I Blew It!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 68 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics sung by Queen Latifah from the movie, Joyful Noise, singing … Fix Me Jesus … poignantly singing a prayer of repentance and sorrow for sin to our Lord, … praying for His redemption and restoration.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 32:22-24 [NLT] … 
22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied [to Moses]. “You yourself know how evil these people are. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” 
… Knowing that he had done wrong, Aaron cannot own up to his sin.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Exodus 32:1-5, 19-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Before his brother, Aaron deflects blame for his golden-calf sin, blaming the evil on others. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Genesis 3:8-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Blaming others for our own sin goes all the way back to the garden; … and we have inherited that selfish blame-shifting nature of Adam and Eve.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 1st John 1:8-9 [NLT] … 
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 
… God’s promises to cleanse us from any/all sin, … IF … we’re willing to own up to the sin and confess it to receive His cleansing redemption and restoration.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Cindy Hess Kasper , used some OT biblical illustrations to teach on our need, as born-again sinners, to own up to our sins, to confess, and be fixed by God’s Spirit. The ODB author wrote: “Mistakes were made,” said the CEO as he discussed the illegal activity his company had been involved in. He looked regretful, yet he kept blame at arm’s length and couldn’t admit he had personally done anything wrong. 
Some “mistakes” are just mistakes: driving in the wrong direction, forgetting to set a timer and burning dinner, miscalculating your checkbook balance. But then there are the deliberate deeds that go far beyond—God calls those sin. When God questioned Adam and Eve about why they had disobeyed Him, they quickly tried to shift the blame to another (Gen. 3:8–13). Aaron took no personal responsibility when the people built a golden calf to worship in the desert. 

When Aaron was uncovered making the golden calf, or when Adam and Eve tried to shift the blame for their sins to others, they demonstrate the unfortunate default in our human character to deflect blame for our sin, rather than admitting it, confessing it before God, and then receiving His forgiving grace to cleanse us of the sin.

Am I sensing any of my fellow Christian reading here saying, “Been there, done that, and certainly have that T-shirt?!! ...  Yeah, we’ve all felt that inner need to deflect the guilt for our sin and pin it on someone or some thing other than self! But when we can be vulnerable and accountable for our sins, confessing them to a loving and merciful God, … our Lord is most certainly able … and very willing to cleanse us COMPLETELY (see 1st John 1:8-9).

So, if we have any need to be fixed, as Queen Latifah sings in the linked song, let’s come to Jesus and plead for Him to fix us and help us do a U-turn in our life (see photo).

And He will !!!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Fix me, Lord, … fix me! … Amen

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

March 8, 2017 ... Seeing Him in Me?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 67 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics sung by Joy Williams from her song … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing a question in prayer all Christians should like ask of ourselves with the goal of becoming the images of our Lord as we live for Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 2:5 [NLT] … 
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 
… And having His attitude others see Him living through our choices/actions.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 2:1-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to become more like Christ so that others see Him living in our lives.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… All Christians should internalize Jesus’ discipleship command to deny self and follow Him.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 
8 “… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
… Jesus’ command for His disciples to be His witnesses to a lost world, with Him giving them (us) the power to do so.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Acts 4:1-22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter and John after the Resurrection were brought before the Sanhedrin, who, in trying to get them to quit preaching the Gospel, could only see Jesus working thru these two Disciples.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder , used an artistic illustration to teach on Christians becoming more like Christ and displaying His attitude and actions to a lost world. The ODB author wrote: The National Portrait Gallery in London, England, houses a treasure of paintings from across the centuries, including 166 images of Winston Churchill, 94 of William Shakespeare, and 20 of George Washington. With the older portraits, we may wonder: Is that what these individuals really looked like? 
For instance, there are eight paintings of Scottish patriot William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), but we obviously don’t have photographs to compare them to. How do we know if the artists accurately represented Wallace? 

And I think the ODB illustration is an interesting and pertinent allegory, depicting how we, as disciples of Christ, appear to others when we live our lives as CHRISTIANS in this ever darkening world. And it begs the all important personal question, at least for me today, … Do other see Jesus in me?!

So, PLEASE take the time to use the song link above, viewing today’s attached photo, asking that question of yourself as you read along with me. There’s another illustrative story of Jesus’ Disciples becoming what He commanded them to become (see Luke 9:23 and Acts 1:8). It’s that time depicted in Acts 4:1-22 (linked above) where Peter and John we brought before the Sanhedrin, who were doing all they could to suppress the Gospel spreading in Jerusalem in those days after the resurrection. And these Jewish leaders could not deny what they were seeing in these men; … and that was the persona of Jesus working thru these disciples.

So, as we reflect on the highlight passage above (primarily Philippians 2:5), let’s all ask ourselves if, in our daily lives, others see Jesus in the way we think, talk, and act. If not, … I think we all, as I am today, need to ask ourselves: “What do I need to be doing to become a portrait of Jesus for others to see when they see me?”

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I want others to see YOU when they see me. … Amen

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

March 7, 2017 ... Surrender to a Great God

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 66 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of one my favorite versions of an old hymn sung by Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill … How Great Thou Art … poignantly singing and playing a great poetic modern psalm about the greatness of our God. … Folks; … HE IS SO GREAT!!! … And WE ARE NOT!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Job 38:11 [NLT] … 
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. … Here your proud waves must stop! 
… The waves of pride stop where our humanity ends and God’s deity remains.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 38:1-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God confronts Job with His greatness; and Job is broken by the truth.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon documents, for God, where our pride must stop and our trust in God’s greatness takes over; and that word is SURRENDER!!

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 2nd Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … 
9 Each time He [Jesus] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
… Pride gets us no where! .. Humility brings God’s grace to cover our weakness.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 5::5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter quotes Solomon that our pride thwarts God’s greatness working in our lives.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, a new writer, Sheridan Voysney , used an historical story to illustrate our human challenge to set aside our pride and let the greatness of God’s strength cover our weakness The ODB author wrote: King Canute was one of the most powerful men on earth in the eleventh century. In a now-famous tale, it is said that he ordered his chair to be placed on the shore as the tide was rising. “You are subject to me,” he said to the sea. “I command you, therefore, not to rise on to my land, nor to wet the clothing or limbs of your master.” But the tide continued to rise, drenching the king’s feet. 
This story is often told to draw attention to Canute’s pride. Actually, it’s a story about humility. “Let all the world know that the power of kings is empty,” Canute says next, “save Him by whose will heaven, earth and sea obey.” Canute’s story makes a point: God is the only all-powerful One.

When do we get it, my dear ones? … GOD is GOD; and we are not!!

 It took a long time for Job to get that message (see highlight passage above). Solomon knew it (see Prov. 3:5-6); but he lost it for awhile, … coming back to write of the vanity of self indulgence in Ecclesiastes. And finally, Jesus had to die on a cross for His disciples to surrender their all to His Spirit.

But I’m afraid too many of us play the King Canute role in our lives [see photo], don’t we? We let our pride get in the way of our humble surrender to the greatness of a God, Who deeply cares for us, … enough that He sent His Son to die for us. And enough that He will pour His grace of enlightenment, enablement, and empowerment into the saved hearts of true believers who’re willing to humble ourselves before His greatness.

Who is willing to sing along with the incredible version of the song linked today, declaring, … ”How great thou art!!” Who will join me it surrendering our all to our Lord today?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I give up!! … 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.

March 6, 2017 ... Real Love Is Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 65 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of lyrics from The Judds singing their song … Love Can Build A Bridge … poignantly singing of the power of God’s love, expressed in our lives, to build bridges between broken people.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Corinthians 13:7 [NLT] … 
7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. … What real love is all about.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, teaches on perfected love.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 13:34-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus calls all His disciples (you and me) to show His kind of love to others.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 14:21 [NLT] … 
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 
… When we’re truly Jesus' disciples and are obedient to His word, we can show the love He manifests in/thru us.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Acts 9:1-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul’s conversion shows that when we surrender to Christ as Lord, He can transform even the most hateful humans into vessels of love.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Poh Fang Chia, used a personal story to illustrate our human challenge to find/express the love of God to others. The ODB author wrote: Her voice shook as she shared the problems she was having with her daughter. Worried about her teenager’s questionable friends, this concerned mum confiscated her daughter’s mobile phone and chaperoned her everywhere. Their relationship seemed only to go from bad to worse. 
When I spoke with the daughter, I discovered that she loves her mum dearly but is suffocating under a smothering love. She longs to break free. As imperfect beings, we all struggle in our relationships. 
Whether we are a parent or child, single or married, we grapple with expressing love the right way, saying and doing the right thing at the right time. We grow in love throughout our lifetime. 

Real love, the Jesus kind of love, is tough, isn’t it? … In reality, … maybe it’s even impossible, … especially for us imperfect and sin-ridden people. But the Apostle Paul, in 1st Corinthians 13, the so-called “love chapter,” told his fellow Christians what that kind of love was (is). But as in the scenario above, we have trouble doing what the Judds sing about in today’s linked song, … i.e., building bridges between our imperfect hearts with the love of Christ.

But the Apostle Paul, as today’s OBD entry depicts, was a good example of the love Jesus was [and is] and what He called us to be. Paul, when he was Saul of Tarsus, was ridden with hate, doing all he could to have Christians killed. But after his conversion and surrender to Christ [see Acts 9], he became a man who could (and did) share the love of God and His gospel message with any/all he could.

Yes, as the Judd’s sing in the linked song, Jesus’ love can build bridges. But real love, as Charlie Brown expresses above, IS Jesus; … and only when we can be Jesus to others can we build bridges of love between us. How about we go out and build some bridges today?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to be Your love when I encounter others today, … especially those who are difficult to love. … 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.

March 5, 2017 ... Open Arms

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 64 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … How Deep the Father’s Love … poignantly singing of the open arms of Christ on the cross, offering His love and WELCOME to any/all who would accept the grace of His saving love.

 {How many of my readers are old enough to remember 
the "Welcome Wagon?"

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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 13:2 [NLT] … 
2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 
… A straight-forward principle which is being lost to our current culture.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 13:1-3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God thru the author of Hebrews exhorts all Christians to extend hospitality to others. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Matthew 25:40, 45 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
... When we reach out to extend God’s love in welcoming others, we are showing the welcome Christ gives to all who come to Him.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 13:34-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… When we extend the open arms of “WELCOME” to others we showing the love Christ has extend to all … and we exhibit openly our being disciples of Christ.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, used a personal story to illustrate how we Christians should extend hospitality to others in Christ’s Name. The ODB author wrote: The dinner where we hosted families from five nations remains a wonderful memory. Somehow the conversation didn’t splinter into twos, but we all contributed to a discussion of life in London from the viewpoints of different parts of the world. At the end of the evening, my husband and I reflected that we had received more than we gave, including the warm feelings we experienced in fostering new friendships and learning about different cultures. 

When I was a young man, growing up in the midwest of the USA, when someone moved into our community, an organization called “WELCOME WAGON” visited the new person[s] to the community or neighborhood, giving them a basket full of “goodies," and extending a warm welcome on behalf of the community [see photo above]. I’m afraid that cultural tradition of extending hospitality to any/all, as taught by the Author of Hebrews (see highlight scripture), is sorely lacking in our world/culture these days.

 Recently, my wife and I had a new person moved in next door to us; and we decided to get out of our comfort zone (well, at least mine) and do all we could to make our new neighbor welcome. We had never really done much of that before, being loners by nature. But our hospitality was more than welcomed by our new next-door neighbor; and I think we’ve made a friend, … one whom we’ll be close to as long as she lives next to us - and even beyond that should she move.

 Jesus said that when we extend His love to others, we are really showing the love/hospitality He offers to any/all who would come to Him [hear the song above]; and we also show that we are Christ’s disciples when we reach out to welcome others. [See reference scriptures above] So, to whom can we extend the open arms of fellowship or hospitality today?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to be You with open arms to others, … just has You have been to me … ALWAYS. … Amen

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

March 4, 2017 ... Comfortable Like Old Shoes

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 63 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … I Will Follow … poignantly singing of how we follow a Lord who will always lead us where we need to go.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 139:4 [NLT] … 
4 You (God) know what I’m going to say even before I say it. 
… Jesus ALWAYS know how we feel.
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 Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 139:1-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David had gotten to know His God well and expresses how God’s all knowing, ever present nature allows Him to know, not only our goings/comings, … but our hearts as well. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … We can trust in a God Who knows our innermost feelings and will never lead us astray.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : …1st Peter 5:5-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … … Once again, we know HE knows us and is always there to care for us. My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, used a very comfortable, but personal, word picture to describe walking in the shoes of our Lord. The ODB author wrote: Sometimes my wife and I finish each other’s sentences. In over thirty years of marriage we’ve become increasingly familiar with the way the other thinks and speaks. We may not even have to finish a sentence at all; just a word or a glance is enough to express a thought. There’s comfort in that—like an old pair of shoes you continue to wear because they fit so well. Sometimes we even refer to each other affectionately as “my old shoe”—a compliment that might be difficult to understand if you didn’t know us well! Through the years our relationship has developed a language of its own, with expressions that are the result of decades of love and trust. 

My wife and I are much like the couple described above. Married for 50+ years, we also finish each other’s sentences and often are thinking EXACTLY what comes out of the mouth of the other. Yes, … I guess we are like that comfortable pair of shoes we love to wear [see photo "old shoes"]; … but our shared hearts are nothing akin to what we share with the heart of our Savior. He knows us even better than we know ourselves; and when we’re willing to put Him on, and wear Him, like a comfortable pair of shoes, we can walk with Him though life knowing that He will always take us where we need to go.

 I expect you readers have noted that I’ve been using many of the same reference scriptures over and over again the last few days. Well, there’s a reason for that; … they wear well … like an old pair of comfortable shoes. LOL!!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, You always know my heart and I know you’ve walked in my shoes. It feels so good to walk with 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.

March 3, 2017 ... Sharing My Pain

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 62 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Wayne Watson singing … Friend of a Wounded Heart … again … poignantly singing of how we have Someone who always cares and will always be there for us … our King Jesus, … Who ALWAYS meets us where we are.

 {Real EMPATHY IS ... "Been there, ... done that, ... 

know EXACTLY how you feel!"}

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 16:22 [NLT] … 
22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. 
… Jesus ALWAYS know how we feel.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 16:19-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus had perfect empathy for the fears felt by His disciples in the upper room; and yet He also knew what they would feel after He was risen again.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Hebrews 13:5  … USE THIS LINK ...
… We don’t have to fear before men because we worship a God Who will never leave, nor forsake us.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : …1st Peter 5:5-7  … USE THIS LINK …
… When we humble ourselves before His throne of grace we come to One Who knows our pain and cares for our sorrows.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, taught about the essence of real empathy which was personified in the upper room when Jesus knew EXACTLY the fears and feelings of His remaining eleven disciples. The ODB author wrote: There’s something special about the comfort of others who have experienced our pain. They know. 
Just before Jesus’s arrest, He warned His disciples, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” But in the next breath He comforted them: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). In mere hours, the disciples would be devastated by Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion. But their crushing grief soon turned to a joy they could not have imagined when they saw Him alive again. 

When someone goes through something painful, we might be able to “sympathize” with their pain; but only someone who’s been thru what we’re going through can truly “empathize” with our pain. That’s why, no matter what we’re going thru or feeling, Jesus knows what it is. He has felt it; and He will always care for us like no other.

Once again today, as in my blog for yesterday, I link readers to hear the lyrics and feel the emotions in Wayne Watson’s poignant song; and then to know that anytime we bring our cares to our Savior in prayer, He’s there for us, cares for us, and will feel our pain like no other.

Perhaps readers here are feeling some kind of pain, or loss, or anguish today. If so, take them to our God, Who always cares for us.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, again today, I bring my cares to You because You know perfectly my feelings, andYou care for me. … Amen

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

March 2, 2017 ... He Understands and He Cares

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 61 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Wayne Watson singing … Friend of a Wounded Heart … poignantly singing of how we have Someone who always cares and will always be there for us … our King Jesus, … Who ALWAYS meets us where we are.

 {Imagine being nestled and hugged in the arms of Jesus}

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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 2: 18 [NLT] … 
18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. 
… He knows our pain!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 2:5-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus can exercise the ultimate in empathy for our sorrows because tho fully God, He was fully man and experienced all of our pains.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Hebrews 13:5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… We don’t have to fear before men because we worship a God Who will never leave, nor forsake us.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : …1st Peter 5:5-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
 … When we humble ourselves before His throne of grace we come to One Who knows our pain and cares for our sorrows.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, told of the funeral of the cartoonist who created the classic Charley Brown comics. The ODB author wrote: At the memorial service for Charles Schulz (1922–2000), creator of the beloved Peanuts comic strip, friend and fellow cartoonist Cathy Guisewite spoke of his humanity and compassion. “He gave everyone in the world characters who knew exactly how all of us felt, who made us feel we were never alone. And then he gave the cartoonist himself, and he made us feel that we were never alone. . . . He encouraged us. He commiserated with us. He made us feel he was exactly like us.” 

Do you realize that when we surrender our lives and our cares to King Jesus, we can - anytime - fall into the caring arms of THE ONE Who knows our pain and can share in our sorrows?
{AGAIN, close your eyes and imagine a big hug from your friend, King Jesus! - See photo!}
From today’s highlight text, we know that our Lord lived it all and even died for our cares; and when we come to him - as you may have right now - we come to a God, Who, as it says in the reference texts above, cares deeply for us and will never leave us nor forsake us. As Wayne Watson sings in today’s linked song, … Jesus is the “Friend of a Wounded Heart.” 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I bring my cares to You today because I know You care for me. … Amen

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

March 1, 2017 ... His Everything - FOR ME!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 60 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman singing a contemporary version of Isaac Watts’ classic hymn … Oh The Wonderful Cross … powerfully singing of the wonder and magnificence of what Christ accomplished for mankind by dying on that cross.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 27:54 [NLT] … 
54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” 
… At them moment of Christ’s death even the Centurion recognized that Jesus was the Son of God. But do we?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 27:45-54 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The passion of The Christ on that wonderful/terrible cross.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Luke 9: 23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 
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 declared clearly what it would take to follow Him from the cross into the world for His glory.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 12:1 [NLT] … 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.
 … The Apostle determined what it took for him to be an acceptable sacrifice for His Lord. And he pled for fellow Christians to follow him. But do we?!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, used the lyrics from Isaac Watts’ classic hymn to teach on the wonder (and horror) of the Cross. The ODB author wrote: Young Isaac Watts found the music in his church sadly lacking, and his father challenged him to create something better. Isaac did. His hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” has been called the greatest in the English language and has been translated into many other languages. 
Watts’s worshipful third verse ushers us into the presence of Christ at the crucifixion. “Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.” —Isaac Watts The crucifixion Watts describes so elegantly stands as history’s most awful moment. We do well to pause and stand with those around the cross. 

If you’ve taken the time (and I hope you have) to use the link above to hear a contemporary version of the famous Isaac Watts hymn; and you’ve taken in the Scriptures provided above, I really think the ODB words today are quite enough. And they have, this morning, for me, taken me emotionally once again to the foot of the cross to gaze emotionally and spiritually on that scene with Jesus shedding His blood to bring ME, in my brokenness, into His family and into eternal fellowship with Him.

How could I (and WE) not join in with the Apostle Paul desiring to become living sacrifices for our Lord (see Romans 12:1)? He gave His everything for me (us)! How can I (we) not do all I (we) can to give my (our) everything for Him?!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, empower me with Your grace to die daily to self for You. … Amen

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

February 28, 2017 ... Defeating Death

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 59 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Babbie Mason at a Gaither gathering singing … All Rise … declaring in song the reality of how Christians will one day live forever worshipping the Messiah.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 11:43-44 [NLT] … 
43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” 
… Defeating death is simply a matter of believing on Jesus being the resurrection and the life. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 11:1-44 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus showed that He even had power over death by raising His friend, Lazarus, from the dead. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … John 3:16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 
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. 
… Death has no power over our Lord!

Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … 1st Cor. 15: 56:57 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 
56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
… Paul knew, believed, and taught that death has no power over life because of the finished work of King Jesus.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Roper, used the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the death to illustrate the truth that we Christians need NEVER fear death. The ODB author wrote: To be clear, our bodies will die—and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. But the thinking, reasoning, remembering, loving, adventuring part of us that we call “me, myself, and I” will never, ever die. 
And here’s the best part: It’s a gift! All you have to do is receive the salvation Jesus offers. C. S. Lewis, musing on this notion, describes it as something like “a chuckle in the darkness”—the sense that something that simple is the answer. 

Death is one of the great fears for mankind, … especially for the non-believer; because, in their mindset, death is so final. It’s the end. Nothing … NO THING … comes after death.

But for the Christian, believing on the finished work of Christ, Who, in the highlight passage above declared Himself to the “resurrection and the life,” and showed His power over death by raising Lazarus (see photo), death is, as C.W. Lewis declared, … “a chuckle in the darkness.”

Death is defeated by/in Christ (see 1st Cor. 15 passage). When Jesus died on the Cross and rose again, no one need fear death any longer; because our Messiah has called all who believe on Him to eternal life. And our faith in Jesus is what frees us from the sting of death.

Do we believe in Christ as the resurrection and the life? … If our answer is “YES,” then let’s come out from the grave of sin, like Lazarus, throw off our grave clothes, wearing Christ’s robes of righteousness, … and live!!l And for all who so believe, I challenge you to see/hear Babbie Mason sing the linked song above and then … to join me to declare joyfully, … “HALLELUJAH!!” 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I will live forever with You!! … HALLELUJAH!! … Amen

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

February 27, 2017 ... Glowing in the Dark

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 58 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jason Gray singing … Glow In The Dark … declaring in song the reality of how Christians should be able to glow Christlikeness in this very dark world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 3:20 [NLT] … 
20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 
… Those who are in Christ glow with His light in the darkness of this world.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 3:16-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus makes it clear why He came to save those who come to Him in faith … to bring us from the darkness of sin into the light of truth.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...  
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 promises us that we will shine forth in this world as His witnesses.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, tells a story about Plato to illustrate how a Christian’s character will be very visible and never invisible. The ODB author wrote: The Greek philosopher Plato (c. 427–c. 348 bc) found an imaginative way of shining light on the dark side of the human heart. He told the story of a shepherd who innocently discovered a golden ring that had been hidden deep in the earth. One day a great earthquake opened up an ancient mountainside tomb and revealed the ring to the shepherd. By accident he also discovered that the ring had the magical ability to enable the wearer to become invisible at will. Thinking about invisibility, Plato raised this question: If people didn’t have to worry about being caught and punished, would they resist doing wrong? 

This ancient philosophical illustration was much like that of Jesus relating to Nicodemus one dark night how man must be born again to come out of the darkness of sin into the light Christ offers to all who believe on His Name [see highlight passage]. And that’s what happens for those of us in Christ in this world. Living in Christ and being His witnesses, we become very visible - even repugnant - to the world.

As Jason Gray sings in the linked song, when we openly witness for Christ (see Acts 1:8), we begin to glow Christlikeness in a sin-darkened world. And as the images in the You Tube of today’s song illustrate, the world will not like the light which emanates from us as Christians. And they will do all they can to shut down our Light, … even trying to snuff out that glow.

Let me pray that as we go about in this ever-darkening world, … even today, … that we glow like Jesus in the dark (see photo).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, shine Your light thru me. … Amen

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

February 26, 2017 ... He’s My Friend ALWAYS!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 57 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … I Am A Friend of God … powerfully declaring what Christ’s sacrifice has brought into the lives of those now in faith can call God a friend and not an enemy. Hey friends, God is my friend!!! Hallelujah!!!

Professional Golf Hospitality Tent

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 3:12 [NLT] … 
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 
… Christ’s finished work on the cross gives me (you too!) direct access to His presence. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 2:11-13, 3:7-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul teaches Christians on our ability to come boldly and directly to God as a child to his/her Father.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Matthew 28: 20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...  
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 promises to be with His disciples … ALWAYS.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, used a sports analogy to show that we ALWAYS have access to our God. The ODB author wrote: A few years ago, a friend invited me to join him as a spectator at a pro golf tournament. Being a first-timer, I had no idea what to expect. When we arrived, I was surprised to receive gifts, information, and maps of the golf course. But what topped it all was that we gained access to a VIP tent behind the 18th green [see photo], where we had free food and a place to sit. I couldn’t have gained entry to the hospitality tent on my own though. The key was my friend; it was only through him that I had complete access. 
Left to ourselves, we would all be hopelessly separated from God. But Jesus, who took our penalty, offers us His life and access to God. 

The Apostle Paul, who had once been an arch enemy of Jesus, The Christ, had intimately come to know His Lord; and he wanted all Christians to know that any/all who were born-again by faith in Christ could, as the linked song above declares, now come to the Lord as a friend. Yes, even the Gentiles, whom Paul once hated, were called by God to be His family members and friends [see highlight passages above].

Jesus certainly declared that truth in His Great Commission, didn’t He (see Matt. 28:20]?! … The question is, … do we believe it; and then, do we live out the reality that we can come to the God of the Universe and tell or ask Him anything as our friend?

How about you joining me today and let’s go to our Friend, Jesus, and USE THIS LINK ... listening to Andrew Gold and thanking Jesus for being our friend.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, thank You for being my friend and being with me ALWAYS! … Amen

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

February 25, 2017 ... Wholeheartedly His

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 56 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Steve Green singing … Find Us Faithful … powerfully declaring what should be the goal of every Christian … to be WHOLEHEARTEDLY faithful in following our Lord.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Numbers 14:25 [NLT] … 
24 But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. 
… God’s reward for Caleb’s wholehearted faithfulness - even thru the 40 years in the wilderness. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Numbers 13:26-32, 14:20-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Caleb … a great picture of steadfast faithfulness and surrender to God’s will.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
...  God’s promise of His faithful leading, … and that’s what Caleb experienced and we can too, if we remain faithful to follow our Lord.

Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … Matthew 22:35-38 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
... Jesus declares that God’s greatest commandment is to follow His will with all our heart, soul, and mind. Caleb did; … do we?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used this OT character of Caleb to illustrate steadfast, wholehearted, faithfulness in following God. The ODB author wrote: Caleb was a “wholehearted” person. He and Joshua were part of a twelve-man reconnaissance team that explored the Promised Land and gave a report to Moses and the people. Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Num. 13:30). 
But ten members of the team said they couldn’t possibly succeed. In spite of God’s promises, they saw only obstacles (vv. 31–33). Ten men caused the people to lose heart and grumble against God, which led to forty years of wandering in the desert. But Caleb never quit. The Lord said, “Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” (14:24). 

Do I really need to go on to clarify the message of today’s ODB entry? I think not!

So, … after anyone reading with me here today hears the song I often repeat as the highlight message in music; and then you take in the story of Caleb in the highlight passages above, along with Jesus’ explanation of God’s greatest commandment (see Matt. 22:35-38), I think you will agree that we are under conviction to go deeper into wholehearted following of Christ; … and to also do what Jesus commanded in Luke 9:23. [I hope you have that one memorized. If not, look it up; and see if you’re His faithful follower.]

I’m certainly under conviction; … how about you?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to go deeper in my wholehearted surrender to be Your disciple. … Amen

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

February 24, 2017 ... “What is!” vs “What if?”

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 55 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Sara Groves singing her song … All Right Here … poignantly declaring who we are in our relationship with our Lord.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 46:1 [NLT] …  
1 God is our refuge and strength, and always read to help in times of trouble. 
… God’s there for us no matter the “What if?” we feel or when we in the deepest pif of our life. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 46: 1-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David declares God's strength for us … NO MATTER WHAT !!!
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Psalms 23:4a [NLT] … 
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. … 
… No matter where we are, our Lord walks with us.

Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...
… God’s promise of His faithful leading, … yes, even when we’re in the darkest places.

Reference Passage #3 [NLT] : … Hebrews 13:5 [NLT] … 
5 “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you?” 
… The Author of Hebrews quoting God’s promise to Moses and His people (Deut. 31:6)

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Branon, used a dark personal remembrance to illustrate living in the “WHAT IS” rather than the “WHAT IF?” The ODB author wrote: Even all these years after losing our seventeen-year-old daughter Melissa in a car accident in 2002, I sometimes find myself entering the world of “What If.” It’s easy, in grief, to reimagine the events of that tragic June evening and think of factors that—if rearranged—would have had Mell arriving safely home. 
In reality, though, the land of “What If” is not a good place to be for any of us. It is a place of regret, second-guessing, and hopelessness. While the grief is real and the sadness endures, life is better and God is honored if we dwell in the world of “What Is.” 

I think many - if not all - of us have been in that “If I’d only” place in life, where we take ourselves into a dark place of “WHAT IF” … where self doubt causes us to live in anguish as with our ODB author today. But God wants us to live in His gracious land of “WHAT IS,” which He has gifted all who would trust Him rather than questioning our selves.

What is? … Well, it’s God ALWAYS being there for us when we’re waking through the valley of the shadow of death [Ps. 23:4]. It’s our Lord being our rock and our strength, when the earth is shaking beneath our feet [Ps. 46:1]. It’s Jesus’ blood covering all our “what ifs” when we come to Him in faith and surrender to His finished work.

Hence, today I sing with Sara Groves, even though things look very dark and I’m pondering a lot of “what ifs” in my life right now, … singing her song, I am All Right Here.

And I AM, … because I do trust in my Lord to be my rock, my strength, and my light through the darkness. I pray we are all living in the WHAT IS rather than in the WHAT IF.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I anchor my faith to You, … my Rock! … Amen

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

February 23, 2017 ... Focusing Forward

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 54 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from the group Selah singing … Press On … powerfully declaring the reality and truth of God’s wondrous saving grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 3:14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
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’s prize for us is way up ahead, … not in the past.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 3:12-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul showed fellow Christians that our focus for God’s kingdom must be forward and not on the past.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … 1st Corinthians 9:24-25 [NLT] … 
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 
… All Christians are in the race of life to win God’s eternal prize.

Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … At the end of his life, Paul could say to fellow Christians that he had run a good race and God’s prize awaited him in Heaven.

Reference Passage #3 [NLT] : … Hebrews 12:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … The Author of Hebrews shows how Christ ran his race for His Father, showing how we must run ours.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Marvin Williams, used the word picture of a TV show to illustrate our running a strong race for God in life. The ODB author wrote: One of my favorite television programs is The Amazing Race. In this reality show, ten couples are sent to a foreign country where they must race, via trains, buses, cabs, bikes, and feet, from one point to another to get their instructions for the next challenge. The goal is for one couple to get to a designated finishing point before everyone else, and the prize is a million dollars. 

I love to watch that reality show with my wife. It’s one of her favorites on TV these days; and we both love to watch the paired contestants struggling forward through the struggles contrived by the show as they attempt to move all over the world to win the big monetary prize. It’s a good word picture of life, … as the Apostle Paul pictured himself (and fellow Christians), running the race of life, struggling to win the wonderful prize set before us by God.

So, … after any reader here with me takes in the glorious song linked above by Selah; and we’ve meditated on the highlight and reference scriptures, perhaps we all can answer the questions posed by ODB author, Marvin Williams, in today’s devotional, as he wrote: How are we able to press on toward our future hope? … Read Hebrews 12:1–2 … What are some practical things we must do to continue to press on and persevere?  

Challenging, huh?! … Well, years ago I was given a word picture by a mentor which has helped me when I get side-tracked by the world or circumstances in life. He told me, “You can’t drive your car down the road by using only the rear-view mirror.” And I think that admonition is clear enough for any of us as we Christians move on down the road of life, don’t you?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, give me Your enlightening grace to stay focused on Your prize ahead. … Amen

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

February 22, 2017 ... Amazing, Saving Grace

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 53 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Judy Collins singing the most popular Christian song ever … Amazing Grace … powerfully declaring the reality and truth of God’s wondrous saving grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matt. 5:48, John 8:10-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The extent of God’s amazing grace on display even to an adulteress.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 5:43-48, John 8:1-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus on the extent of God’s grace.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Acts 9:20-22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...
… God’s amazing grace even saved a sinner like Saul to become the Apostle Paul.

Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … Romans 5:8, 10:9-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...
… And God’s amazing grace will save ANYONE who humbly repents and declares that Jesus is LORD … yes, even a broken sinner like me!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Phillip Yancey, went to scriptural examples of Jesus teaching and demonstrating God’s amazing/saving grace, … not the least of which was the miraculous conversion of Saul of Tarsus to become the Apostle Paul. The ODB author wrote: Jesus’ teaching about absolute ideals and absolute grace seem contradictory. … Jesus never lowered God’s perfect ideal. In His response to the rich young ruler, He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). 
Yet the same Jesus tenderly offered absolute grace. He forgave an adulteress [Matt. 8], a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing Him, and a man named Saul [Acts 9], who had made his mark persecuting Christians. 
Grace is absolute and all-encompassing, extending even to those who nailed Jesus to the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” were among the last words He spoke on earth (Luke 23:34). 

And any time the subject of God’s “AMAZING GRACE” is raised in my quiet times with God, I can’t help but reflect on the first verse of the poem by John Newton, a slave master turned Pastor, who wrote the lyrics to the most popular song in the history of God’s Church [linked above], … ”Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, Who saved a wretch like me.”

Why? … Because I was that wretch; and like the adulteress (from John 8) or the Jewish hit-man, Saul if Tarsus [see Acts 9], … I once was saved by surrendering to God’s amazing … saving … grace (see Romans 5:8 and 10:13). Perhaps you know personally of God’s AMAZING GRACE. … I pray so.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I pray all, who read here with me, have - like me - been saved by Your amazing grace. … Amen

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

February 21, 2017 ... Good News Going Viral

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 52 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from an old song … It Is No Secret What God Can Do … poignantly declaring the message of the Good News of God’s saving and sanctifying grace, … a message that needs to “go viral” to the world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1st Thessalonians 1:8 [NLT] … 
8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. 
… Paul had heard of how the Thessalonians had spread the good news of Christ throughout their area of God’s Kingdom and beyond.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul expressed His shared joy with fellow Christians at the word of their sharing the good news of Christ throughout Asia Minor in those days.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Matthew 4:18-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
... Jesus called His new disciples to follow Him and become “fishers of Men.” They did, shared God’s news with others and changed the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used the modern techno-term “going viral” to illustrate how God’s truth was shared in the past. The ODB author wrote: The Viral Texts project at Northeastern University in Boston is studying how printed content in the 1800s spread through newspapers—the social media network of that day. [See attached photo] If an article was reprinted 50 times or more, they considered that “viral” for the Industrial Age. Writing in Smithsonian magazine, Britt Peterson noted that a nineteenth-century news article describing which followers of Jesus were executed for their faith appeared in at least 110 different publications. 

In today’s techno-world, a message can, thru social-media on the internet, reach thousands of people - even millions - in a matter of hours. In the 19th century, newspapers were the media which shared a story of interest to the masses. And in biblical times, a message might go “viral” in a matter of weeks or months because the only media available was “word-of-mouth” communication.

Hence, when we read of the Apostle Paul congratulating the Thessalonians for taking The Gospel “viral” in their day [see highlight scriptures], we see that God could even use the messaging system in the 1st Century to spread His Good News to much of the world in that day.  

The Thessalonians simply shared how their lives had been changed by Christ as often and to as many as they could; and God’s Spirit allowed the “Good News” to go forth as viral as possible in those days. What this ODB message did for me was challenge me to ask myself if I was doing all I can to help God’s Good News, of how Christ changed ME, … praying that the message “go viral” with whom I communicate today.

We have amazing tools today to share God’s love and His message of salvation and sanctification. Are we using them as we could for God’s glory? Certainly that is greatly the motivation which brings me here everyday to share God’s truth with others thru my blogging online.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, I pray You use my meager messaging daily for Your glory. Take Your Good News viral to the 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.