August 31, 2019 ... Free At Last

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 243 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Nichole Nordeman singing her song Finally Free ... poignantly singing of the freedom we find when we follow Christ’s love and receive His sanctifying grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 5:1, …13 [NLT] ... 1  So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. … 
 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 
... Paul preached the truth that we are only free when following Christ and by following Him we show His love to others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 5:1, 4-14 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Paul exhorted fellow Christians to free themselves from the law by obedience to Christ. 
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Reference Passage : ... 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 commands His disciples to follow Him as the only way to true freedom.

Reference Passage : ... John 8:31-26 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Jesus teaches that the only way to freedom is in and thru Him … that we become free when we walk as slaves to Him.

Reference Passage : ... John 14:21 [NLT] ... 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 
... Jesus shows His inner 12 that the only way for them to show their love for Him was to obey His commands.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, uses a word picture of a dog being constrained in a pen and unable to walk free having been trained by the dog pen…. The ODB author wrote: A classmate gave my family a registered collie that had become too old to breed puppies. We soon learned this beautiful dog had, sadly, spent much of her life inside a small pen [see photo]. She would only walk in tight circles. She couldn’t fetch or run in a straight line. And even with a large yard in which to play, she thought she was fenced in. 
The first Christians, many who were Jews, were used to being fenced in by the Mosaic law. 

Those early Jewish Christians found it difficult to truly walk in the freedom of their relationship with Christ because they had been so used to being “penned up” by trying to walk under God’s Law, which ironically had been given to them to show that they could only walk free when they would - and could - follow Christ. It is the ultimate paradox of Christianity that one will only be free when they submit themselves to humbly and obediently follow Christ (see reference scriptures above).

And I pray that all reading here with me are, as Nichole Nordeman sings in the linked song, “finally free,” … in a deep and abiding relationship with Christ, … following Him wherever He leads us. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us our freedom to follow You into glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here are able to find freedom by obediently following our Lord 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.</ span>

August 30, 2019 ... To God Be the Glory

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 242 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from ta men’s chorus singing Fanny Crosby’s 19th century hymn To God Be the Glory ... powerfully singing of a tribute to God working in the lives of His people … ALWAYS and FOREVER.

Berlin Wall Falls - 1989

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 126:3 [NLT] ... 3  Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! …  What joy! 
... God’s people singing for joy at the wonderful things God has done and will be doing for them. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 126 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... As God’s people ascend to Jerusalem from Babylon with the remnant of believers restored to their homeland, they sing praises to God for His mercy/grace.
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Reference Passage : ... John 14:1-3 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Jesus promises His inner 12 that they need not be troubled by the world because He is going to prepare a way - HIS WAY - for them. And we, His now disciples can - and should - revel in that promise.

Reference Passage : ... Romans 8:28-31 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Even as ALL THINGS work together for God’s chosen, since God is for us, nothing can really stand against us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Arthur Jackson, uses two historical references, on current and the other biblical, to show that we can always look forward to the great things God has in store for those whom He has called for eternity. ... The ODB author wrote: On November 9, 1989, the world was astonished by the news of the fall of the Berlin Wall. [see photo] The wall that had divided Berlin, Germany, was coming down and the city that had been divided for twenty-eight years would be united again. Though the epicenter of joy was Germany, an onlooking world shared in the excitement. Something great had taken place! 
When Israel returned to her homeland in 538 bc after being exiled for almost seventy years, it was also momentous. Psalm 126 begins with an over-the-shoulder look at that joy-filled time in the history of Israel. 

Now I don’t know where any reader here with me is today. But I would hope that we all can reflect back on a “God-thing” moment or time in our lives when God provided us with evidence of His caring mercy/grace.

For me it was that morning, as a hardened “agnostic” with recognized spiritual weaknesses, when God used the number “13” and the verse in Phil. 4:13 (long story!) to break me to seek His salvation. And I hope that all reading here can look back to your own “Berlin Wall” moment when the truth of Romans 8:31 … and Jesus’ promise to come and make all things right for eternity for His faithful (see John 14:1-3) becomes reality; … and we can all join in praising God and singing Fanny Crosby’s 19th century hymn, “To God Be the Glory … great things He has done!” (see linked song) 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for bringing me to a place where I can see and share in Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me today to give praise and thanks to a God, … Who has most certainly shown us His glory and will one day show us His 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.</ span>

August 29, 2019 ... Using Our Gifts

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 241 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing If We Are the Body ... powerfully singing of God’s body would be using what God has given us to use - TOGETHER - for others and for God’s glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Corinthians 12:7 [NLT] ... 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. .
.. Each Christian has been given at least one gift to use in the body of Christ for others and for His glory.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Corinthians 12:1-14 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. God, thru Paul, explains our Spiritual gifts and exhorts us to use them for others and for God’s glory.
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Reference Passage : ... Romans 12:6-8 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Paul, to fellow Christians, exhorting us to use our gifts, whatever they are, for God’s work.

Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 4:7, 11-12 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Pau explains the use of the Spirit-imparted gifts, being used by God’s body for God’s body and God’s glory.

Reference Passage : ... 1Peter 4:10-11 [NLT] ... 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
... Peter prays that all Christians will use their Spiritual gifts for God’s glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Evan Morgan, uses a personal story of a dream which encouraged him to use his God-given talents for God’s glory. ... The ODB author wrote: I was invited to meet a world-renowned pianist. Since I grew up immersed in music—playing the violin and piano, and primarily singing solos for church and other events—I was thrilled at the opportunity. 
When I arrived to meet the pianist, I realized he spoke little English; and to my surprise he provided a cello for me to play—an instrument I’d never touched. He insisted that I play and he would accompany me. I screeched out a few notes, trying to mimic my violin training. Finally admitting that I was lost, we parted ways. 
I awoke, realizing the scenario had been a dream. But since the musical background presented in my dream was true, in my mind lingered the words, Why didn’t you tell him you could sing? 

What gift or talent has God given each of us, as part of the body of Christ, to use to help others and to give Him glory? And as we take in the linked song and meditate on the Scriptures above, I pray that all reading here have identified our Spirit-imparted gift or gifts and we are using them - within the body of Christ - to show the world just what the Body of Christ can do to help others and extend His glory to the world.

My gifts are teaching and encouragement; and I pray that any readers with me here can see these gifts being used in what I write … to help others grow closer to God and to give Him the glory He deserves.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving me gifts which I can use right here each morning for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me today to use the gifts/talents God has given each of us to help others and to bring glory to our Lord. . … 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.</ span>

August 28, 2019 ... Our Love Witnessing for Christ

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 240 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Jeremy Hope singing Love Found A Way ... poignantly singing of how God created a way to free His children from our sin nature thru His ultimate sacrifice of love and our willingness to accept His saving grace.

Jesse Owens - Gold Medalist - 1936 Olympics 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 9:9, … 21 [NLT] ... 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. … 
 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. 
... This was Christ’s way of witnessing the love of His Father for His children; and we should copy it in the way we live as well.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 12:9-21 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. God, thru Paul, exhorts fellow Christians to show love for one another as our witness to the love that saved us.
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Reference Passage : ... John 13:34-35 [NLT] ... 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 
... Jesus, commands His disciples - that’s us too! - to love one another as evidence of His love.

Reference Passage : ... 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.” 
... We are charged (i.e., commissioned) to be witnesses of Christ’s love in the way we live our lives for Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses a historical reference to the Christian witness of the famous athlete, Jesse Owens, to illustrate how living lives of love and Christlike witness can impact others for Christ. ... The ODB author wrote: Influenced by parents who were strong believers in Jesus, track star Jesse Owens lived as a courageous man of faith. During the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Owens, one of the few African Americans on the US team, received four gold medals in the presence of hate-filled Nazis and their leader, Hitler. [see photo] He also befriended fellow athlete Luz Long, a German. Surrounded by Nazi propaganda, Owens’s simple act of living out his faith impacted Luz’s life. Later, Long wrote to Owens: “That hour in Berlin when I first spoke to you, when you had your knee upon the ground, I knew you were in prayer . . . . I think I might believe in God.” 

The message in the ODB story about Jesse Owens is crystal clear, isn’t it? Or at least it should be. And the linked song sings it as well. God showed us His way to witness His love to the world, … by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. And He demands us, ...His disciples, … His witnesses (see Acts 1:8), to love others to show Christlike love to the world (see John 13:34-35).

And God, thru the Apostle Paul (in the highlight passage) exhorts fellow Christians to do just that. So, I pray we all run the race of life, as did Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics - in a very hostile world - to show off the love of God in Christ.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for charging us to carry the torch of Your love in the race of life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to carry that torch of God’s love to others 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.</ span>

August 27, 2019 ... He’s Our Helper - ALWAYS!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 239 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing My Help ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, can ALWAYS rely on God’s help - even in times of great trial or challenge.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Micah 7:19 [NLT] ... 3  He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber. 4  Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. ... God’s watch care is perfect! 
============== Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 121 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... The Psalmist sings that our help comes from God - ALWAY!!
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Reference Passage : ... Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... We can trust God - ALWAYS - to provide a way for us.

Reference Passage : ... Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] ... 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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, when He left this earth after the resurrection promised His disciples, and that’s you and me too, that He would ALWAYS be with us.

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.
… Whatever happens in the life of a Christian is for our good … ALWAYS!!

Reference Passage : ... Hebrews 13:5-6 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God’s promise to us that He will always be there for us to be our helper in times of trial or trouble.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Blase, uses a personal story about a parent’s desire to watch over their children, tho never being able to do so as God watches over His children. ... The ODB author wrote: For a man who lives by a code, so to speak, it felt like a major failure. What’d I do? Well, I fell asleep. Our kids have a curfew to meet when they’re out for the evening. They’re good kids, but my practice is to wait up until I hear their hands turn the front doorknob. [see photo] I want to know they’re home safe. I don’t have to do this: I choose to. But one night I awoke to my daughter saying through a smile, “Dad, I’m safe. You should go to bed.” Despite our best intentions, sometimes fathers fall asleep at their posts. It was very humbling, and also very human. 

I’m a parent, as many of you with me here may be; and I think we parents all desire to provide the most diligent and complete watch care over our kids as we can. And, … we may try to be as vigilant and consistent in our care as we can, but we’ll never be able to be what God is to His children. And that is because our God is ALWAYS there for us; … yes, even when it seems that He’s distant or not available.

Our God always provides constant and perfect watch care; and we can join with God’s children in Psalm 121 or the Brooklyn Tab [in the linked song] in singing our praises that “our help cometh from the Lord!”

And so I pray that we all ascribe to meditating on and believing in the Scriptures above which declare that we can ALWAYS trust in our Lord to be there for us … ALWAYS and FOREVER. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for being our Heavenly Father, watching over us with Your Son’s promise and the Spirit’s power.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join in singing praises to our Abba Father for His watch care.. … 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.</ span>

August 26, 2019 ... God of 2nd Chances

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 238 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the the group Casting Crowns singing East to West ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, serve a God of 2nd chances who will cast our sins as far as the east is from the west when we’re willing to confess and repent.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Micah 7:19 [NLT] ... 19  Once again You [God] will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under Your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! .
.. The wonder of our God of 2nd changes, willing - and able - cast our sins into the depths of His ocean of forgetfulness.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Micah 7:1-3, 18-20 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. The Prophet declares God’s willingness to forgive those who are repentant for their sins, casting those sins into the depth of His sea of forgetfulness.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 32 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... 
... King David’s joyful song of what it was like to experience God’s forgiveness after he confessed and repented of his sin with Bathsheba.

Reference Passage : ... Psalm 103:12 [NLT] ... 12  He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 
... When we’re willing to repent of our sins, our God is willing - AND ABLE - to cast those sins as far as the east is from the west.

Reference Passage : ... 1Corinthians 10:13[NLT] ... 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 
… Paul reminds Christians that no matter what temptations/trials we face, our faithful God can - and will - show the repentant believer a way toward a 2nd chance direction.

Reference Passage : ... 2Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] ... 9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
... The Apostle Paul recalled Jesus’ declaration that His grace actually works best when we’re willing to recognize (i.e., confess/repent) of our weakness.

Reference Passage : ... 1John 1:9 [NLT] ... 9 But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL wickedness. 
... If any of God's children are willing to confess and repent of our sins, our God of 2nd chances is willing - and able - to cleanse us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses a story about a bike repair shop to illustrate how Christians are blessed to serve a God of 2nd chances who is willing - and able - cleanse us of our dirtiness and cast it into His sea of forgetfulness. ... The ODB author wrote: At the Second Chance Bike Shop near our neighborhood, volunteers rebuild cast-off bicycles and donate them to needy kids. Shop founder Ernie Clark also donates bikes to needy adults, including the homeless, the disabled, and military veterans struggling to make it in civilian life. [see photo] Not only do the bicycles get a second chance but sometimes the recipients get a new start too. One veteran used his new bike to get to a job interview. 
Second chances can transform a person’s life, especially when the second chance comes from God. 

If any reader today has taken the time to see/hear the linked song on You Tube and has been willing to meditate on the scriptures above, you know, as does this repentant sinner, that we serve a God of 2nd changes, … a God who is not only willing, but Who has provided a way - THE WAY - for us to bring our sinful past to Him and allow Him, thru our humble confession and repentance, to cast our sins, as Casting Crowns sings, as “far as the east is from the west” and as the Prophet Micah writes, [see highlight passage] into God’s sea of forgetfulness.
 And nobody knows those truths any more, or better, than I do, … having come to God as a repugnant, but repentant, P0RN addict over 3 decades ago and experienced God’s forgiveness and cleansing. And now, just as King David wrote about (in Ps. 32), having experienced God’s grace after his confession of sin with Bathsheba, I can, as David did, walk in life, knowing that my God has cleansed me and cast my sin as far as the east is from the west.

And, for any reader, I pray that you have experienced that too; and if you want to discuss that with me, I’m just an email away @ billb13@bellsouth.net .

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for cleansing us from our sins and then being willing to forget them.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to praise and thank God for giving us multiple opportunities to be cleansed of our sins as He promises in 1John 1:9. … 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.</ span>

August 25, 2019 ... “Surprise - Surprise !!”

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 237 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the Jeremy Camp singing The Answer ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, and seek and find the answers to life in our relationship with Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Corinthians 18:21 [NLT] ... 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 
.. God can even use man’s inferior wisdom to safe those who will believe His truth. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God’s wisdom is so far superior to man’s; but He uses our words and our ways to convey His wisdom.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 119:105 [NLT] ... 105  Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 
... The Psalmist shows us the guidebook of God’s wisdom and leading light is God’s word.

Reference Passage : ... Isaiah 55:8-9 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Isaiah, declares that we, using human wisdom, will never be able to fully understand God’s mind and His ways.

Reference Passage : ... Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Solomon, supposedly the wisest of all humans, declares that we should avoid trying to go thru life using just our own wisdom.

Reference Passage : ... Romans 11:33 [NLT] ... 33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! 
... The Apostle Paul expresses truth about how superior God’s wisdom and His ways are when compared to man’s.

Reference Passage : ... Hebrews 7:25 [NLT] ... 25 Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 
... Even with man’s limitations, God is able to save us and intercede for us in Heaven.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, refers to the growing wisdom of parents and their kids get older to illustrate our inability, as humans, to totally grasp the wisdom of God. ... The ODB author wrote: “It seems like the older I get, the wiser you become. Sometimes when I talk to my son I even hear your words coming out of my mouth!” 
My daughter’s candor made me laugh. I felt the same way about my parents and frequently found myself using their words as I raised my kids. Once I became a dad, my perspective on my parents’ wisdom changed. What I once “wrote off” as foolishness turned out to be far wiser than I had thought—I just couldn’t see it at first. 

If any reader has ever been a parent, as I have, you can probably identify with that ODB scenario. Sometimes, as our kids grew up, in discovering the wisdom of my parents about child rearing, I felt like the character Gomer Pyle, back in Mayberry, USA, when he would say, “SURPRISE, surprise, surprise!!” [see photo] 

And we probably all have had the experience of discovering the truth of the scriptures above which show how superior God’s wisdom is to our human knowledge. But thankfully, as it declares in today’s highlight passage, God can - and does - use our human wisdom and words to declare His saving truths to others (see also Heb. 7:25). And He has also given us His perfect “GPS” (God’s Positioning System) which we can trust completely for us to follow His wisdom in life [see Ps. 119:105 and Prov. 3:5-6].

Hence, you find me here each day, trying to reduce my Gomer Pyle moments, by consuming God’s “GPS” to use in my life. And I pray the same for you.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us Your truth to reduce our SURPRISE moments in life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to seek to use God’s word to show us His ways and reduce the human surprises in 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.</ span>

August 24, 2019 ... “Relax !!”

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 236 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the Altar of Praise Chorale singing I Surrender All ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, must surrender all of cares and anxieties to God … especially in times of trial.

Wilbur - Disney's Anxious Albatross

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 9:35 [NLT] ... 7  Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. 
... The Psalmist knows tho Whom to turn in times of trial.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 116:1-9 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... The Psalmist, perhaps David, under great pressure and anxiety, knows to surrender in prayer and song to the grace of God and receive His mercies.
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Reference Passage : ... Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] ... The faithful love of the Lord never ends.  His mercies never cease. 23  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
...  God’s mercies are ALWAYS there for us to rely upon.

Reference Passage : ... Matthew 11:28-30[NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Jesus, … commands us to yoke ourselves to Him in times of trial.

Reference Passage : ... Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Paul, gives us His prescription for dealing with anxiety.

Reference Passage : ... 1 Peter 5:6-7 [NLT] ... 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. .
.. God, thru Peter, shows us what to do do when we’re feeling pressed or oppressed.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, uses the multitasking roles of a mom to illustrate the biblical concept of being a servant to King Jesus. ... The ODB author wrote: “You must relax,” pronounces a doctor crisply in Disney’s Rescuers Down Under, attempting to treat the injured albatross Wilbur, a reluctant patient. [see photo] “Relax? I am relaxed!” a clearly not relaxed Wilbur responds sarcastically as his panic grows. “If I were any more relaxed, I’d be dead!” 
Can you relate? In light of the doctor’s dubious methods (such as a chainsaw dubbed an “epidermal tissue disruptor”), Wilbur’s misgivings seem justified. But the scene is funny because it captures how we tend to feel when we’re panicking—whether or not what we’re facing is actually life-threatening. 

I don’t know about other readers here; but I, for one, identify with Wilbur, Disney’s anxious albatross. When a doctor or a nurse tells me to “Relax,” it tends to make me more anxious. How about you?

Our human nature, with our “fight or flight” instincts, has more of a tendency to react in a “knee jerk” manner when we’re put under sudden pressures or trials. But Jesus wants us to learn to respond consciously when we’re put under stress, to yoke ourselves to Him (his command in Matt. 11:28-30); and to take our anxieties to Him to receive His mercies and His peace (Lam. 3:22-23 and 1Pet. 5:6-7).

But it take conscious effort and a whole lot of trust to place our anxieties in the Lord, doesn’t it? And I believe the best way to do that is to rehearse our desire - thru prayer and Bible meditation - and doing what the Chorale sings in the linked song in peaceful times … to “surrender all” to our Lord. That’s what I’m doing here in quiet solitude today; and you’ll see me back her tomorrow to do the same thing. Because the more I surrender to Him in quiet times, the more I’m able to do so when I need to relax and seek His peace in anxious times of stress (see Phil. 4:6-7).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for being there ALWAYS to provide me with Your mercies and peace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to seek God’s peace in the quiet times here today so that we can more likely handle the stress of 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.</ span>

August 23, 2019 ... Serving in God’s Kingdom

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 235 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the group Casting Crowns singing If We Are The Body ... powerfully singing of how we, as Christ’s body, must serve mankind as He has served us … in complete surrender to God, the Father.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 9:35 [NLT] ... 35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” 
... Jesus on what greatness looks like for God’s kingdom … as a “servant leader.”
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Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 9:33-37 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. Jesus shows His disciples what the heart of a kingdom leader looks like … a servant. 
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Reference Passage : ... Matthew 20:26-27 [NLT] ... 26 But among you [Jesus’ Disciples] it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. .
.. Jesus shows that a leader in God’s kingdom must be willing to be a slave to King Jesus.

Reference Passage : ... Matthew 24:45-47 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Jesus, from His parable on what a “faithful servant” is like … the ones who’ll be serving Him in heaven.

Reference Passage : ... Philippians 2:3-11 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. Jesus was humbly willing to serve all mankind by going to the cross to give us life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, uses the multitasking roles of a mom to illustrate the biblical concept of being a servant to King Jesus. ... The ODB author wrote: Cook. Event Planner. Nutritionist. Nurse. These are just some of the responsibilities regularly performed by modern moms. [see photo] In 2016, research estimated that moms likely worked between fifty-nine and ninety-six hours per week doing child-related tasks. No wonder moms are always exhausted! Being a mom means giving a lot of time and energy to care for children, who need so much help as they learn to navigate the world. 
When my days feel long and I need a reminder that caring for others is a worthy pursuit, I find great hope when I see Jesus affirming those who serve.

Jesus, when His disciples were arguing over who would sit with the Messiah in heaven or be a leader in His Kingdom (see highlight and reference passages), clearly showed them that to be great in God’s kingdom, one must be a slave to the King and serve others as King Jesus served all of mankind. And perhaps the attached graphic - of a multitasking mom - illustrates that kind of a servant’s heart and life.

I pray that all reading here are doing all we can to serve our Lord, King Jesus, by serving others, … just as He was willing to serve us, humbly going to the cross to die for us [see Phil. 2:3-11]. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing us how to be servant leaders in Your kingdom.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to do all we can TODAY to follow the servant-heart model King Jesus has given us with His life and death - FOR US!! … 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.</ span>

August 22, 2019 ... Following God’s Word

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 234 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics with the group Mercy Me singing Word of God Speak ... poignantly singing of how seek and find Jesus in the Bible, … His living word.

My "GPS" for life !! 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 111:7-8 [NLT] ... 7 All He does is just and good, and all His commandments are trustworthy. 8  They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. 
... We can trust that all God says in His word is true and worthy to be followed.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 111 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. The Psalmist sings a tribute to the leading power of God’s word.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 119:105 [NLT] ... 105  Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 
... God’s word lights our path thru life.

Reference Passage : ... Isaiah 55:11 [NLT] ... 11  It is the same with My word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 
… God promises, thru the Psalmist, that His word will ALWAYS produce what He desires for it when it’s used for His purposes.

Reference Passage : ... 2Timothy 3:16-17 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Paul, promises that our Scripture is God breathed and will give us all we need to live a God-honoring life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, points to the power of God’s Word, the Bible, to allow us to know God and lead us thru life. ... The ODB author wrote: I recently found a “hack” (a clever solution to a tricky problem) when one of my grandchildren warmed her toy rabbit on our fireplace glass. The resulting globs of fake bunny fur weren’t pretty, but a fireplace expert provided a great hack—a tip for how to make the glass look like new. It worked, and now we no longer allow stuffed animals near the fireplace! 
I bring up hacks because sometimes we can view Scripture as a collection of hacks—tips to make life easier. While it’s true that the Bible has much to say about how to live a Christ-honoring new life, that’s not the only purpose of the Book. What Scripture provides for us is a solution for mankind’s greatest need: rescue from sin and eternal separation from God. [see photo] 

Yes, God’s Word - the Bible - is certainly more that a large compilation of “hacks” (a new word for me)!! … And when you take in the Scriptures above - and believe them as truth, as I do - God’s word becomes our perfect “GPS” [“God’s Positioning System”), doesn’t it? As His word promises, the Bible is a light unto our path in life (Ps. 119:105). And when we used it for His purposes (i.e., to follow His will), it will ALWAYS provide us with His power (Isaiah 55:11). And finally, it gives us everything we need to live our lives according to God’s will, … following His ways (2Tim. 3:16-17).

So, that’s why I’m right here this morning; … right here in a quiet place EVERY MORNING, … seeking to know my Lord more intimately each day, and follow His ways and His will from His word.

God’s word is - and always will be - my “GPS” for life. How about you?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your truth which provides me with direction for life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to search for Your will and follow Your ways by using 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.</ span>

August 21, 2019 ... Christlike Make Over

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 233 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and song with the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing He’ll Do Whatever It Takes ... poignantly singing of how God’s grace is there to do whatever it takes to transform us into the image of our Lord.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 4:24 [NLT] ... 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. … “ 
... God, thru Paul, exhorted other Christians to put on the new nature of Christlikeness. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 4:21-24[NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Paul had experienced a Spirit makeover and he wanted fellow Christians to experience the same Christlike transformation.
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Reference Passage : ... 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] ... 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 
... God, thru Paul, assures born-again believers that we have a new nature in Christ.

Reference Passage : ... Philippians 1:6 [NLT] ... 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 
… If Christians will surrender to God’s Spirit, He will make us over into the image of our Lord.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 3:12-15 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Paul urges fellow Christians to put off the old selfish image and put on the new image of Christlikeness.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye used a story about a man whose life was transformed by his relationship with Christ and how this man, as we Christians should, did all he could to show other young people how Christ can do a makeover in our lives. ... The ODB author wrote: Stephen grew up in a rough part of East London and fell into crime by the age of ten. He said, “If everyone’s selling drugs and doing robberies and fraud, then you’re going to get involved. It’s just a way of life.” But when he was twenty, he had a dream that changed him: “I heard God saying, Stephen, you’re going to prison for murder.” This vivid dream served as a warning, and he turned to God and received Jesus as his Savior—and the Holy Spirit transformed his life. 
Stephen set up an organization that teaches inner-city kids discipline, morality, and respect through sports. [see photo] He credits God with the success he has seen as he prays with and trains the kids. “Rebuilding misguided dreams,” he says. 

The Apostle Paul was like that man in the ODB story above. Paul had experienced a transformation - a “make over” - by God’s Spirit. And in the scriptures above we read of just how much Paul wanted other Christians to experience that same Spirit “make-over” in Christ.

Everywhere Paul went on his missionary journeys, we read in his letters, how he exhorted fellow Christians to surrender to Christ and allow His Spirt to do, as Phillips, Craig, and Dean sing, … “whatever it takes” … to transform us into the image of Christlikeness.

I pray that all reading here are surrendered today to God’s Spirit and allowing Him to do His eternal and miraculous make-over in us thru God’s transforming and sanctifying grace.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your promise of making me (us) over in Christ.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to surrender and letting God’s Spirit make us over into the images of Christlikeness. … 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.</ span>

August 20, 2019 ... Love Them Anyway!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 232 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song/lyrics with the group Unspoken singing Call It Grace ... poignantly singing of how God’s grace is there for us ALWAYS just as we should offer it to others … always … even our enemies.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 9:27 [NLT] ... 27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. … “ 
... Jesus teaches a new level of love to His followers.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 6:27-36 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Jesus preaches on living and loving others … yes, even our enemies.
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Reference Passage : ... Matthew 5:44 [NLT] ... 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! … “ 
.. From Jesus’ sermon on the mount; … He gives new meaning to love and grace.

Reference Passage : ... John 13:34-35 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Jesus commands His disciples to love one another to be able to show others that we are His disciples.

Reference Passage : ... 2Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] ... 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 
... In our old self, we could not love our enemies; but in our new self, we can!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Sheridan Voysey used a reference to a novel to illustrate Jesus’ command to love even our enemies ... The ODB author wrote: In Leif Enger’s novel Peace Like a River, Jeremiah Land is a single father of three working as a janitor at a local school. He’s also a man of deep, sometimes miraculous, faith. Throughout the book, his faith is often tested. 
Jeremiah’s school is run by Chester Holden, a mean-spirited superintendent with a skin condition. Despite Jeremiah’s excellent work ethic—mopping up a sewage spill without complaint, picking up broken bottles the superintendent smashed—Holden wants him gone. One day, in front of all the students, he accuses Jeremiah of drunkenness and fires him. It’s a humiliating scene. 
How does Jeremiah respond? He could threaten legal action for unfair dismissal or make accusations of his own. He could slink away, accepting the injustice. Think for a moment what you might do. 

I know many - if not most of us - would like to punch that jerk out, wouldn’t we? But Jesus [see highlight passage and Matt. 5:44] called His disciples to a new level of grace when He preached from that Galilean hillside; and it’s a standard of love/grace which is admittedly almost impossible in our human nature. But as God’s Spirit has made us new (see 2Cor. 5:17), we can choose and exercise God’s grace and love to all; … yes even our enemies.

So, … after we all listen to the group Unspoken sing about God’s grace in the linked song, … I prayer we can - and will - show off God’s love/grace to others today!!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing just how You loved me when I was your enemy by loving even those who persecute me today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to show our love to EVERYONE, … yes, even our enemies, … today and 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.</ span>

August 19, 2019 ... Imagining My Home

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 231 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song/lyrics with Mercy Me singing their song I Can Only Imagine ... poignantly singing of imagining what it must be like when a child of God goes home to be with our Savior.

Annie Moore - First Immigrant thru Ellis Island - 1892

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Highlight Verse[s]: Revelation 22:1 [NLT] ... 1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
... John is given a vision of the glory of the New Jerusalem, ... a vision beyond our imagination.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Revelation 22:1-5 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... John is given a view of the New Jerusalem, ... heaven in all of its glory.
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Reference Passage : ... John 14:1-4 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... ... Jesus gives His inner Disciples a promise that He will be with them in heaven and prepare a very special home for them [us].

Reference Passage : ... 2Corinthians 5:8 [NLT] ... 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. ... Paul knew that when he died, he would be in the presence of the Lord ... just as will all born-again saints.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Estera Escobar, used a story about the first Irish immigrant to come across Ellis Island to her new home in America in 1892. ... The ODB author wrote: As the first immigrant to the US to pass through Ellis Island in 1892, Annie Moore must have felt incredible excitement at the thought of a new home and a fresh start. [see photo of her Ellis Island memorial] Millions would pass through there afterward. Just a teenager, Annie had left behind a difficult life in Ireland to start a new one. Carrying only a little bag in her hand, she came with lots of dreams, hopes, and expectations of a land of opportunity. 

When Annie Moore arrived in the harbor of New York City from her former home in Ireland, she could only imagine what her new life would be like in her new home. And we, as born-again disciples of Christ can only imagine, as the group Mercy Me sings in the linked song, what it will be like when we arrive in our new and final home, ... in the harbors of heaven.

The Apostle John was given a vision of what that will be like (see highlight passage); but as with the Apostle Paul (in 2Cor. 5:8), we must, by faith, look forward to the glory we will experience when we are absent from these earthly bodies and present in glory with the Lamb of God. But Jesus (see John 14:1-4) promises us that a very special home would be prepared for His disciples in heaven; and with that promise ... “I can only imagine” ... what that will be like.

 But, that’s enough for me to look forward, with great anticipation, to that time when I’m absent from this body and looking into the eyes of my Savior. ... Finally home!!!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your promise of what it will be like to be with You in glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to rest in the faith of what we will see ahead when we’re with You, King Jesus, in 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.</ span>

August 18, 2019 … Repairs Needed

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 230 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song/lyrics with Queen Latifah singing Fix Me Jesus … poignantly singing of our Lord is willing - and very able - to repair and renew our lives for service to Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Kings 19:4 [NLT] … 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 
… After Elijah’s encounter with Jezebel, physically/spiritually exhausted, the Prophet wants to give up and die; … but God is there for the repairs.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Kings 19:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Elijah is spiritually broken and needs serious renewal from HIs God.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ offer - and promise - that He’s ALWAYS there to help us when we need Him in times of exhaustion or need of renewal.

Reference Passage : … 2Corinthians 12:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul testifying to God’s grace being available to give us strength when we are depleted of spiritual energy.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, gives us God’s prescription for dealing with emotional/spiritual anxiety … to humbly/thankfully come to God in prayer with our concerns.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:7 [NLT] … 7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 
… Peter tells us where to take our cares when we feel spiritually depleted.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Julie Schwab, used a story about a spiritually exhausted Pastor to illustrate how we all can get to a place where we need spiritual renewal from the Lord. … The ODB author wrote: “Emotionally, we’ve sometimes worked a full day in one hour,” Zack Eswine writes in his book The Imperfect Pastor. Although he was referring specifically to the burdens pastors frequently carry, this is true for any of us. Weighty emotions and responsibilities can leave us physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. And all we want to do is sleep. 

Any of us can get to that place of emotional, spiritual, or even physical exhaustion where we almost want to give up as Elijah did when he used up all his power in dealing with Jezebel after his victory with Ahab and his Baal prophets. But in the highlight passage we read how God was available and able to restore Elijah, … just as our Lord is available for us when our emotional/spiritual resources become exhausted.

There are times, aren’t there, when our emotional warning lights go off, like they do in our cars when repair is needed (see photo)? And we feel like Queen Latifah must’ve felt when she sang the linked song … in need of fixing by our Lord. But … we know from His own promises (see Matt. 11:28-30 and from the Scriptural exhortations from Paul (see 2Cor. 12 and Phil. 4 above) that our Lord is ALWAYS there for us with His grace to cover our weakness with His strength.

But we have to be willing to go to a caring God, as did Elijah [above] and as Peter decries (in 1Peter 5:7), and give our cares over to the Lord. I pray we do so today if our warning lights have gone off and we need His repairs.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for being there as our Fixer when we are broken.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to reach out to our caring Eternal Fixer when we are in need of repair. … 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.

August 17, 2019 … Made for Relationships

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 229 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song/lyrics with the group Avalon singing Orphans of God … poignantly singing of how God made us to be in family with Him as our loving Father.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 2:18 [NLT] … 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 
… God created mankind to be in a familial relationship.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 2:15-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God created mankind - Adam and Eve - to be in relationship with one another, … a mirror of the relationship in the Trinity.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 68:6 [NLT] …  6  God places the lonely in families; He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. 
… God places mankind into relationship to set us free from our selves.

Reference Passage : … John 13:34-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus desires for all of His disciples to share His love with others … showing the love He has for all in His family.

Reference Passage : … John 19:26-27 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, dying on the cross, wanted to make sure His mother, Mary, would not be alone but would always have His beloved Disciple, John, as her watchful son.

Reference Passage : … 1Timothy 5:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, instructing Timothy (and all Christians) to treat each other as loving family.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, used a story about a social trend to illustrate how God created mankind to be in a familial relationship. … The ODB author wrote: There’s a growing “rent-a-family” industry in many countries to meet the needs of lonely people. Some use the service to maintain appearances, so that at a social event they can appear to have a happy family. Some hire actors to impersonate estranged relatives, so that they can feel, if briefly, a familial connection they long for. 
This trend reflects a basic truth: Humans are created for relationship. [see photo]

Prayerfully Christians reading with me here have come to realize that we were all created to be part of the family of God … just as God created Eve out of Man to provide Adam with the love and relationship in the God-Head (i.e., the Trinity). And going forward, sinful man has done much, in our flesh, with the help of Satan, to disrupt - or even destroy - that familial relationship. All we have to do is watch the evening news to see that.

But nonetheless, just as the group Avalon sings in the linked song, we were created by God to be a part of His family; and when we respond to fill the love hole that He placed in every person’s heart, by filling it with the love of God, we come into the kind of familial relationships we were designed to reflect.

And I pray today that all reading here know that - as the song sings - there are no orphans in God’s family; and, as the reference scriptures above attest, Our Loving, Heavenly Father - and certainly our Savior and His Spirit - want us all to share in the love the Trinity feels for One Another. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for bringing me into Your family to feel and share Your love with others.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to reach out today to share God’s love and show others the love offered from God’s family. … 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.

August 16, 2019 … Forgiveness for Me Too !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 228 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Gordon Mote live singing his songMercy Walked In … poignantly singing of how we as sinners can come before a faithful and merciful God and be redeemed by His love and grace.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 Samuel 11:27c [NLT] … 27c … But the Lord was displeased with what David had done. 
… God is always displeased when we choose to satisfy self, rather than our Lord.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Samuel 11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David relents to his sin nature and abuses his power by taking Bathsheba and having her husband killed.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 51:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David begs for forgiveness from God following his repentance and confession of his sin with Bathsheba and her husband.

Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s mercies and His faithful forgiveness never end!!

Reference Passage : … 1 John 1:9 [NLT] … 9 But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 
 … God is always willing - and able - to forgive any sin when one is humbly contrite and willing to confess and repent.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, used a story about President Lincoln who needed words of encouragement because of his responsibilities in life; and then the author showed us how we all need words of encouragement. … The ODB author wrote: Painfully, the evil that has long been swept under the rug—sexual abuse of many women by men who had power over them—has come to light. Enduring headline after headline, my heart sank when I heard proof of abuse by two men I admired. The church has not been immune to these issues. [see photo] 

Any Christian certainly should be saddened, if not angered, by the recent litany of reports of sexual abuse in the news; … but even more so in the church, … reportedly by clergy abusing their power and authority. But tho there has been a rash of such reports lately, this pattern of power and sexual abuse is certainly not new, is it? We can read of one of the most notorious biblical reports in the highlight passage, … the telling of King David’s sexual abuse with Bathsheba and his cover-up of the affair by having her husband, Uriah, killed.

And yes, we most certainly know that God deplores such heinous and abusive sin (see 2Sam. 11:27). But … as we also read in Psalm 51, that David came to a place of contrition and surrender to God’s mercies, which thankfully are new and available anytime (see Lamentations 3:22-23) for the sinner who’s willing to repent and confess their (our) sin and be cleansed completely (see 1John 1:9).

Yes, sexually abusive sin is deplorable; but even with a King, like David, such sin can be cleansed by God’s love, mercy, and grace just as Gordon Mote sings in the linked song. And I pray that any reading here who need to repent and confess any sins today … that we do so … FORTHWITH!! 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for Your faithful mercy and grace when I’m willing to confess and repent and receive it.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to confess any sins we harbor, … repenting to receive God’s mercy and forgiving 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.

August 15, 2019 … Encouraging Words

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 227 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and images with Gene Autry singing the old cowboy song Home on the Range … poignantly singing of how we all seek for that place where we ALWAYS feel at home and we hear NOT a discouraging word.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romand 15:1-2 [NLT] … 1 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 
… We should always speak words that lift others up who need lifting up.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 15:1-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, exhorts fellow Christians to speaking only Christlike, grace-filled words. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 16:24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 24  Kind words are like honey — sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. 
… From God, thru Solomon, … kind words are so much more energizing than harsh words.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:29 [NLT] … 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 
 … God, thru Paul, exhorting Christians to speak only those words with uplift others and provide them with Christlike grace.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, used a story about President Lincoln who needed words of encouragement because of his responsibilities in life; and then the author showed us how we all need words of encouragement. … The ODB author wrote: Who do you know who needs encouragement? Everyone! Look around you. There isn’t one person in your line of vision who is as confident as they seem. We’re all one failure, snide comment, or bad hair day away from self-doubt. 

Pertinent and provocative questions, aren’t they?  And I harken back to the message of the linked song, … one I remember from my youth, watching cowboy movies with Gene Autry, “the singing cowboy,” who sung of us seeking a “home on the range, … where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and skies are not cloudy all day.” We all long for that place, don’t we? And that place, of course, is heaven, … where there will be no discouraging words spoken; and the Son will shine ALWAYS!

However, until we get to our final home on God’s range in heaven, we should be seeking to make this place, darkened by sin and discouragement, a lighter and more encouraging place by sharing more words of grace (see photo). That’s what the Apostle Paul was exhorting fellow Christians (that’s you and me, too!) in today’s highlight passage [and as well in Eph. 4:29]; and it’s what Solomon put forth in Proverbs 16:24.

We all need words of encouragement, don’t we? So, whom can we share such words with in our lives. Let’s all look to do that with EVERYONE we encounter today.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving me Your grace to share with others today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to lift others up with words of encouragement 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.

August 14, 2019 … In Control … REALLY?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 226 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics with Steven Curtis Chapman singing His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how we must rely on God’s strength to cover our weakness and allow Him to lead us thru life.

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 Highlight Verse[s]: James 4:14 [NLT] … 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 
 … Our illusion of self control can often lead us into a fog (see photo).
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Highlight Passage [context]: James 4:13-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… James exposes how we can let our feelings of self confidence lead us in wrong directions in life.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… We must trust and follow God’s way in life … no matter what we encounter.

Reference Passage : … 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 commands His followers to deny ourselves and be willing to closely follow Him.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 11:1 [NLT] … 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 
… Paul had learned - and exhibited - a confidence of following Christ and leading others to surrender to Christ’s lead as well.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul had learned - as should we - that God’s grace is always sufficient to provide us the strength to move when we feel weak or lost.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, used the results of a scientific study to show that we really don’t have as much control in life as we think. … The ODB author wrote: Ellen Langer’s 1975 study titled The Illusion of Control examined the level of influence we exert over life’s events. She found that we overestimate our degree of control in most situations. The study also demonstrated how reality nearly always shatters our illusion. 
Langer’s conclusions are supported by experiments carried out by others since the study was published. However, James [see highlight passage] identified the phenomenon long before she named it. 

If a reader has ever driven from clear weather into dense fog [see photo], you probably recall the feeling of losing control. As Langer’s study revealed [in the ODB entry today], we humans can have an illusion of self control; when actually we don’t have the strength and control we may feel we have.

And that’s the reason why Jesus (in Luke 9:23) commanded His followers to avoid trying to follow their own way and to follow none by His. It’s what Paul had learned, and exhorted fellow Christians [in 1Cor 11:1 and 2Cor 12: 9-10], … to surrender to God’s grace and let the Lord lead us thru life rather than trying to go it on our own.

Because, we only can have the strength and vision to traverse this life clearly and fruitfully if we trust and follow God and let Him give us the strength when we’re weak (as Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song). I pray we do so today … and tomorrow as well.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for showing us the way to go home.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to surrender to God’s grace and let Him give us the strength and vision to move on 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.