June 30, 2018 … Opening The Door

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 180 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Shelly Moore singing … Jesus, I Come … poignantly singing of how we must come out of self and open the door where Jesus knocks to come in and bring his love/grace into our lives.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Revelation 3:20 [NKJV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 
 … Jesus wants to fellowship and shine His light into the life of born-again Christians; but He won’t until we open the door and let Him into our lives.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Revelation 3:14-22 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, thru the Apostle John, sends a letter to a lukewarm church, warning them to be surrendered and fully committed to Him and the Gospel.
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Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NKJV] … 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 
… Jesus can’t come into our lives to dispel any darkness with His light until we open the door on His light with our obedience, which opens the door He invites us to open every day of our lives as Christians.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, uses a painting to illustrate Jesus’ call for believers to open the door our lives so that He can come in and grace us with His light/love. The ODB author wrote: One of my favorite pieces of art hangs in the Keble College chapel in Oxford, England. The painting, The Light of the World by English artist William Holman Hunt, shows Jesus holding a lantern in His hand and knocking on a door to a home. [SEE PHOTO] 
One of the intriguing aspects of the painting is that the door doesn’t have a handle. When questioned about the lack of a way to open the door, Hunt explained that he wanted to represent the imagery of Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” 

Fellow Christian, do you realize that we, as surrendered, born-again, Christians, only have to be willing to show our love for Him by obediently opening the door, where He knocks at the door of our hearts, everyday, to let His love, light, and grace flow into our lives, just as He told believers in Revelation 3:20. So, perhaps, if we don’t feel His love and grace and fellowship in our lives, all we need to do is humbly open the door and let Him in.

I know that’s why I start each day, … here (or wherever I might be), … coming to open the door to let Him in by opening the door of His love from His word. And everyday, He comes in to be with me just as He promises in His word. Have you, fellow,Christians, heard Him knocking; … and have you opened the door today to let His light in?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for always being there to come in and dine with me.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Come in, Lord, and bring Your grace with You. I need it again 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.

June 29, 2018 … Sharing God’s Love

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 179 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jackie DeShannon singing the 1960s hit … What the World Needs Now … poignantly singing of what the world desperately needs not … God’s love!!

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 John 1:6 [NKJV] … 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. 
 … Being obedient and following God’s commands is our way of showing our love for Him and it will manifest itself in sharing His love with others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 John 1:1-6 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… John exhorts Christians to walk in the love of Christ, sharing that love with one another every day.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 10:25-28 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ... 
… God’s LAW OF LOVE being exposed by our Savior as the way we all should live.

Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NKJV] … 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 
… Jesus to His Disciples as to whom truly loves Him … i.e., we should be those who diligently obey His word.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a personal story about how she shows her kids about God’s “Law of Love.” The ODB author wrote: My children and I have started a new daily practice. Every night at bedtime, we gather colored pencils and light a candle. Asking God to light our way, we get out our journals and draw or write answers to two questions: When did I show love today? and When did I withhold love today? … 
… Paying attention each night helps us be more aware each day, more tuned in to what the Spirit might be showing us as we walk through our lives. With the Spirit’s help, we’re learning to walk in love (2 John 1:6). 

When the Apostle John wrote his letter to the churches in Asian Minor in the 1st Century [see highlight passage], there was great turmoil and strife in that day due to the oppression of Nero; and in another turbulent time in history, the 1960s, Jackie DeShannon came out with a song [linked above] which was just as pertinent in those days as it was in the 1st century … or most certainly now!

“What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweet Love” … for sure! And so I’m challenged by today’s ODB entry, … by God’s word above, … and by God’s eternal “Law of Love,” to love our neighbors (and even our enemies) as we would love ourselves [see Luke 10 passage] … to go out TODAY and share God’s love with others I encounter.

Maybe all that will be needed is a sparkling smile to light someone’s moment. Perhaps I can encourage someone whose a bit down. Certainly, … showing how much I love my wife would be a good way to share God’s love, wouldn’t it? So, how can we all be God’s agents of love today? 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your eternal and ever present love for all Your children.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Put me in a place to share Your love with someone today and then give me the grace to share it openly and abundantly. … 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.

June 28, 2018 … Seeking - Finding

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 178 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Matt Maher singing … Abide With Me … poignantly singing of how we must seek a close and abiding relationship with Christ … which He promises if seek Him diligently

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 13:44 [NKJV] … 44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “ 
… The value of our place in God’s kingdom.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 13:44-46 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ parable about seeking to have and hold onto something of great value … such as our relationship with Christ and our place in His eternal kingdom.
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Reference Passage : … Deuteronomy 4:29 [NKJV] … 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 
… God’s promise to His people that if they were willing to seek Him with ALL THEIR HEARTS, that they would find Him.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 8:17 [NKJV] … 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. 
… God’s promise to those who love Him enough to seek Him diligently.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 7:7 [NKJV] … 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 
… Jesus’ promise to those who diligently seek after an abiding relationship with Him.

Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NKJV] … 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 
… Jesus to His Disciples as to whom truly loves Him … i.e., those who diligently obey His word.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Julie Schwab, uses a personal story about a friend who was willing to go to great lengths, including dumpster diving (see photo) to find something valuable. The ODB author wrote: In college, I woke up one morning to find Carol, my roommate, in a panic. Her signet ring was missing. We searched everywhere. The next morning we found ourselves picking through a dumpster. I ripped open a trash bag. “You’re so dedicated to finding this!” 
“I’m not losing a two-hundred-dollar ring!” she exclaimed. 
Carol’s determination reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the kingdom of heaven, which “is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). Certain things are worth going great lengths to find. 

If you, as I have, taken in the ODB entry (above), I think the message of conviction is quite clear, isn’t it? … That we must be willing to go to whatever lengths it takes to seek and hold on to an abiding relationship with Christ.

I guess the question to all of us is … Is it worth it?! … And I would hope that my being here and journaling my seeking to follow my Lord’s way everyday by seeking Him in His word and following His way in life would speak to my desire to go deeper and deeper in seeking God’s sanctifying grace. And all I desire is what Matt Maher sings in the linked song … for my Lord to abide with me.

What about us? Are we willing to show our love for Jesus by doing what he says (see John 14:21 and also Luke 9:23 (find that one yourself!). And in doing so, our Lord’s promises is that He will abide in us. It’s certainly enough for me to do whatever it takes to seek a more abiding relationship with my Jesus.

So, you will find me back here tomorrow … even if it takes diving daily and deeply into His word … to follow My Lord by seeking His grace from His truth. And everyday, He shines His light on my path as I seek after Him [see Ps. 119:105].

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, once again, thank You for Your promises to be there for me when I seek You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Keep shining Your light on my path as I seek Your way from Your word. … 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.

June 27, 2018 … Unshackled

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 177 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Chain Breaker … poignantly singing of how our surrender to King Jesus will set us free from past shackles of sin.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 2:21-22 [NKJV] … 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight - … 
… Once shackled in sin … now set free by our faith in Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 1:13-23 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul, teaching Christians that we have been set free from the bondage of our flesh and sin as we are reconciled with Jesus by our faith in His finished work on the cross.
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Reference Passage : … John 8:32-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus on the freedom from our sin/self we find in Christ and walking in His Spirit.

Reference Passage : … John 15:1-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We become fruitful in Christ when we allow Him to prune away self and our faith allows us to abide in Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a story about a young boy with CP who was non-communicative, … who was set free to communicate with others. The ODB author wrote: A boy born with cerebral palsy was unable to speak or communicate. But his mother, Chantal Bryan, never gave up, and when he was ten years old she figured out how to communicate with him through his eyes and a letter board. After this breakthrough, she said, “He was unlocked and we could ask him anything.” Now Jonathan reads and writes, including poetry, by communicating through his eyes. When asked what it’s like to “talk” with his family and friends, he said, “It is wonderful to tell them I love them.” 

If you were reading with me here yesterday, my blog focused on walking free from past bondage to sin as we surrender to an abiding relationship with Christ (SEE THIS LINK).  And if you didn’t take this post in, you may want to use that link and go back and hear the Nicole Nordeman song and read what God gave me to share.

But today I was led by the ODB entry (see link below and the story above), and I believe by God’s Spirit, … to be reinforced by another reminder that our faith relationship with Christ breaks us from past shackles of sin and selfishness and allows us to become fruitful as we abide in the Vine, Who is Christ (see John 15 passage). Because the more solid that abiding relationship we have with Christ becomes, the freer we become to serve Him as His disciples.

So, once again today I exhort any reader to take the time to hear the powerful/poignant song by Zach Williams linked above, which describes the “Chain Breaker” … the One Who has set us free from from the shackles of self with His finished work on the cross.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, once again, thank You for setting me free from the bondage of myself.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help me to abide more closely in You today than yesterday … and even more tomorrow than 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.

June 26, 2018 … Our Walk of Freedom

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 176 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Nicole Nordeman singing her song … Finally Free … poignantly singing of how our surrender to Jesus as King sets us free from the chains of our sin.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 8:1-2 [NKJV] … 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 
… But are we truly walking in the freedom provided by the Spirit?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 8:1-2, 15-17 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul, teaching Christians that we have been set free from the bondage of our flesh and sin as we walk in the Spirit of Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] … 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
… When we can deny our selves and follow Him, thru His grace He gives us His freedom.

Reference Passage : … John 8:32-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus on the freedom from our sin/self we find in Christ and walking in His Spirit.

Reference Passage : … John 15:1-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We become fruitful in Christ when we all Him to prune away self as we abide in Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, relates a concept/practice he learned from a British Christian, which expands our attitude toward and practice of offering up prayers about God’s grace. The ODB author wrote: When I was a boy in the village, something about chickens fascinated me. Whenever I caught one, I held it down for a few moments and then gently released it. Thinking I was still holding it, the chicken remained down; even though it was free to dash away, it felt trapped. 
When we put our faith in Jesus, He graciously delivers us from sin and the hold that Satan had on us. However, because it may take time to change our sinful habits and behavior, Satan can make us feel trapped. But God’s Spirit has set us free; … 

If you’re reading here, please take the time to listen to the linked song, where Nicole Nordeman sings of the freedom from self and sin we have when we’re willing to surrender our self to the Savior and walk in His Spirit. It’s the ultimate paradox of the Christian life … i.e., that surrendering ourselves to slavery to Christ as His disciples completely frees us from the slavery we had in self/sin before we trusted and believed in Christ as Lord.

When Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, the chains of self are broken (see photo) and we know the truth of Romans 8:1 … that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”

So, have we truly surrendered to Jesus’ command in Luke 9:23? Because if we have, … we will find ourselves abiding in Christ and become fruitful (see John 15: 1-8) in the freedom He provides in an abiding relationship with Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for setting me free from the bondage of myself.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … shine Your light on my patch clearly today, Lord, so I may freely walk in Your Spirit.

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.

June 25, 2018 … Every Day - Every Moment

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 175 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Fernando Ortega singing the old hymn … I Need Thee Every Hour … poignantly singing of asking for God’s blessing in all things and at all times.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 3:17 [NKJV] … 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 
… In ALL THINGS ... and at ALL TIMES ... we give thanks!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 3:12-17 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul, teaching Christians that we must live as humbly thankful in all things.
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Reference Passage : … John 14:6 [NKJV] … 6 Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. …” 
… Since our path to God, the Father, always is thru God, the Son, we need to be praying, in the Spirit, humbly and thankfully … way more often than we do!

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28, 31 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Since ALL things are for our good as Christians, we should be thankful, offering up humble thanks in ALL circumstances and fearing none.

Reference Passage : … 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 [NKJV] … 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you 
… Our life as Christians should be a life of joy, praying and giving thanks for EVERYTHING.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, relates a concept/practice he learned from a British Christian, which expands our attitude toward and practice of offering up prayers about God’s grace. The ODB author wrote: For many years, I’ve enjoyed the writings of British author G. K. Chesterton.  His humor and insight often cause me to chuckle and then pause for more serious contemplation. For example, he wrote, “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the play and the opera, and grace before the concert and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing; and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” 
It’s good for us to thank the Lord before every meal, but it shouldn’t stop there.  The apostle Paul saw every activity, every endeavor as something for which we should thank God and that we should do for His glory. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). 

Wow! … I don’t know about other readers here; but I’m deeply convicted by today’s ODB entry. Grace before meals … surely! [see photo] Check that one off; but offering up prayers, i.e., “grace”) before a game of cards with my wife, … or before going to the grocery weekly, or before putting gas in the car when the tank is low. … REALLY?!!

 But yes, God’s word, thru Paul, clearly teaches that … since Rom 8:28 is true (and it is!), we must continually give thanks for ALL things at ALL times (see the 1st Thessalonians passage). And if we expect God’s grace, we need to be coming, far more often thank we usually do, to God, the Father, thru God, the Son, and praying in the Spirit, humbly and thankfully in prayer.

So, I’m stopping right now to offer up “grace” of thanks for God revealing more of Himself in this very devotional, … and thankfulness for any/all who might read here, letting God’s grace flow in/thru our thankfulness for all He does for us … including the challenges and trials of life. As Fernando Ortega sings, we truly need Him every hour of every day!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, in ALL things I’m thankful for Your grace, Lord. 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … I pray all reading here find peace in the grace You offer us today and all days … for ALL THNGS.

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.

June 24, 2018 … Friends Are There For Us

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 174 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing … Friend of A Wounded Heart … poignantly singing of a Friend of friends … One Who will always be there for us in times when we need a true friend.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 44:2 [NKJV] … 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. 
… Job’s friends showed great compassion for his loss/pain.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 2:7-13 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… At the outset of Job’s trials, his friends were there for him with compassion and love. 
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s mercies and His faithfulness are for all time to His children … He is a true friend.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3-4 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, gives us his friendship of peace and how we can find it from Him.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… When we humble ourselves before His throne of grace, He can care for our needs.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, relates a story about a true friend being there when her friend was hurting. The ODB author wrote: I read about a mom who was surprised to see her daughter muddy from the waist down when she walked in the door after school. Her daughter explained that a friend had slipped and fallen into a mud puddle. While another classmate ran to get help, the little girl felt sorry for her friend sitting by herself and holding her hurt leg. So, the daughter went over and sat in the mud puddle with her friend until a teacher arrived. 

They say we know we have a friend when that one is there when we need them. Job certainly needed friends when God allowed Satan to create so much pain in his life; and three such friends were there for Job, sitting with him silently when he was grieving his loss/pain. Yes, we know that these friends later blunted the sincerity of their friendship by giving Job bad advice; but in today’s highlight passage, they were there for him when he was at his worst and need them the most.

Do you have a friend - a REAL FRIEND - who’d always be there for you when you might be down and out? If you’re a Christian, you do. And as the Brooklyn Tab sings in the linked song, He’s the “Friend of a Wounded Heart.”

So, if you need a friend, go to Him and receive His peace today (see reference passages above). 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for being my Friend.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … I pray all reading here find peace in the perfect friendship we have with You today.

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.

June 23, 2018 … Come To His Table !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 173 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing … Come To The Table … poignantly singing of how we can come to God’s table of love and grace when we’re willing to come to Him in faith and be set free from our shackles of sin.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 44:2 [NKJV] … 2  Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, [i.e., “Israel”] whom I have chosen. 
… Israel was God’s chosen ones, … whom He will never abandon.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 44:1-5 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, prophesies His love and favor on His promised sons in Israel.
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s mercies and His faithfulness are for all time to His children.

Reference Passage : … Luke 15:20-24 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus parable of the prodigal Father and his son showing God’s forever grace.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God will never forget or forsake His children.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NKJV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
… God invites us to open our hearts and dine with Him at His table of love/grace.

  My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, tells a personal story of coming back to be reconciled into the loving arms of his father. The ODB author wrote: I’d been out late the night before, just as I was every Saturday night. Just twenty years old, I was running from God as fast as I could. But suddenly, strangely, I felt compelled to attend the church my dad pastored. I put on my faded jeans, well-worn T-shirt, and unlaced high-tops and drove across town. 
I don’t recall the sermon Dad preached that day, but I can’t forget how delighted he was to see me. With his arm over my shoulder, he introduced me to everyone he saw. “This is my son!” he proudly declared. His joy became a picture of God’s love that has stuck with me all these decades. 

Doesn’t take much of a stretch to see Jesus’ story [in Luke 15] of the prodigal love of the “Father” for a wayward son who comes home in surrender and faith, does it? [See photo] And I’m praying that any reading my entry today, who might have father or family wounds, as real and hurtful as they may be, might be willing to come back to God’s table of love and grace where our Abba Father invites any/all who will come to dine with Him [see Lam. 3:22-23 and Rev. 3:20].

Our Heavenly Father, in the Person of His Son, invites us to open the door of our hearts to let Him in to hug us and fellowship with us at His table. That’s what the Sidewalk Prophets sing in the linked song; and what God promises in all of the Scriptures above.

And in today’s ODB entry, the author asks all readers if we have opened our hearts to the prodigal love of our Heavenly Father. I pray so!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your faithful love and open invitation to dine with You for eternity.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … I pray all reading here, as have I, have come to Your table to dine with You for eternity. … 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.

June 22, 2018 … Everything To Me!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 172 

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 … Everything To Me … poignantly singing of how we we need to seek a surrendered and abiding relationship with our Lord DAILY.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 3:8 [NKJV] … 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ … 
… His relationship with Jesus was EVERYTHING for Paul.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 3:7-14 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul’s declared allegiance and depth of love for His Savior.
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 42:8, 50:1, 90:14, 119:105 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Four psalmists singing of why we should surrender to God and bath in His glory daily.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Complete trust and absolute surrender to follow Jesus!!

Reference Passage : … John 15:1-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our everything for Jesus, … His all for us!! My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Joe Stowell, reflected on a time he had with Billy Graham and Billy’s impressive surrender to His Lord. The ODB author wrote: I’ll never forget the time I had the privilege of sitting next to Billy Graham at a dinner. I was honored but also somewhat nervous about what would be appropriate to say. I thought it would be an interesting conversation starter to ask what he loved most about his years of ministry. Then I awkwardly started to suggest possible answers. Was it knowing presidents, kings, and queens? Or preaching the gospel to millions of people around the world? 
Before I had finished offering suggestions, Rev. Graham stopped me. Without hesitation he said, “It has been my fellowship with Jesus. To sense His presence, to glean His wisdom, to have Him guide and direct me—that has been my greatest joy.” I was instantly convicted and challenged. Convicted because I’m not sure that his answer would have been my answer, and challenged because I wanted it to be. 

When you read the portion of today’s ODB entry above, what impresses you about Billy Graham’s declaration of devotion to His Lord? … “SURRENDER” is the word which comes to my mind. Billy’s daily fellowship with Jesus meant literally everything to him.

Can we, as disciples of Christ, say the same?

Is there anything in our lives which diminishes the abiding relationship we desire to have with Christ? Because, if there is, it will diminish our fruitfulness as Christians (see John 15:1-8). Are we doing all we can, devoting special time with our Lord daily, so that we can have a fully surrendered, abiding relationship with our King, Jesus?

That’s why you find me here everyday, in prayer and delving deeply into God’s word, starting each day with the first-fruits of my time with Jesus? O how I desire to follow him; and the best way I know to do that is an abiding time in prayer and partaking of the “Bread of Life” daily. For those who join me here daily, I pray that is your desire as well.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for for giving me this special time with You today … and if You’re willing, tomorrow.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … help any and all reading here to a deeper, more abiding relationship with You as we delve into Your truth today … and then again tomorrow. … 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.

June 21, 2018 … Our Time For Him

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 171 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Jim Croce singing his 1973 hit … Time In A Bottle … poignantly singing of how we we need to devote our time to things which have eternal value.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 90:12 [NKJV] … 12  So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 
… Moses praying to use His time wisely … for God’s glory.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 90:9-17 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Moses’ song and prayer that God will help him devote His time/life to God’s glory. 
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Reference Passage : … Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, helps us to remember who gives us our time and that it is for His glory.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:15-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to use their time wisely for God’s glory during the evil times in which we live [then, and now!}.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, reflected on a quote from another author with wise words, making us think about how we use the time God give us. The ODB author wrote: “Westerners have watches [see photo]. Africans have time.” So said Os Guinness, quoting an African proverb in his book “Impossible People.” 
 And That caused me to ponder the times I have responded to a request with, “I don’t have time.” I thought about the tyranny of the urgent and how schedules and deadlines dominate my life. ”I don’t have time!” … 

Countless times I’ve thought it, … if not said it, … reflecting on the time pressures of life. How many times have you (readers) thought that … maybe even today as you look at your “TO DO” list on this date and checking out your watch [see photo].

But time management “gurus” will tell us that the concept of “time management” is an oxymoron. We can’t manage time, … we can only manage events in time. We all have 24 hours each day [i.e., if God gives them to us]; and the demands of life are going to dictate how we look at those 24 hours and how we choose to use them.

My questions each day, especially as I wake up and begin my day, are …
… Are the minutes, hours, and days ahead for me or for God’s glory? 
… Am I giving God the first fruits of my time or the left-overs? 
… Will what I do today impact God’s kingdom?

And often at the end of the day, I come out convicted that I didn’t do what Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 or the Apostle Paul exhorted in Ephesians 5:15-16; … and today I’m praying that I can do what Jim Croce wrote in his song, linked above, and spend my time today for God’s glory in these evil times in which we live. … How about you?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for for giving me time today to spend with/for You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … help me to use my time wisely for Your kingdom today … and what You will give me tomorrow. … 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.

June 20, 2018 … Joy, No Matter What!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 170 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Selah singing their song … Press On … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, must press on to serve our Lord in spite of the circumstances of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 1:21 [NKJV] … 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
… Living or dying … ALL for Christ.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 1:12-24 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The Apostle Paul, writing to Christians from prison, witnesses to his joy in serving his Lord … NO MATTER WHAT!!
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Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:14-18 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our lives becoming an offering of service to our Lord.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 3:13-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … … Paul shows fellow Christians that even from prison and persecution, he can (as we should) press on for the goal of serving our Lord.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:4-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul again shows us how we must pray to Christ, and witness for His glory just as he had thru all the trials and circumstances Paul faced.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Randy Kilgore, reflected on a woman he had met who illustrated the way we, as Christians should live for Christ … no matter our circumstances. The ODB author wrote: When I met Ada, she had outlived her entire group of friends and family and was living in a nursing home. “It’s the hardest part of getting old,” she told me, “watching everyone else move on and leave you behind.” One day I asked Ada what kept her interest and how she spent her time. She answered me with a Scripture passage from the apostle Paul (Philippians 1:21): “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Then she said, “While I’m still around, I have work to do. On my good days, I get to talk to the people here about Jesus; on the hard days, I can still pray.” 

The letter from the Apostle Paul to fellow Christians in Philippi has always been an inspiration to me. What about you? …

Here was the Apostle, imprisoned for the “Nth” time, persecuted and beaten, and yet he writes about all of this being an opportunity to serve his Lord with his witness of life; and yet, finding joy in the realization that even death would bring him closer to His Lord [see all the passages above].

The letter reflects Paul’s attitude to “PRESS ON,” just as the group Selah sings in the linked song; and just as we should today no matter what we might be facing in life.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your enabling and empowering grace. 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … give me a witness of joy in the midst of the challenges 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.

June 19, 2018 … Bad Judgment - Good Judgment

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 169 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Mercy Me singing their song … Dear Younger Me … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, would likely look back and change our choices to reflect more of Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 7:1-2 [NKJV] … 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 
 … We reap what we sow … to avoid hypocrisy in our judgment of others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 7:1-6 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus preaches on judging others.
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Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:17, 9:6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The principle of reaping what we sow applies to everything we choose to do, giving us the opportunity to reflect the change in us from God’s Spirit doing His “do-over” of our spirit.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6, 2:5 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s Spirit is giving us the opportunity to make “do-over” choices which honor God with our Christlikeness.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washington, in looking back on her life, reflected on attitudes and choices which did not reflect the Christlikeness she desired for herself later in life. The ODB author wrote: I’ve been quick to judge anyone I saw walking in the street while staring at a phone. How could they be so oblivious to the cars about to hit them? I’ve told myself. Don’t they care about their own safety? But one day, while crossing the entrance to an alleyway, I was so engrossed in a text message, that I missed seeing a car at my left. Thankfully, the driver saw me and came to an abrupt stop. But I felt ashamed. All of my self-righteous finger-pointing came back to haunt me. I had judged others, only to do the same thing myself. 

Can any reader, besides myself, identify? … In looking back at our lives, as is sung in the linked song, I would imagine there are things, especially attitudes and choices as Christians, that we’d like to change or DO OVER so as to reflect our Savior rather than our selves.

Jesus preached about that reaping and sowing principle in His Sermon on the Mount, didn’t He [see highlight passage]? He taught that we should not judge others lest we ourselves be judged. Well, I could write a lot of things on a card, as in the YouTube video, which I’d like to have a “do over” to change from my past. But the past is the past; … and the present is where the action is … to learn from the past and make choices which are Christ’s “DO-OVER” as He does his transforming work in me (see Phil. 1:6 and 2Cor. 5:17).

So, what kind of choices can we make today which can honor God and reshape His kingdom for His glory?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your sanctifying grace and the opportunity to become more like You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … pour the power of Your grace into all that I do in Your Name and for Your glory. … 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.

June 18, 2018 … Grace, Not Works

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 168 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Phillips, Craig and Dean singing their song … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of how God will clean up our mess … IF … we surrender and let His grace go to work.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Geneis 28:15 [NKJV] … 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you [i.e., Jacob and God’s chosen people] wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 
… God’s promise was (and is) FOREVER and did not depend on Jacob’s working for God’s blessing.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 28:10-22 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Most of his life Jacob felt that he had to work and compete with his brother for God’s blessing … NOT TRUE !!! … God’s blessing was always secure in God’s covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob.
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Reference Passage : … Ephesians 2:8-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s grace of salvation/sanctification are His gifts and will always work themselves out in our good works … if we but surrender to His Spirit and let them do so.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [NKJV] … 6 … being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; … 
… We can “take it to the bank” that God will ALWAYS finish His promise of remaking us into His own image …

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica Brands, used an illustration we have all likely experienced [see photo] to illustrate our nature of thinking we must do ALL the work of cleaning up our lives. The ODB author wrote: “I got myself into this mess, so I’d better get myself out,” … I sometimes find myself thinking.  Although I believe in a God of grace, I’m still prone to act as if His help is available only when I deserve it. 

Do I sense anyone, like myself, declaring “Amen; … Been there before!!” Yes, it’s true that our works are used by God to express our salvation (i.e., in sanctification). However, like it was with Jacob (see highlight passage), God’s promise to Jacob was that He, the Lord, would bring Jacob and God’s people the blessed promised land; and this did not require Jacob to do all he felt he had to, conning and conniving with his brother, for God’s blessing.

God’s ultimate blessing - of His saving/sanctifying grace - was worked out for us - COMPLETELY - by Jesus on the Cross; … and it’s God’s promise - as it’s expressed in today’s song - that God’ll do whatever it takes to bring us to the place where we’re reshaped into the image of His Son (see Phil. 1:6) and all we have to do is surrender to His Spirit and let our works be a reflection of His grace (see Eph. 2:8-10).

So, yes, our life is messy; … but today [and tomorrow] let’s let God, thru our works, clean up the mess … for HIS glory, not our own satisfaction.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your eternally offered grace which empowers me to work for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … pour the power of Your grace into all that I do in Your 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.

June 17, 2018 … He’s Our Refuge

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 167 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with Buddy Davis singing … God Is Our Refuge … poignantly singing of how God is our strength in times of trial or fear.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 91:1-2 [NKJV] … 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” 
 … God is the place to run and hide when we feel anxious or threatened.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 91 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist expresses in song his trust that His God was the place to hide in moments of anxiety or fear.
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 46:1-2, 62:7-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… More than one psalmist sung of God being the refuge and strength of His people.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NKJV] … 3  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 
 … God’s prescription for peace when we’re feeling anxious.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul’s advice when we’re feeling anxious.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [NKJV] … 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 
 … When we have great cares, we are to humbly bring them to our God.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Cindy Hess Kasper, used a personal story of an anxious moment to illustrate where we need to take our worries and fears, … to our Heavenly Father. The ODB author wrote: My very first job was at a fast-food restaurant. One Saturday evening, a guy kept hanging around, asking when I got out of work. It made me feel uneasy. As the hour grew later, he ordered fries, then a drink, so the manager wouldn’t kick him out. Though I didn’t live far, I was scared to walk home alone through a couple of dark parking lots and a stretch through a sandy field. Finally, at midnight, I went in the office to make a phone call. 
And the person who answered—my dad—without a second thought got out of a warm bed and five minutes later was there to take me home. 

The ODB author knew whom to call on when she was in danger, … her earthly daddy. But sometimes we don’t know who - in this world - to call when we’re anxious or fearful; and the Psalms above and the reference passages scream out God’s prescription when we’re feeling stressed out or fearful; … and that is to come to the One who will always be our hiding place, … the One Who’s always there for us.

If anyone reading here is feeling anxious or stressed out while reading this, I hope know have that Perfect Place to run and hide to find God’s Perfect Peace.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You always being my hiding place. 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … hold Your own under Your wings of safety. … 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.

June 16, 2018 … Rough Ride

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 166 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images and lyrics from Gordon Mote singing his song … Hold Me Up … poignantly singing of how God will do whatever it takes to help us thru the rough waters of this life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 16:33 [NKJV] … 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
… Jesus doesn’t promise a trouble-free life. He only promises to be our “overcomer” when we face the rough waters of life.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 16:22-33 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus warns His disciples of upcoming storms in life; but promises His overcoming grace. 
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Reference Passage : … Luke 8:22-25 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… In the storms of life, we must have faith that Jesus will bring us thru … just as He promised.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [NKJV] … 5 … be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
… God’s love and His promise of being with us ALWAYS when we need Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a personal story an unanticipated rough time to illustrate God’s promise to be there when we need Him. The ODB author wrote: During a vacation, my husband and I signed up for a leisurely rafting tour down Georgia’s Chattahoochee River. Dressed in sandals, a sundress, and a wide brimmed hat, I groaned when we discovered—contrary to the advertisement—that the trip included light rapids. Thankfully, we rode with a couple experienced in whitewater rafting. They taught my husband the basics of paddling and promised to navigate us safely to our destination. Grateful for my life jacket, I screamed and gripped the plastic handle on the raft until we reached the muddy bank downriver. I stepped onto the shore and dumped water from my purse as my husband helped me wring out the hem of my soaked dress. We enjoyed a good laugh, even though the trip had not turned out as advertised. 

Good story in today’s ODB entry to illustrate going thru the rough waters of life; but I think today’s linked song, written/sung by a blind artist, Gordon Mote, is the perfect prayer for us as we travel the sometimes unadvertised rough waters we encounter in life. And the first graphic in the video with the lyrics to the song, we read a truth ALL Christians should know is true: … ”We may not know what the future holds; but we do know the One Who holds the future!”

Perhaps there are readers going thru a rough patch of unanticipated whitewater in life right now; but when we believe - TRULY BELIEVE - the truth of the scriptures above, especially John 16:33, Luke 8:22-25, and Hebrews 13:5, we will KNOW that Jesus is our eternal “Overcomer.” 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You Your never-failing, enabling/empowering grace.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... O Lord, … hold us 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.

June 15, 2018 … Lovable! - Me?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 165 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing their song … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of how God will do whatever it takes to restore any brokenness in our relationship with Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Jeremiah 31:3a [NKJV] … 3 The Lord has appeared [a]of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; … 
… God’s covenant love is everlasting … FOREVER!!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Jeremiah 31:1-6[NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God shows His people, thru Jeremiah, that His love for them, in spite of their unfaithfulness will never wane.
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Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s love is eternally ours!!!

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [NKJV] … 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
… God’s love and His promise of eternal love is for FOREVER!

Reference Passage : … 1 John 1:9 [NKJV] … 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
 … God’s love and His faithfulness are eternal!!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, used a personal story about his daughter to illustrate how much God loves His children. The ODB author wrote: “Lovable!” 
That exclamation came from my daughter as she got ready one morning. I didn’t know what she meant. Then she tapped her shirt, a hand-me-down from a cousin. Across the front was that word: “Lovable.” I gave her a big hug, and she smiled with pure joy. “You are lovable!” I echoed. Her smile grew even bigger, if that was possible, as she skipped away, repeating the word over and over again. 
I’m hardly a perfect father. But that moment was perfect. In that spontaneous, beautiful interaction, I glimpsed in my girl’s radiant face what receiving unconditional love looked like: It was a portrait of delight. She knew the word on her shirt corresponded completely with how her daddy felt about her. 
How many of us know in our hearts that we are loved by a Father whose affection for us is limitless? Sometimes we struggle with this truth. 

Unfortunately there are too many - even Christians - out there who question God’s love because of some past pattern of sin, … like the Israelites who were consumed by Babylon until God set them free and called a remnant of believers back to Jerusalem, showing them His eternal and covenant love for His children. But in their doubts of God’s love, the Lord, thru Jeremiah, brought them a strong message (see the highlight passage) that His love was [and is] a FOREVER love … just like the love of that father in the ODB story above had for his daughter; … and just like the Heavenly Father Who sent is Son into the world to save mankind (see John 3:16-17).

No matter what we’ve done in our past, God is faithful to forgive us (see 1John 1:9); and His love is eternal, which will ALWAYS be there for us (see Hebrews 13:5).

Take a few minutes and hear today’s linked song and realize that our Heavenly Father will always be there with His love … and His grace; and as the song says, “He’ll do whatever it takes” to restore His relationship with us if has been severed or broken in any way by our sinfulness past.

His promise … not mine!!! 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You Your never-failing, eternal love. 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... Help me to know and always hold onto Your promise of eternal 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.

June 14, 2018 … Whom To Follow?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 164 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images and lyrics from Sara Groves singing her model version of the old hymn … Abide With Me … poignantly singing of how we disciples of Christ must seek to continually abide in Him and to avoid being influenced by the world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Nehemiah 4:6 [NKJV] … 6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. 
… Nehemiah would not be turned away by his critics and enemies; and the people built the walls, following God’s way.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nehemiah 4:1-6 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Nehemiah’s worldly critics/opponents did all they could to detract/deter him from God’s will; but he would not be dissuaded.
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Reference Passage : … Joshua 24:15 [NKJV] … 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 
… Joshua chose to follow His God and not the Lord’s enemies or the ways of the word.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Are we going to follow our own way or the way[s] of God?

Reference Passage : … John 15:7-8 [NKJV] … 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 
 … Staying connected to Christ (i.e., abiding in Him) is really the only way to be fruitful in life.

Reference Passage : … Romans 12:1-2 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We must choose to be true disciples of Christ, not following the ways of the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, used a personal story to illustrate how we can become distracted by the world or our critics to take the wrong road in life. The ODB author wrote: I work with a team to put on an annual community event. We spend eleven months plotting many details to ensure the event’s success. We choose the date and venue. We set ticket prices. We select everything from food vendors to sound technicians. As the event approaches, we answer public questions and provide directions. Afterward we collect feedback. Some good. Some that is hard to hear. Our team hears excitement from attendees and also fields complaints. The negative feedback can be discouraging and sometimes tempts us to give up. 

If we take in today’s photo illustration, and the linked song, I think we’d all agree that it can be confusing, if not downright confounding, to decide which path to take in life. Certainly our enemies (i.e., Satan’s warriors) and the world would desire to distract us from God’s will, won’t they?

And that was what Nehemiah faced when God called him to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem (see highlight passage). But he would not be dissuaded from God’s will and the Lord’s calling, and he chose to follow God’s will and His way, ignoring the distractions of his enemies; and we know the outcome, which glorified God.

I don’t think the message of this ODB entry is secretive or confusing, is it? No, … if you’ve meditated on all above, the message, i.e., God’s calling, is clear. As disciples of Christ, we must abide in Him, follow HIS ways, and do all we can to avoid the distractions of the world or the deterrence of Satan. And in doing so, we’ll be able to follow our Lord and be fruitful in His Hame and for His glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for showing us Your way and giving us the signposts to follow Your will from Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... Help me to seek and follow ONLY Your will and Your way from Your word. … 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.

June 13, 2018 … A Servant’s Love

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 163 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images and lyrics from Laura Story singing her song … Grace Abounds … poignantly singing of the grace we receive from God especially when we serve one another as servants of God in sharing His love/grace with others.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 2:5-7 [NKJV] … 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 
… Jesus modeled the ultimate in grace/love by becoming a servant of man and dying to save us. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 2:1-11 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK … … Jesus showed us the ultimate of humility and grace by setting aside His glory in heaven and coming to earth to serve all mankind with God’s ultimate act of love.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 23:11, 25:40 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus on the glory to God which comes from serving others.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 5:13 [NKJV] … 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 
… God, thru Paul, tells Christians that our only freedom is expressed when we seize the opportunities to serve others with God’s grace expressed thru our acts of love.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 10:24 [NKJV] … 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ... 
… God shows us the goal we should have every day …

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, used a bit of historical wisdom from Ben Franklin to show us how we must follow the model of Christ in HUMBLY serving others. The ODB author wrote: When Benjamin Franklin was a young man he made a list of twelve virtues he desired to grow in over the course of his life. He showed it to a friend, who suggested he add “humility” to it. Franklin liked the idea. He then added some guidelines to help him with each item on the list. Among Franklin’s thoughts about humility, he held up Jesus as an example to emulate. 

Jesus, of course, presented us with the ultimate example of by setting aside His majesty and glory for the time His Father gave Him up to serve mankind, dying for us on the cross (see highlight passage). The question which jumps out of the words of this ODB entry is … Do we follow Christ’s lead and serve Him by serving others? (see remaining reference passages)

I’m praying I [we] do … TODAY!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for showing us the way to give You glory by serving others with Your grace.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... Help me, and any others reading here, to use any opportunity you provide to serve others today so that You will be glorified! … 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.

June 12, 2018 … Called By Name

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 162 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images and lyrics from Francesca Battistelli singing … He Knows My Name … poignantly singing of the grace we receive from God in being called out by name to serve The King of kings.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 20:16 [NKJV] … 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” … She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 
… Jesus, having been raised from the dead, returns to call our Mary Madeline by name. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 20:11-18 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The resurrected Jesus called Mary Madeline by her name … just as he does each and every one of His sheep.
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Reference Passage : … John 10:3-4, 14-15 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows His sheep by name.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:7 [NKJV] … 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 
... God wants us to cast our cares on Him because He loves us just that much.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, used a strategy advertising uses to show the effects of calling one his his/her own name. The ODB author wrote: Advertisers have concluded that the most attention-grabbing word that viewers react to is their own name. Thus a television channel in the UK has introduced personalized advertisements with their online streaming services. 
We might enjoy hearing our name on television, but it doesn’t mean much without the intimacy that comes when someone who loves us says our name. 

Have you ever had some one you admired greatly, perhaps a grandparent, a mentor, or a dignitary call you out from a crowd by name? In such an instance one feels important, don’t we, … being recognized and acknowledged by name?

Well,… when Mary Madeline was so down with agony after Jesus was crucified, the Lord came to her; and when He called her by name, she knew immediately that her Savior was alive and cared deeply for her … enough to call her out by name.

And that’s what our Good Shepherd does for His flock. He calls us out by Name to follow Him; and all we need to do is just that (I hope you know Luke 9:23), knowing that He will lead us to glory. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for knowing my name and seeking me out to follow You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit ... Help me remember just how much you loved me and now have called me to follow and serve 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.