November 28, 2016: Beautiful to God

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 333

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Ray Stevens singing his song in 1970 … Everything Is Beautiful … singing of how God’s love is for all … and that He sees the beauty in everyone.

Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 7:47 [NKJV] … 
47 “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 
… Jesus forgave the woman sinner, seeing the beauty of her worship.
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Highlight Context: Luke 7:36-50 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
... Jesus saw the beauty in all who came to Him with their surrendered hearts.
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Reference Passage #1 … Genesis 1:27 [NKJV] … 
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
… God has no favorites. He created us all in His image.

Reference Passage #2 … Mark 14:3-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus sees the beauty in anyone, who comes to Him to receive His grace, … ANYONE, not matter their condition.

My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon, uses our imagination to have us picture a beautiful girl in a wheelchair. He wrote: Picture two teenage girls. The first girl is strong and healthy. The other girl, though beautiful has never known the freedom of getting around on her own. From her wheelchair she faces not only the emotional challenges common to life, but also a stream of physical pains and struggles. But both girls are smiling cheerfully as they enjoy each other’s company. Two beautiful teenagers—each seeing in the other the treasure of friendship. 

Dave Branon, the ODB author today, brings out that Jesus, in his ministry walk on earth, often encountered those who had physical or emotional challenges. There was the woman labeled as “a sinner” (in the highlight passage) who tried to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears. And there was that incident where Jesus was criticized for letting an unidentified woman pour a flask of costly oil on His head, to which He responded, ”Let her alone. … She has done a good work for me.” (see Mark 14:6)

Jesus has no “faves,” does He? Why else would He have loved me (or you) enough to see past our sinfulness or possibly our disabilities and die for us all on the cross so that we could be free from our physical limitations or sinfulness … FOREVER?!! Yes, as Ray Steven sings, … Everyone is beautiful in His eyes; and let’s be thankful for it.

My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Lord, one again, as on Thanksgiving, we celebrate with gratitude … and praise You for loving us all. … 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.