May 3, 2018 … Perspective

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 Philipps, Craig, and Dean singing … Your Grace Still Amazes Me … poignantly singing of the reality of how God’s amazing grace overwhelms Christians with God’s love in spite of our earthly/fleshly perspective.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 73:16-17 [NLT] … 16  So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! 17  Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. 
… When the psalmist surrendered his will to the Lord’s his understanding of the Lord’s way became clear.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 73:12-28 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… The psalmist sings of a change in perspective from confusion to clarity when it comes to God’s will for the wicked.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our trust, by following God’s will always is our way of taking our focus off of self and relying on our God who will never forsake His children (see Heb 13:5).

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3[NLT] … 3 You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.. 
… By focusing on God, our perspective is taken off of self and onto the Savior, which leads to peace and away from strife.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NLT] … 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 
… And we must take the perspective of the truth of Rom 8:28 when we see injustice going on in the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, used a story about the love of his grandchild to show how our hearts, as Christians, should long for the love of our Abba Father. … The ODB author wrote: My hometown had experienced its heaviest winter in thirty years. My muscles ached from hours of shoveling the unrelenting snow. When I stepped inside after what felt like a fruitless effort, weary as I kicked off my boots, I was greeted by the warmth of a fire and my children gathered around it. As I gazed out the window from the shelter of my home, my perspective of the weather shifted completely. Instead of seeing more work to do, I savored the beauty of frosted tree branches [and flowers - see photo] and the way the snow blanketed the colorless landscape of winter. 

Really, there’s very little to do when we have a challenging winter like that, is there? So, what do we, as Christians, so when we see human coldness and injustices and evil being perpetrated by unbelievers on us and there seems no correction or retribution being brought by God on the offenders? … Well, if we believe God’s word and trust our Lord, as the Psalmist did in the highlight passage, we just keep on keeping on - trusting that God is in control and knows what’s best for us. 

Again, ... really, that’s the only way we can find peace in the midst of turmoil and injustice; … by focusing on our relationship with Christ and following Him, no matter what! And as the Scriptures above attest and the linked song declares, God’s amazing, enabling, and empowering grace will lead us thru any/all worldly injustices.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for ALWAYS knowing what is best for me (us).
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … build up my trust/faith to be able to keep on keeping on in following 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.