May 12, 2017 … God’s Spirit Presence

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 132 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Francesca Battiselli singing her song … Holy Spirit … poignantly singing of the presence and power of the same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead and now lives in the hearts of all truly born-again Christians.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 16:13 … [NLT] … 
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 
… And that same Spirit promised to Jesus’ Disciples now is present right here with me today! 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 16:7-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus promises the coming presence and power of the Holy Spirit to His anxious Disciples the night before His crucifixion, the same Spirit Who resides now in the hearts of all born-again believers.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Deuteronomy 31:6-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The very same Spirit Who promised to go ahead of Moses and His people is the very same Spirit Who will go ahead of me today.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Psalm 116:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s Spirit will bend down to hear my (and your) prayers today.

Reference Passage #3 [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 promised ALL believers that His Spirit will be imparted into our hearts (and my heart today) to give us (me) the power to be His witnesses in this world; and that He would always be with me.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, told of a personal incident which reminded her of the constant presence/power of God’s Spirit in her life. The ODB author wrote: As I boarded the airplane to study in a city a thousand miles from home, I felt nervous and alone. But during the flight, I remembered how Jesus promised His disciples the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. 

My fellow Christian, reading with me here today, as I read that little vignette from the ODB this morning, I was reminded, as I often am, that when I came to this quiet place to pray and to meditate on God’s word, the very same Holy Spirit Who was promised to the 11 remaining Disciples the night before Jesus going to the cross (see highlight passage), is the Spirt who bent down to hear my prayers today (see Psalm 116:1-2); … and He’s the very same Spirit who promised Moses that He would NEVER forsake His people and would go ahead of them into the Promised Land, just as He will go ahead of me today (see Deut. 31:6-8).

And my friend, He’s the very same Spirit Whom Jesus has imparted into my (and your) heart so that we can be His witness in/to the world today. So, right now, I don’t know about you; but I’m feeling the very presence of God’s Spirit just as Francesca Battiselli sings in the linked song above. And PLEASE take the time to hear the song in your quiet time with God today! And then, let’s go with God’s Spirit and witness God’s love and grace to a world who needs Him desperately.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Your Spirit goes ahead with me today!! … 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.

May 11, 2017 … Choose Joy Anyway!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 131 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Sara Groves singing her song … Joy Is In Our Hearts … poignantly singing of the hope and joy we have in our relationship with Christ, Who is our joy and strength.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 1:23-24 … [NLT] … 
23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. 
… Paul decides that living for Christ was better than dying in Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 1:21-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul realized that living for others was his calling, even tho dying for Christ seemed wonderful. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Habakkuk 3:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Prophet sings of what he learned from God - that we can hold onto joy no matter what comes our way.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … James 1:2 [NLT] … 
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy 
… Jesus’ brother realizes and teaches that we can find joy in the midst of any trial.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 4:12-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter, in his painful trials late in life, wrote of why suffering for Christ should bring us closer to Him and therefore bring Joy.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, wrote of the inspiration of a woman who held on to her joy despite severe handicap. The ODB author wrote: An elderly woman named Violet sat on her bed in a Jamaican infirmary and smiled as some teenagers stopped to visit with her. The hot, sticky, midday air came into her little group home unabated, but she didn’t complain. Instead, she began wracking her mind for a song to sing. Then a huge smile appeared and she sang, “I am running, skipping, jumping, praising the Lord!” As she sang, she swung her arms back and forth as if she were running. Tears came to those around her, for Violet had no legs. She was singing because, she said, “Jesus loves me—and in heaven I will have legs to run with.” Violet’s joy and hopeful anticipation of heaven give new vibrancy to Paul’s words in Philippians 1 when he referred to life-and-death issues [see highlight passage above]. 

And when I think of someone holding on to joy in the midst of trials, I think of my favorite OT prophet, Habakkuk, who, in his Bible journal went from despair to delight and wrote of holding on to his joy in the midst of all trials in Habakkuk 3:17-18. And Jesus’ brother James, after Jesus was raised from the dead, wrote [see James 1:2] that, IN CHRIST, we, who have our hope in our forever relationship with the Savior, can choose joy in the midst of suffering just as Violet did in the OBD story recounted above. The Apostle Peter also wrote about our trials bringing us even closer to Christ as we suffer for His glory (see 1Peter 4:12-13).

We have to remember that JOY IS A CHOICE, not a feeling. … It’s tough though, isn’t it, … expressing joy when life hurts? Of course it is; and I believe it is only possible when we can focus on our hope in Christ rather than dwelling on the painful here-and-now. So, if any reader here is in the midst of some painful trial, take joy from what Jesus underwent so that we could be with Him in heaven FOREVER.

And one day, no matter what is going on now, we will be with Him.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … My joy comes from my hope in You! … Amen

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

May 10, 2017 … Dark Road Ahead

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 130 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing the old hymn … Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise … poignantly singing the light provided in the dark road of life by the immortal, invisible God of Glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Joshua 1:5, 9 … [NLT] … 
5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. … 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 
… God sent the light of His word and His promises to light the path of Joshua as he was to lead God’s people into the Promised Land.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Joshua 1:1-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… When the road ahead in life seemed dimmest for Joshua, God gives Him the Lord’s promises to light the way of His people.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 119:105 [NLT] … 
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 
… The Psalmist declares that God will always light the path of the faithful with the light of His truth.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 28:20[NLT] … 
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 
… Jesus’ promises that He will ALWAYS be with us as we carry our His Great commission.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … John 8: 12 [NLT] … 
12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” 
… Jesus so clearly tells His followers that He, alone, is the light of the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a personal story to illustrate how God lights our path when things seem darkest. The ODB author wrote: As we ventured home from a family vacation, the road took us through some desolate parts of central Oregon. For nearly two hours after dusk we drove through deep canyons and across desert plateaus. Fewer than twenty sets of headlights punctuated the darkness. Eventually the moon rose on the horizon, visible to us when the road crested hills but eclipsed when we traveled through the lowlands. My daughter remarked on its light, calling it a reminder of God’s presence. I asked whether she needed to see it to know He was there. She replied, “No, but it sure helps.” 

The attached photo can be a visual of how life seems sometimes, can’t it; … like a dark road with very little light to show us the way to go? Well, that’s how Joshua must’ve felt when Moses died and the task of leading God’s people into the Promised Land fell to his shoulders. And in the fist few verses of Joshua, Chapter 1 (esp. vs 5, 9), God gives old Josh His promise that He (GOD) would always be there to light the way for Joshua and His obedient people.

And that promise was reiterated by Jesus to His followers as He walked among them (see John 8:12; and especially as He gave His disciples His Great Commission upon ascending to Heaven (see Matthew 28:20. And that promise holds for any believer today who desires to surrender to the Lord and follow Him down the dark roads of this life.

And that’s why you find me here everyday, seeking out the light, His Light (see John 8:12) which comes from God’s word (see Psalm 119:105; … because I know [REALLY KNOW!] that His truth will ALWAYS light my way, … no matter how dark the road ahead may seem.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … You are the light of the world, … shine it brightly on my path that I will always follow it down the dark roads of life. … Amen

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

May 9, 2017 … Sharing the Good Stuff

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 129 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Avalon singing … Testify to Love … powerfully singing of Jesus’s calling for us to be His witnesses to the world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 1:6-8 … [NLT] … 
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 
… God sent John the Baptist to be a witness to the truth of the Messiah, Who had come to be the Light of the world.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 1:6-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Apostle John testifies about John the Baptizer, who came to be a witness to the coming of the Messiah in his time.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Matthew 5:13-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus calls us to be “salt and light” as witnesses to His grace.

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.” 
… Just before His ascension, Jesus called all His disciples, using the power of God’s Spirit, to be His witnesses to to a lost world.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 2nd Timothy 2:1-2 [NLT] … 
1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 
… Paul calls Timothy (and all Christians) to share (i.e., testify) to what we know to be THE TRUTH.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 2:9 1 [NLT] … 
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. 
… Peter calling on all Christians to share the light of Christ [i.e, the Gospel Truth] with a dying world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lawrence Darmani, uses a rather common word picture of God’s desire for His chosen ones to be His witnesses in the world [see photo of witnessing to the truth in court]. The ODB author wrote: During court proceedings, witnesses are more than onlookers or spectators. They are active participants who help determine the outcome of a case. The same is true of our witness for Christ. We are to be active participants in a matter of absolute importance—the truth of Jesus’s death and resurrection. 

I hope all who read here have taken in God’s call, thru His word, for all of us to be salt and light in the world, i.e., witnesses to His gospel truth, as Jesus Himself called us to be (see Matt. 5:13-16 and Acts 1:8). And both Paul and Peter strongly exhorted their fellow Christians to carry the torch of truth, i.e., the Gospel, to this lost/dying world (see 2Tim. 2:2 and 1Peter 2:9).

So the challenge from today’s ODB to me (and you) is quite simple. Are we doing what Avalon sings in the linked song … i.e., testifying to God’s love in our lives? If not, my friends, let’s go out and share the best thing that ever happened in our lives (i.e. receiving God’s grace) with others.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Give me an opportunity, even today, to share Your love with others. … Amen

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

May 8, 2017 … Waiting For His Way

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 128 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Michael W Smith singing his song … I’ll Wait For You … poignantly singing of Jesus waiting for all who know Him as Lord … so why can’t we wait for Him?

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 90:12 … [NLT] … 
12 Teach us (LORD) to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. 
… Even in the darkest of moments, Jesus and His Disciples in the upper room sang praises to their God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 90 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Moses’ song remember how God waits for His people to wait for Him.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Waiting on God’s will and then following it can be a tough wait at times.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all whose thoughts are fixed on You. 
… Peace can only come to those who patiently wait and focus on God.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. … “ 
… Jesus’ charge to disciples … to deny our selves, to wait on Him, and then follow Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, used a personal remembrance to teach on how believers often find the toughness part of following God’s way is to wait on Him to show the way. The ODB author wrote: Over the last few years, two members of my family have faced life-threatening diagnoses. For me, the hardest part of supporting them through their treatments has been the constant uncertainty. I am always desperate for a definitive word from a doctor, but things are rarely that straightforward. Instead of being given clarity, we are often asked to wait. 

Waiting can be tougher than doing sometimes, can’t it? And how many time has God led me here daily to use those three reference passages to which I made reference above? If you’ve followed my journaling these past years, you’d answer, “OFTEN!!” And that says something important to me, especially since I’m waiting on God each day to give me more of His wisdom. It says that He’s telling me something personally; … and that is quite simply … “WAIT ON ME, BILL!”

And He says to all of us, “TRUST ME, I”LL SHOW YOU THE WAY … MY WAY! But do we? I don’t know about any reader here today, but all too often I want to go MY WAY instead of waiting on and following HIS WAY. And I tend to go off some rabbit-trail to failure.

I’m reminded today to wait on my Lord to show me HIS WAY just as He is this morning as I seek His will and His way thru His word. So, i’ll keep coming back here and using the best “GPS” in the world [i.e., His word] to find my way thru this life. How about you?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Again today I’m waiting on You to show me Your way … and You ALWAYS do! … Amen

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

May 7, 2017 … Praise Him Anyway!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 127 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the group Hillsong singing their song … Sing To The Lord … singing praises to our Lord in worship to King Jesus … Let’s sing with them … “GREAT IS OUR GOD!!”

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 26:30 … [NLT] … 
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. 
… Even in the darkest of moments, Jesus and His Disciples in the upper room sang praises to their God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 26:18-30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed and crucified and yes, He and His Disciples sang praises to God.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 104:33 [NLT] … 
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath. 
… A song of praise … to be sung no matter what our circumstances might be.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Psalm 118:22-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… From the Songs of Praise for Passover, God’s people sing praises as their Messiah would become their cornerstone.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, tells of a friend being able to praise God as the friend’s world became darker and darker. The ODB author wrote: Even though my friend Mickey was losing his eyesight, he told me, “I’m going to keep praising God every day, because He’s done so much for me.” Jesus gave Mickey, and us, the ultimate reason for such never-ending praise. 

It’s tough to praise God in dark times, isn’t it? But shouldn’t we take heart from Jesus singing praises in His darkest hour of passion (see highlight passage). And from the praise songs He and His disciples sang in that upper room (likely from Psalms 113-118 - see Ps. 118:22-24 above).

And today, likely some reading here are going thru a time of darkness, maybe even despair. But can we set our downers aside for a moment; and get on our knees, as I have this day, and praise our Lord … for He his good … and He has taken on the ultimate in darkness that we might live in His light forever?

And no matter what our condition might be today, let us join with the group Hillsong in the linked song and let us all praise His Holy Name!!!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … We, who love You, come here today to PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME!! … Amen

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

May 6, 2017 … Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Forgive

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 126 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Laura Story singing her song … Grace Abounds … and THEN TO THIS LINK  to hear a YouTube explanation by the songwriter about how/why she wrote the song.  

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 18:26-27 … [NLT] … 
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! 
… Jesus tells Peter that our forgiveness should be like His of us … i.e., forever forgiveness. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 18:21-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus parable in response to Peter asking the Lord how often we should forgive one who’s sinned against us.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Colossians 3:12-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul on how we should live to reflect Christliness in our lives. Especially meditate on Verse 13.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a personal story to teach on how difficult it is to break free from our own selfish desires and forgive someone who has wronged us or to forgive someone who has wronged others in our world. The ODB author wrote: I arrived early at my church to help set up for an event. A woman stood crying at the opposite end of the sanctuary. She’d been cruel and gossiped about me in the past, so I quickly drowned out her sobs with a vacuum cleaner. Why should I care about someone who didn’t like me? 
When the Holy Spirit reminded me how much God had forgiven me, I crossed the room. The woman shared that her baby had been in the hospital for months. We cried, embraced, and prayed for her daughter. After working through our differences, we’re now good friends. 

Wow, … it can be so, so difficult at times to forgive others the way Jesus has forgiven us sinners, can’t it? But as Laura Story sings in her poignant song, linked above, God’s grace does abound in our hears to do what the ODB author did in her testimony above.

These days we see so many things where people are being hostile to other people; and we even experience that personally at times. But as Jesus related to Peter when His Disciple asked how often we should forgive others [see highlight passage], the Lord’s parable spoke to the reality that our willingness to forgive should be forever and always .

Too often I find myself in a “coulda-shoulda-woulda” attitude when I have the opportunity to forgive someone; … but then, due to pride or selfishness, I don’t. Perhaps you’ve got that T-shirt too. Well, how about we pray to let God give us His grace to reach out with our willingness to forgive … just like Jesus was willing to forgive us?

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Give me the grace to forgive the very next person You show me I should when I’m given Your opportunity to show Your love/mercy to others. … Amen

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

May 5, 2017 … The Memory’s Ministry

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 12 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Sara Groves singing her song … I’ll Wait … poignantly singing about in what all Christians need to invest more of our selves … remembering where we’ve been and waiting on God to lead us in His direction.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Jeremiah 29:10-11 … [NLT] … 
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 
… God’s specific promise to His people in exile; … and His New Covenant promise when The Lord, in God’s plan, returns to take His Bride home to be with Him forever.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Jeremiah 29:4-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… After Judah’s exile to Babylon, God, thru Jeremiah, charges His believing remnant to trust His plan for them and to work for His glory while in exile, promising to return them to the Promised Land one day. … And He will one day!!
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 119:105 [NLT] … 
105  Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 
… Clear enough, don’t you think?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] … 
5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. 
… God always has a plan - HIS PLAN - for His remnant of repentant believers; but do we believe it and are we willing to wait on His plan to unfold?

Reference Passage #3 [NLT] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He (Jesus) said to the crowd, “If any of you want to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. 
… So often we’re not willing to wait on God leading the way; and we try to go it on our own.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Philippians 3:13-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God gives us a good plan to follow Him … don’t you think?!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used the teachings of famous Bible teacher, Oswald Chambers, to prod us, as Christians, to be more patient in finding God’s way rather than trying to push thru life on our own. The ODB author wrote: Our experiences of loss and disappointment may leave us feeling angry, guilty, and confused. Whether our choices have closed some doors that will never reopen or, through no fault of our own, tragedy has invaded our lives, the result is often what Oswald Chambers called “the unfathomable sadness of ‘the might have been.’ ” We may try to suppress the painful memory, but discover we can’t. 
Chambers reminds us that the Lord is still active in our lives. “Never be afraid when God brings back the past,” he said. “Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its rebuke and chastisement and sorrow. God will turn the ‘might have been’ into a wonderful [place of growth] for the future.” 

True, isn’t it?! … All too often we become impatient, especially when things don’t go the way we want them to. And we forge ahead to find our own way thru the fogginess of life, rather than looking for God’s lighthouse our using His GPS (i.e., God’s word) to follow HIS plan for our lives. We try to drive down God’s road using the rearview mirror, rather than just looking at what’s out there ahead of us and trusting God to show us HIS way [see the reference scriptures above].

The rearview mirror (i.e., our memories) should be God’s memory ministry, to help us avoid the pot holes and detours of life. But as Sara Groves sings, we should wait on God to make HIS way clear to us and then go down His road in life, looking out ahead of us to follow our Lord and let Him light the way (primarily using His word).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Everyday I come here seeking Your way and Your will thru Your word; and You shine a light on my path. … Amen

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

May 4, 2017 … Desperate For You, Lord !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 124 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Bebo Norman singing … I Will Lift My Eyes … poignantly singing of where we need to go when we’re desperate … first to lift our prayers to our God.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 102: 17 … [NLT] … 
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. 
… TRUTH!! And if we believed it, where would [or should] we go first when we’re desperate? 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 102:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist showed where he went - and we should go - in prayer to His Lord.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 121:1-2 [NLT] … 
9  I look up to the mountains-does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 
… A prayer from desperate believers, ascending to Jerusalem to be with the Lord for Passover.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 14:32-36 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Where did Jesus go when He was desperate and on His way to the cross? … And shouldn’t we do the same thing when we’re desperate?

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : ... Romans 8:26-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ... 
… God, thru Paul, teaches how His Spirit will intercede for us before God’s throne of grace when we’re so desperate we don’t even know what to say in prayer.

Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ...
… God, again thru Paul, teaches where to go when we’re desperate.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, referred to the Pslamist of Psalm 102, illustrating where we, who are desperate, must go with our needs. The ODB author wrote: The writer of Psalm 102 knew the importance of prayer. This psalm is labeled, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.” He cried out, “Hear my prayer, Lord; . . .  when I call, answer me quickly” (vv. 1–2). God looks down “from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he [views] the earth” (v. 19). 

Dear one; … ever been in a place in life where you didn’t know what to do … a place of desperation? … I think we all could probably remember such a time; … or maybe we’re there right now; and we don’t even know how, or even what, to pray.

So, where do we turn in such a situation? And the answer - OF COURSE - is God, But do we … and then if we do, how do we pray as Bebo Norman sings in the linked song?

And I’ve learned over my years of following King Jesus [which are many!] to take heed to what Paul taught in Phil. 4:6-7 because of the truth of what God teaches in Rom. 8:26-27 … that God’s Spirit will intervene for us when we desperately and humbly come to God’s throne of grace, not knowing even what to prayer for.

That’s where Jesus went when He was most desperate (see Mark 14:32-36), didn't He?   And if it’s a good enough strategy for our Lord, shouldn’t it be good enough for you and me?!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … You’re always there when we come to You in desperation. … Amen

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

May 3, 2017 … Right Here … Today!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 123 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Psalms with an unnamed soloist singing … Surely the Presence of the Lord Is In This Place … poignantly singing of the wondrous feeling of sensing God’s presence.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 28:16-17 … [NLT] … 
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” 
… With a true believer, one touch from the Messiah is all it takes.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 28: 10-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jacob dreamed of a stairway to Heaven and realized that God had been present in His dream and would one day take him to be with the Lord.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … 1st Chronicles 28:9 [NLT] … 
9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 
… David in charging Solomon to build God’s temple, promised his son God’s presence with him … IF … Solomon remained obedient to God and sought His presence.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Matthew 7:7-8 [NKJV] … 
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. …” 
… Jesus’ promise to the one who truly seeks His presence.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Revelation 3:20 [NKJV] … 
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. … “ 
… Again, … and forever, … Jesus promises to be willing to come in and fellowship with those who, thru obedience and seeking Him, are wiling to respond to the Lord knocking on the door of our lives.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, used the story of Jacob being given a dream vision of where God would take him one day; and Jacob sensed God’s presence. The ODB author wrote: As the sun went down on the Old Testament character Jacob’s first night away from home, he too was profoundly alone, but for a different reason. He was on the run from his older brother—who wanted to kill him for stealing the family blessing normally given to the firstborn son. Yet on falling asleep, Jacob had a dream of a staircase joining heaven and earth. As he watched angels ascending and descending, he heard the voice of God promising to be with him and to bless the whole earth through his children. When Jacob woke he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Gen. 28:16). 

Dear one, … have you ever been in a place, as is sung in the inked song above, that you sense God’s presence. I do quite often. … And I know that sounds like I’ve got an IN with God somehow. And the truth is … I DO! But my “IN” in seeking and finding God’s presence is no different than the “IN” that any Christian has.

No, … it’s nothing radically special for me … and me alone. Our Lord has promised anyone who knows Him as Lord and Savior to fellowship with that one. He says that everyday - for those He’s saved - that He knocks on the door of our lives; and He wants to come in and be with us (see Rev. 3:20. … Yes, my friend, our God PROMISES that anyone can find His presence by genuinely seeking it. 


But there’s a strong condition tied up to that promise; and (as David told Solomon - above in 1st Chronicles 28:9) God’s condition on our finding God’s presence and His providence is our obedience to Him. And that’s why I sense His presence many days when I come here humbly seeking His will and His way thru His word … in prayer and meditation. I sense Him, like I do here today, because I’m genuinely seeking Him; and my friend, it’s worth coming here every day to be with Him. How about you, fellow Christian?

Do you sense God being with you … right here, … today? … I pray so below …

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … I pray that all who read here have sensed Your presence and even Your power today. And I thank You for being here when I seek Your fellowship … like I have … here today! … Amen

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

May 2, 2017 … Just One Touch

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 122 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from The Gaither Vocal Band singing the Gaither classic … He Touched Me … poignantly singing of the glorious power of our Savior to transform and heal us with just one touch from His grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 8:3 … [NLT] … 
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 
… With a true believer, one touch from the Messiah is all it takes.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 8:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… One touch from Jesus to one who truly believes is all it takes to heal for eternity. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Luke 4:18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus proclaims that He came to set the captives free and give sight to the blind … and touch the lives of any/all who would believe on Him with salvation.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 10:9 [NLT] … 
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 
… Jesus is willing to pour His saving grace and touch the soul of any surrendered/repentant believer.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Acts 9:17-18 [NKJV] … 
17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 
… Just one touch from a God-anointed Ananias caused the newly saved Paul to see again from the blindness of his former unbelief.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, used the story of one life being truly touched by God’s love. The ODB author wrote: Kiley leaped at the chance to go to a remote area of East Africa to assist a medical mission, yet she felt uneasy. She didn’t have any medical experience. Still, she could provide basic care. While there, she met a woman with a horrible but treatable disease. The woman’s distorted leg repulsed her, but Kiley knew she had to do something. As she cleaned and bandaged the leg, her patient began crying. Concerned, Kiley asked if she was hurting her. “No,” she replied. “It’s the first time anyone has touched me in nine years.” 

A little over 35 years ago on my way to work I was “touched” by the truth of a testimony and many years of an atheists rejection was shattered, and the healing grace of Christ flooded into my mind and heart. Just one “touch” from my Lord changed me [literally] forever. Jesus reached out thru the words of that testimony as I heard it that day and He was willing to touch my untouchable soul and save me, … just as the Gaither Band sings about in in the linked song today.

Really I was not too much different that that leper who Jesus healed in Matt. 4 or Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul by a loving touch from Jesus thru Ananias (see Acts 9). And all it takes for Jesus to touch a lost soul with His saving/healing grace is a surrendered believer who is willing to be touched and transformed forever (see Romans 10:9). And that was me on the road to work one morning just as it was for Saul on the road to Damascus (again in Acts 9).

I pray that all who read here with me have been touched by God’s love and have received His healing/saving grace; … if not, today could be the day He touches you; and I’m certainly just an email away (at billb13@bellsouth.net ) If you’d like to contact me for God’s touch of love.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … thank You for touching my soul even today with your love and 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.

May 1, 2017 … Really, God! Why ME?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 121 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Stephen Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of God providing us with the strength we need when we feel so weak to handle the challenges of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 4:3 … [NLT] … 
14 Go with the strength you have … 16 I will be with you. 
… As with Gideon, … even in our toughest moments, God promises to be with us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Judges 6:11-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God was with Gideon in the midst of his weakness and doubt.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Deuteronomy 31:8 [NLT] … 
8 " Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” 
… God’s promise to Moses is the same promise He has for us as Christians.

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. 
… His promise to all believers; … but do we believe Him?

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:13 [NKJV] … 
13 I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength. 
…Really, God! … Sometimes I seem too weak!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Used the biblical character of Gideon to illustrate God’s promise to give us His strength when we feel too weak to handle life. The ODB author wrote: What would you do if the Lord showed up in the middle of your workday with a message? This happened to Gideon, one of the ancient Israelites. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’ ” Gideon could have responded with a wordless nod and gulp, but instead he said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:12–13 nlt). Gideon wanted to know why it seemed as if God had abandoned His people. 

I’d almost bet that we all have had a Gideon …“Why me?” … moment, haven’t we? I sure have; … a moment when I felt too weak to handle my circumstances, … a moment when I felt like God had abandoned me.

But if we really believe in the same God who gave His strength to Gideon [see highlight passage]; … and the same God who promised Moses that He would never leave His people (see Deut. 31:8); … and the same God who promised Isaiah to lift His children up with His mighty right hand (see Is. 41:10); … and the same God who promised Paul to give him strength in any/all situations (see Phil. 4:13); … well, I think you’re getting the picture, aren’t you?

If all those promises are real (AND THEY WERE!); and they all apply to us as well [AND THEY DO!), we can rely on God to bring us through whatever we’re going through now, can’t we? Yes, … He’s here … with us right now! … And no matter what we’re going through, as Stephen Curtis Chapman sings (see linked song), “His strength is perfect when our strength is gone; … and He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on!” 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … I need Your strength 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.

April 30, 2017 … God’s Love is FOREVER!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 120 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from a soloist from the Maranatha Singers singing … I Love You Lord … poignantly singing of the love we hold for the One Who loved us enough to die for us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 4:3 … [NLT] … 
3 You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for Himself. [And] The Lord will answer when I call Him. 
… David’s confidence that he was loved and heard by his God … WHENEVER and FOREVER!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 4:1-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David was in a bad place when he wrote this song; but He knew that His God loved him and would hear his pleas for help.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Jeremiah 31:3 [NLT] … 
3 Long ago the Lord said to Isreal: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself. ..."
… Do we get it that this prophesy means us Christians as well.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 15:12 [NLT] … 
12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 
 … We’re to love others with the same kind of love He has loved us.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … James 1:12 [NLT] … 
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
…We prove and receive God’s forever love when we endure in HIs Name and for His glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David Roper, made a very practical statement in introducing his entry today and then quoted an early church father. The ODB author wrote: It’s almost impossible for us to get through a day without being snubbed, ignored, or put down in some way. Sometimes we even do it to ourselves. … [BUT] … 
 “The true measure of God’s love is that He loves without measure.” - Bernard of Clairvaux

I know it’s a big jump from Roper’s introduction to the truth quoted by Bernard of Clairvaux; but we, who’ve experienced the saving love and grace of Jesus by recognizing His Lordship in faith, have been called, as David wrote in Psalm 4 (see above), to experience God’s “without measure” love forever.

So, if you’re feeling down on yourself or we’re experiencing the pressures of the world or Satan, as was David in the highlight psalm above, just sing along with the Maranatha Singers in the linked song … that we love our Lord and lift our voice to worship Him … no matter what we’re experiencing. And take a few moments to meditate on the reference passages above and realize that God loved us enough to send His own Son to die for us.

Now that’s FOREVER LOVE!!

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … Your love is mine … FOREVER. … 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.

April 29, 2017 … The “Son” Will Rise

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 119 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Maureen McGovern singing … The Morning After … poignantly singing of the faith all Christians need to see thru the foggy nights of life to see the SON shining in the morning.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 11:1 … [NLT] … 
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 
… We walk by faith and not by sight.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 11:1-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Faith is our radar through the fogs of life.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 
… That’s walking by faith and not by sight.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … 
3 you will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all those whose thoughts are fixed on You. 
… When we’re troubled by what we see, our faithful focus on God give us peace.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Cindy Hess Kasper, used a personal story to illustrate how our faith gives us a view on the future that allows us to see the “Son” rising tomorrow even though the fog covers us today. The ODB author wrote: It was very late when we stopped for the night at a country inn outside of Munich. We were delighted to see that our cozy room had a balcony, although an oppressive fog made it impossible to see into the darkness. But when the sun rose a few hours later, the haze began to fade. Then we could see what had been grimly shrouded the night before—a completely idyllic scene [see photo]—peaceful and lush green meadow, sheep grazing with tiny tinkling bells about their necks, and big white clouds in the sky that looked exactly like more sheep—huge, fluffy sheep! 

I think everyone (yes, even Christians) experiences those foggy nights in life where it’s frightfully hard to see a few feet in front of where we are. But then the morning sun rises, as in the author’s story, and we can see clearly. But what brings us thru the times where we’re in that fog? …

It’s our faith, isn’t it?!

We don’t need to see clearly ahead all the time as Christians, do we? NO; … we know that our “Son” is going to rise tomorrow to give us the light of faith to move ahead. It’s as Maureen McGovern so poignantly sings in the linked song. It may be frightfully dark tonight; but there is going to be a “morning after!” And for Christians, that’s when the “SON” rises in our hearts and we walk by faith.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … You’re leading me thru this foggy night; and I know Your Son is rising in my heart. … Amen

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

April 28, 2017 … Chilling Out With Grace

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 118 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from the group “Unspoken” singing … Call It Grace … poignantly singing that the only force we, as Christians, have to avoid anger and sin is God’s empowering grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 20:3 … [NLT] … 
3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. 
… Me thinks some of us need to meditate on that one.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 20:1-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God gives us the power, thru His grace, to deal with our emotions … especially our anger. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 
3 you will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all those whose thoughts are fixed on You. 
… God’s prescription to avoid sinful anger …

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … John 14:27 [NLT] … 
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. ... " 
… Jesus would give His disciples His Spirit [and to us] to provide them (us) with His peace.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … 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! 
… Notice how many of God’s fruit [in CAPS], from His grace, must mature in our spirit to allow His spirit to quell our anger.
Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Ephesians 4:26 [NLT] … 
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
… Paul teaching on how we, as Christians must surrender to God’s grace, which allows us to control our anger.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, used a story from a friend’s life to illustrate how God’s grace allows us to have self-control over our anger. The ODB author wrote: One morning in Perth, Australia, Fionn Mulholland discovered his car was missing. That’s when he realized he had mistakenly parked in a restricted zone and his car had been towed away. After considering the situation—even the $600 towing and parking fine—Mulholland was frustrated, but he decided not to be angry with the person he would work with to retrieve his car. Instead of venting his feelings, Mulholland wrote a humorous poem about the situation and read it to the worker he met at the tow yard. The worker liked the poem, and a possible ugly confrontation never took place. 

These days we hear young people admonishing their friends to “chill out,” … because it’s so easy, isn’t it [?!}, in this fast-paced impersonal age, to let our anger boil out of control. Of all the fruit of God’s Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23) the Lord has imparted to my spirit, several of them, which He gave us to control our anger, need some more maturing to allow God’s grace to help me quell my anger in situations which provoke my sinful desire to let anger burst forth from my humanity. … Can I get a witness?

In today's world, with all that Satan and the world does to divide and discourage us, it’s so easy to let our very human, and still sinful, spirits boil over with anger. But as Jesus said to His Disciples in that upper room before He went to the cross [see John 14:27] … that He would give us His grace through His Spirit, (as the linked song conveys) to allow us to have the choice to avoid our anger and to experience God’s peace (see also Isaiah 26:3).

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … as I focus on You, even here today, help me tap in to Your grace to help me quell my anger. … 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.

April 27, 2017 … Love In Their Language

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 117 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video images from Steve Green singing the truth of sharing God’s love with others in the song … People Need the Lord … poignantly singing of the universal reality that we need to be sharing our Lord’s love with any and all who will listen.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 17:22-23 … [NLT] … 
22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. 
… Paul did all he could to make those to whom he shared the Gospel message feel like he was speaking to friends rather than enemies.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 17:22-32 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The story of Paul on the Acropolis in Athens speaking to local dignitaries IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE about THEIR OWN LIFE CUSTOMS to help him set the stage for the Gospel. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 14:6 [NLT] … 
6 Jesus told [His disciples], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. … “ 
… Jesus shared the ultimate truth which needs to be conveyed to all thru our witness.

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 1st Corinthians 10:27-33 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul teaching on how to share God’s love with others who have different customs and lifestyles, doing all we can short of offending God to make those with whom we share feel comfortable and accepted.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, used a personal story to illustrate how sharing God’s love with others - in their own language - can help us sharing His love, making others see how much we care for them. The ODB author wrote: I stood before the gathering at a small Jamaican church and said in my best local dialect, “Wah Gwan, Jamaica?” The reaction was better than I expected, as smiles and applause greeted me. 
In reality, all I had said was the standard greeting, “What’s going on?” in Patois [pa-twa], but to their ears I was saying, “I care enough to speak your language.” Of course I did not yet know enough Patois to continue, but a door had been opened. 

Do my readers here agree that we all feel uncomfortable when we’re in the presence of someone trying to share their thoughts in a language we don’t understand? … Of course, we are! … And the opposite is also true, … that we feel more at ease and willing to listen when someone is trying to convey their thoughts to us … in our own language.

Well, that’s what the Apostle Paul was up against when we was called to speak to a group of influential Greek leaders on Mars Hill in Athens (see the highlight passage); but Paul knew their language; and in fact, he spoke them about their own spiritual customs to make them be more ready to hear about the truths he wanted to share with them about His great God. And that’s a lesson we all need to learn and apply when we’re trying to share God’s love with others. Everyone needs Jesus (hear the linked song); but they will hear Him better in their own language or as we share live with them in their own ways of living (see 1Cor. 10:27-33).

So, … if there are obvious differences, especially language differences, when we share God’s love with others who need Christ, we need to do all we can to share God’s love with others in “their own language” if possible. But remember, when you encounter someone - maybe today - who doesn’t speak our language, EVERYONE can understand a smile … or a sincere handshake … or even a hug. God’s love translates well through that universal language … to ANYONE … ANYWHERE.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … help me to do all I can to share your love with those who need You … even to those who live differently than me or speak another language. Let them see You in my smile or my touch - even 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.

April 26, 2017 … He Touched Me

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 116 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Elvis Presley singing the Gaither classic … He Touched Me … poignantly singing of the reality of what happens when one is “touched” by the grace of God in/through our Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 5:12-13 … [NLT] … 
12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” … 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 
… Jesus was willing to reach out and touch even a leprous outcast. Who are we willing to reach out today and touch with our lives, our testimony, … or a simple hug?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 5:12-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Luke relates the encounter where Jesus reached out an touched (and healed) a leper. 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … John 13:5 [NLT] … 
5 … Then [Jesus] began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. 
… If Jesus is willing to wash our feet, who will we reach out to touch with His love today?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Galatians 6:10 [NLT] … 
10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. 
… When we have an opportunity today to touch someone’s life with God’s love … will we?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, used a news story about an older woman’s frightful willingness to reach out and touch someone with motherly love. The ODB author wrote: Commuters on a Canadian Metro train witnessed a heart-moving conclusion to a tense moment. They watched as a 70-year old woman gently reached out and offered her hand to a young man whose loud voice and disturbing words were scaring other passengers. The lady’s kindness calmed the man who sank to the floor of the train with tears in his eyes. He said, “Thanks, Grandma,” stood up, and walked away. The woman later admitted to being afraid. But she said, “I’m a mother and he needed someone to touch.” While better judgment might have given her reason to keep her distance, she took a risk of love. 

Fellow Christian readers, … I’m assuming that we’ve all been touched by Jesus’ willingness to reach out to those, as was the leper in the highlight account or an outcast like me when He came after me, … i.e, those whom others would rather not even look at.

Those with leprosy in Jesus’ day were total outcasts, even required - by Jewish law - to walk about declaring loudly, “Unclean!” And when Jesus was approached by a desperate leper seeking healing [see highlight passage], … what did Jesus do? He didn’t hesitate, did He? No, our Lord simply reached out in love and touched the man, healing this outcast immediately.

He did that to me too a little over 35 years ago. No, I wasn’t a leper; but my sins had covered me with open sores of shame and I became untouchable to some.  But not Jesus! He came after me; and He was willing to hug me with His love and grace? And my friend, the least I can do, if I’m given the opportunity today, is to respond to His touch by reaching out and touching others, … maybe with my testimony … or even a hug.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … thank You for touching me with Your love and truth today in my morning time with You. And I do pray that You give me at least one opportunity to touch someone today with Your love through my touch. … 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.

April 25, 2017 … All The Way To The Top

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 115 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video images from the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing their song … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of encouraging others that God will do whatever it takes to bring that lost one to Himself.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 6:9 … [NLT] … 
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 
… Paul may have been speaking to himself as he mentored men like Timothy or Titus or Luke to keep climbing toward the goal Christlikeness.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 6:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul’s charge to do whatever it takes (see today’s song) to help someone climb to the top of their Christian mountaintop.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … 1st Corinthians 11:1 [NLT] … 
1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 
… Paul had been through so much in his quest to climb the mountain of life; and he so wanted others to follow him up the mountain (see photo).

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … 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. 
… God will do His part to draw us to Himself. And all we have to do is to latch on and hold to Him in climbing up the slopes of life.

Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 3:13-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … … Paul realized how hard it was to keep moving forward toward Christlikeness; but he so wanted others to find what he had found in his discipleship.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David McCasland, used a personal story about his mentor to teach on what it takes to disciple others toward their peak of Christlikeness (see photo). The ODB author wrote: Bob Foster, my mentor and friend for more than fifty years, never gave up on me. His unchanging friendship and encouragement, even during my darkest times, helped carry me through. 
We often find ourselves determined to reach out and help someone we know who is in great need. But when we fail to see improvement right away, our resolve can weaken and we may eventually give up. We discover that what we hoped would be an immediate change has become an ongoing process. 

Mentoring (or discipling) fellow Christians can be like being an experienced free climber and helping a “newbie” up the mountain of life (see photo). We so want the lesser-experienced Christian to find their way up that mountain of Christlikeness; and sometimes that process can be discouraging and exhausting. But, as the Apostle Paul, exhorts [see passages above], we Christians who’re father up the slopes of life, must … keep on keeping on … to help others up the steep slopes of life as God’s Spirit is calling us upward to Christ.

Paul had been thru so much in his life as an Apostle [see 2Cor. 11:22-33 on your own]; and he had found the way up that mountain. And as a mentor of men like Luke and Timothy and Titus, Paul so wanted these others to follow him. Hence, you read him, knowing the way (see 1 Cor. 11:1), encouraging others to follow him … with the message sung by today’s linked song … that our God will do whatever it take to pull us to His glorious mountaintop.

I pray all reading here, especially those who’re more mature climbers in life, will do what Paul exhorts in today’s highlight passage, doing whatever it takes to help others up that mountain of Christliness, … because, as Eph. 3:20 declares, what God has for those who keep climbing to Him, is SO, SO worth the climb.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … help me help others up that hill to get closer to 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.

April 24, 2017 … Praise For My Deliverer

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 114 

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the group Hilsong singing… Made Me Glad … poignantly singing of the reality that our God is our delivered … IF … we believe in Him as our LORD and Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 116: 6, 16 … [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God saves all who believe in him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 116 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God had delivered this writer from some devastating disaster; and he sings out his gratitude 
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Psalm 18:2, 46:1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God IS our Deliverer; but do we believe it; and are we grateful for His deliverance?

Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 10: 9-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God declares He will save ALL who believe on Him as Lord and Savior.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, used the grateful song of a psalmist who had been delivered from some calamity or potential disaster; and His praises for God resounded in his song. Please take the time to read and meditate on all of Psalm 116.

Like me, and like the Psalmist in the highlight passages above, has God ever delivered you from real or potential disaster? Certainly if one has been so delivered, it would be easy to sing along with Hillsong (in the linked song) that “God has made me [us] glad!” However, when we’re in the midst of some trial or tribulation, it is so, so difficult to see that God is truly the Deliverer of all who’ve surrendered to His Lordship [see Romans 10:9-13].

HE'S OUR SAVIOR!!! 

Yes, for any born-again Christ, Jesus has delivered us from even the perils of death; so join me today - no matter what we may be going through, and let’s just PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME! 

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … dear Lord, … You have saved me and I’m here to praise You as my Deliverer. … 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.