October 31, 2019 … Scarred Witness

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 304 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group I Am They singing … Scars ... poignantly singing of how God uses the scars from our past to give witness to His restoration and healing thru His word and His Spirit.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 20:27 [NKJV] ... 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 
… Jesus dispels Thomas’ doubts so He could believe … just as He can dispel our doubts when we have faith to believe in His restoring power to heal us thru His Spirit.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 20:24-29 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus shows Thomas His scars, … evidence of His resurrection and life …
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Reference Passage : … Job 42:5-6, 16-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Job’s past scars are healed after he repented of his sin of doubt to God …

Reference Passage : … Psalm 32:1-5 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… David gives witness to God’s healing grace after his repentance and confession of sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NKJV] … 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 
… Jesus wants His disciples to give witness to His ability to heal the scars of our past wherever and whenever we can.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Elisa Morgan uses personal story to illustrate our the scars from our past tell a story of God’s healing and restoration. … The ODB author wrote: The butterfly flitted in and out of my mother’s panda-faced pansies. As a child, I longed to catch it. I raced from our backyard into our kitchen and grabbed a glass jar, but on my hasty return, I tripped and hit the concrete patio hard. The jar smashed under my wrist and left an ugly slash that would require eighteen stitches to close. Today the scar crawls like a caterpillar across my wrist, telling the story of both wounding and healing. 

Scars. We all have them, don’t we, ... if not physically, perhaps emotionally?  I’ve got a bunch of them from my past of running from God and falling into dark patterns of sexual sin, all of which left emotional and even physical scars. But now, … having repented of those patterns of sin and surrendered to the healing grace of Jesus, as Lord, my scars have become my witness to God’s restoration and renewal of my soul. And anyone can read of my witness and the ministry power of God’s healing grace AT THIS WEBSITE .

And I pray today that all reading here listen intently to the linked song and have meditated on the Scriptures above, especially how God restored even the scars of Job (see Job 42) or King David (see Psalm 32). And Jesus has commanded us (see Acts 1:8) to give witness to God’s restorative grace by sharing the stories of how God is healing us.

And further I pray that we all give witness to that wherever and whenever we can.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for healing those who, in faith, come to have our scars restored by your Spirit’s power.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to repent and receive our Lord’s healing 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.</ span>

October 30, 2019 … Seeking His Light

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 303 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Laura Story singing her song Blessings ... poignantly singing of how God so often sends His blessing disguised as the challenges and tests of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 1:5 [NKJV] ... 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 
… John the Baptist gives witness that Jesus was the Light of the world to lead God’s people out of the darkness of sin.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 1:5, 16:1-11, 33 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus promises His disciples (and us) that He had overcome the darkness of the world. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:105 [NKJV] … 105  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 
… God gives us His word to shine His light to show us the way in the darkness (see photo).

Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:16 [NKJV] … 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 
… Jesus wants His kingdom Saints (that’s us!) to shine His light into this ever darkening world.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20b [NKJV] … 20 … and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 
… Jesus promises His presence in leading us down the dark roads of life … so why not follow His Light?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washington uses a tru story of persecuted Christians witnessing the light of Christ in the midst of the darkness of this world. … The ODB author wrote: In These Are the Generations, Mr. Bae describes God’s faithfulness and the power of the gospel to penetrate the darkness. His grandfather, parents, and his own family were all persecuted for sharing their faith in Christ. But an interesting thing happened when Mr. Bae was imprisoned for telling a friend about God: his faith grew. The same was true for his parents when they were sentenced to a concentration camp—they continued to share Christ’s love even there. Mr. Bae found the promise of John 1:5 to be true: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

We’re all going to experience darkness in this world, … aren’t we? Of course we are! … So what should be our response as born-again believers. And it is to do what is depicted in the attached photo, … to walk to the Light. And that Light, of course, is Jesus showing us the way to go thru His door. 

And when we do then we become the Light which Jesus called us to be in Matt. 5:16, shining the way for others to find their way in the darkness. That’s why you find me here, … each morning, … seeking out His light for my path in the darkness thru the light of truth found in His word (see Ps. 119:105).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for shining Your light of truth to light my way in the darkness.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to go to the Light, … His light of truth, … to walk thru His eternal door of 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>

October 29, 2019 … Dark Road Ahead

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 302 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and song from Clay Crosse, Bob Carlisle, and Bebe Winans singing I Will Follow Christ ... powerfully singing of how we Christians must be committed to following Christ down the roads of life … no matter how dark they may be.

The Roads of Life - Often Dark and Foreboding 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 42:16 [NKJV] ... 16  I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them. 
… We have to trust that God will fulfill this promise in our lives.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 42:10-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Isaiah, promises to show us the way - HIS way - down the paths of life. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:105 [NKJV] … 105  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 
… God gives us His word to light the dark roads ahead.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 
… Solomon shows us the way to travel the roads of life … to trust that God will ALWAYS be there to guide us.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20b [NKJV] … 20 … and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
… Jesus promises His presence in leading us down the dark roads of life … so why not follow Him?

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5b [NKJV] … 5 … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
… God’s promise shows us that we can ALWAYS trust Him to be with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, uses a personal experience to illustrate that we need to trust God when we have to drive down the dark roads ahead in life. … The ODB author wrote: People ask me if I have a five-year plan. How can I plan five years “down the road” on a road I’ve never traveled? [see photo] 
I think back to the 1960s when I was a minister to students at Stanford University. I’d been a physical education major in college and had a lot of fun, but I left no record of being a scholar. I felt wholly inadequate in my new position. Most days I wandered around the campus, a blind man groping in the darkness, asking God to show me what to do. One day a student “out of the blue” asked me to lead a Bible study in his fraternity. It was a beginning. 

I think we’d all agree that some of the roads that we’ll travel in life are going to be dark (see photo), … maybe even scary. But if we know and believe in the truths espoused by God’s word [see above], we should be able to do what the linked song sings … and that is, … follow Christ since He has promised us to be with us - ALWAYS - and to light up our paths, especially by His word.

The question is … do we believe His promises; and will we follow Him down the dark roads of life? … Good question; … and I’m praying we do trust Him and follow Him … no matter what!! 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for promise to shine a light of truth on our paths ahead.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to trust that God’s word will light up the dark roads ahead. … 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>

October 28, 2019 … Becoming God’s Warrior

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 301 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Laura Story singing Grace Abounds ... poignantly singing of how God gives His empowering grace to replace our feelings of inadequacy; … and THEN ON TO THIS LINK  with Steven Curtis Chapman singing much the same truth in his song - His Strength Is Perfect.

Gideon with God's Angel

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Highlight Verse[s]: Judges 6:12 [NKJV] ... 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 
… Gideon had trouble processing the proclamation of God’s angel that he, Gideon, could be a mighty warrior for God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Judges 6:1-16 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God’s angel confronts a threatened Gideon with a challenge to become God’s warrior. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ NKJV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 
… God’s promise to lift us up when we feel weakened.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [ NKJV] … 10  So do not fear, for I am with you; be not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; … yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 
… God’s promise to lift us up when we feel weakened.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ NKJV] … 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
… Paul shows fellow Christians that we can rely on God’s grace, thru Christ, to give us His strength when we feel weak.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:13 [NKJV] … 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 
… If we believe in God’s truth, we can be strengthened by our relationship with Christ when we feel weakened.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses a very relatable story of a young woman challenged and bullied by social media and how she relied on God’s truth and grace to be a warrior. … The ODB author wrote: Eighteen-year-old Emma faithfully talks about Jesus on social media, even though bullies have criticized her joy and enthusiastic love for Christ. Some have attacked her with remarks about her physical appearance. Others have suggested a lack of intelligence because of her devotion to God. Though the unkind words cut deep into Emma’s heart, she continues to spread the gospel with bold faith and love for Jesus and others. Sometimes, though, she’s tempted to believe her identity and worth are determined by the criticism of others. When that happens, she asks God for help, prays for her persecutors, meditates on the words of Scripture, and perseveres with Spirit-empowered courage and confidence. 

Many can probably relate to Emma’s story in today’s ODB entry; and the author went on to a biblical example of a frightened and intimidated Gideon (see photo and highlight passage), who was confronted by an angel of God, who called Gideon God’s “mighty warrior.” Gideon, like Emma in the ODB story, had trouble believing in the truth of what the angel proclaimed. But ultimately, if one reads on in Judges, Chapters 6-7, Gideon was lifted up to become God’s mighty warrior after all.

I think we all feel fearful and intimidated by the world at times, don’t we? But like Gideon - and Emma - we can become warriors for God’s kingdom, if we have faith in God’s word; and His desire to give us His strength and empowering grace when we feel weakened.

That’s why, believing whole-heartedly in God’s word, I have memorized and internalized the reference scriptures above. And when I’m feeling anything but a warrior, I stop and pray the words of those verses above; asking God to give me His grace to become a warrior for Him.

And I pray today that any reading here COMPLETELY believe in the truth of God’s promises and have verses like those above to pray back to God, letting the Lord give us His empowering grace as Laura Story and Steven Curtis Chapman sing in the linked songs above.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for ALWAYS lifting me up when I need Your strength to cover my weakness.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me be believe in and pray to God His promises to lift us up with His strength when we’re feeling weak. … 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>

October 27, 2019 … Healing the Sick

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 300 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jeremy Camp singing The Answer ... poignantly singing of why God sent Jesus to be THE ANSWER to all our sicknesses and sinfulness.

Reaching out to treat the homeless/addicted in San Francisco

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 2:16-17 [NKJV] ... 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” … 17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 
… Jesus declares openly that He came to treat sick/sinners.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 2:13-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus declares that He came to tend to the sick, not those who are already well.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 53:6 [ NKJV] … 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, EVERY ONE, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 
 … God shows us, thru Isaiah’s prophesy, that we’re all sinners in need of a Savior - His coming Messiah!!

Reference Passage : … Luke 4:16-21 [ NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus declares why He was sent by God, His Father, … to fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah 700+ years earlier [see Isaiah 61:1-2], … that He, The Messiah, had come to save the sick/sinful in the world - and that’s all of mankind.

Reference Passage : … John 10:10 [NKJV] … 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 
… Jesus declares that He came to overcome the work of Satan, i.e., sickness and sinfulness, and to give us abundant wellness and life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses modern day program in San Francisco to help the addicted homeless in San Francisco, … illustrating why Jesus came to help mankind find His answer to the sin and sickness of this world. … The ODB author wrote: City health workers in San Francisco are taking medical care to the streets to supply the homeless who are suffering from opioid addiction with medicine to treat their addiction. [see photo] The program began in response to the rising number of homeless who are injecting. Customarily, doctors wait for patients to come to a clinic. By taking medical care to the afflicted instead, patients don’t have to overcome the challenges of transportation or needing to remember the appointment. 
The health workers’ willingness to go to those in need of care reminds me of the way Jesus has come to us in our need. 

I pray all reading here realize why Jesus came as The Messiah to God’s people. Because, … as He certainly declared openly, [see Scriptures above], … He came to save us from the sickness of our own sin. … Yes, He came that we sick/sinners might be freed from our sinfulness and receive healing and wellness from our faith in His finished work on the cross.

And I also pray that we all are experiencing the abundance of life which His promise provides (see John 10:10). Because our Lord came to free us from the sinful sickness of our humanity. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for coming to save any who repent of our sinfulness, declaring openly and humbly our faith in Your finished/healing work on the cross.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me in a robust ”HALLELUJAH!!” for our saving Jehovah Raphe, the Great Physician, Who came to save us from the sickness of sin. … 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>

October 26, 2019 … Spreading Seeds

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 299 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRnzVzeY4WY ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing Field of Souls ... poignantly singing of God’s has commissions us as He seed planters to reap the field of souls for God’s Kingdom.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 4:26-27 [NKJV] ... 26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should [a]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 
… Jesus’ parable about spreading the seeds of the Gospel so that God can reap the harvest of souls. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 4:26-29 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus, teaches on the harvest of souls from God’s fertile field.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 13:24-30 [ NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus explains in a parable how we must be His harvest workers on earth, … planting His kingdom seeds and tending the crops until they come in with His harvest.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:19-20 [ NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We are called and commissioned by Christ to go and spread the seeds of the Gospel and tend His fields until there is a harvest of souls for His kingdom.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 14:14-16[NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … … In the end, thru the work of His Saints, God will reap a harvest of souls for His glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, uses an agricultural word picture to illustrate how we may plant the seeds of faith, witnessing to others, but it’s God who makes the field fertile for His Kingdom growth. … The ODB author wrote: For nearly four decades, a man in India has worked to bring a scorched, sandy wasteland back to life. Seeing how erosion and changing ecosystems had destroyed the river island he loved, he began to plant one tree at a time, bamboo then cotton. Now, lush forests and abundant wildlife fill more than 1,300 acres. However, the man insists the rebirth was not something he made happen. Acknowledging the amazing way the natural world is designed, he marvels at how seeds are carried to fertile ground by the wind. Birds and animals participate in sowing them as well, and rivers also contribute in helping plants and trees flourish. 

If any readers here have taken the time to digest the ODB summary above, and listened to the poignant linked song, and meditated on the Scriptures above, I would hope that many of you are as convicted as I am to do more to fulfill Jesus’ call for His disciples to be His workers to plant the seeds of the Gospel in His field of souls, allowing Him to reap the harvest for His glorious kingdom when Jesus comes again.

No more need be written by this seed planter.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for placing us, as your field workers, so that You can reap the harvest of souls in glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will do all we can to plant your Gospel seeds in fertile ground, prepared for the harvest of souls. … 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>

October 25, 2019 … Three Strands Together

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 298 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from the group Casting Crowns singing Broken Together ... poignantly singing of God’s desire that we mend our human relationships by intertwining our cords of life in our eternal mutual relationship with God’s Spirit giving us His strength.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ecclesiastes 4:12 [NKJV] ... 12  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 
… We will be so much stronger in life with our lives around together by our relationship with God’s Spirit.
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Highlight Passage [context]:Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Solomon, shows us how we can be so much stronger in our relationships when we bind ourselves together with His Spirit.
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Reference Passage : … John 15:5-8[ NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus invites us to join our lives with Him for His empowering grace and strength.

Reference Passage : …Romans 3:21-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God shows us that, by nature, we’re all broken creatures.

Reference Passage : …Ephesians 5:30-33 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … … When we, in marriage or human relationships, come together in a joined relationship with God’s Spirit, we become so much stronger to stand with Christ in our embattled world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author,Jennifer Benson Schulldt, uses a botanical illustration to show how God desires that our human relationships be intertwined with His Spirit so that we can be strong when we’re united with Him. … The ODB author wrote: A friend gave me a houseplant she’d owned for more than forty years. The plant was equal to my height, and it produced large leaves from three separate spindly trunks. Over time, the weight of the leaves had caused all three of the stalks to curve down toward the floor. To straighten them, I put a wedge under the plant’s pot and placed it near a window so the sunlight could draw the leaves upward and help cure its bad posture. 
Shortly after receiving the plant, I saw one just like it in a waiting room at a local business. [see photo] It also grew from three long skinny stalks, but they’d been braided together to form a larger, more solid core. This plant stood upright without any help.

We’re all broken, aren’t we (see Rom 3:23)? So, in our mutual brokenness, we need to come together, as Solomon described in the highlight passage, and bind ourselves together with God’s Spirit, which, when accomplished, gives us the strength to grow strong, as illustrated by the plant in the photo.

And this is likely best illustrated in the linked song where two, in their human brokenness, join with God’s Spirit to live and grow together, … just as Christ invited us to do in John 15:5-8. And that is my prayer for all who read with me today.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your invitation to join with Your Spirit and grow together, even in our own brokenness.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will bind ourselves with Your Spirit to grow strong TOGETHER. … 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>

October 24, 2019 … He Touched Me

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 297 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the Gaither Vocal singing the classic Gaither song He Touched Me ... poignantly singing of God’s healing and restoring touch of grace for those who need his love and mercy.

God reaches out to touch us with His word ... 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Revelation 1:17 [NKJV] ... 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. …” 
… In John’s revelation, he is lifted up by God’s touch.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Revelation 1:9-18 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God gives the Apostle John a touch of His revelation to write down for others to read and believe. 
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, … I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 
… We need not fear because God’s hand is always there with His touch of grace to lift us up.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus invites His disciples to let Him help us carry our burdens

Reference Passage : … Acts 9:1-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… A lost and angry Saul of Tarsus experiences Jesus’ touch of saving grace on the road to Damascus.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author,Tim Gustafson, uses a personal story to illustrate how a simple touch of encouragement can bolster a fellow believer's confidence. … The ODB author wrote: It was just a touch, but it made all the difference to Colin. As his small team was preparing to do charitable work in a region known for hostility to believers in Jesus, his stress level began to rise. When he shared his worries with a teammate, his friend stopped, placed his hand on his shoulder, and shared a few encouraging words with him. Colin now looks back on that brief touch as a turning point, a powerful reminder of the simple truth that God was with him. 

Many years ago, I was an angry persecutor of Christians, … an angry athesist, … lost and alone on the road of life, … much like the Apostle Paul who encountered Jesus on that road to Damascus (see Acts 9). And then one day, God’s Spirit felled me [too long a story for now]; and His saving touch of grace saved me thru His word. And here I am now, a FORMER angry atheist, who was touched by God’s grace to become and Ordained Minister of the Gospel.

The Apostle John certainly experienced a wondrous touch of revelation from God in his later years (see highlight passage), didn’t he? And there are many stories in God’s word, Old and New Testaments, which show how God is willing - and most certainly able - to reach down to those who believe on His saving grace and lift them (us) up [see Isaiah 41:10]. That’s why you find me here - every morning - seeking out God’s touch of grace from His word (see photo).

And all any of us have to do is be willing to receive His touch of saving and sanctifying grace, … that touch of truth we read about in His word, … so that He can transform us into being a a more effective servant follower of the Living God.

Now wouldn’t you agree … that’s a touch any of us can use more of?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your ever available touch of grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will respond in faith when our Lord reaches out to touch us with His 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.</ span>

October 23, 2019 … Weaponized Words

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 296 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the cast of a popular movie singing This Is Me ... powerfully singing of how we, as Christians, need to stand up for who we are in Christ, … no matter what others say about us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: James 3:10 [NKJV] ... 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 
… We have the choice as Christians to use our words as weapons to tear others down or to lift them up with God’s love/grace thru what we say to others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: James 3:7-12 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru James, exhorts Christians to avoid using words which harm and only use words that edify others.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:13-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We were ALL fearfully and wonderfully made by God - for His glory - and we need to make others know - thru our words - of that truth.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:29 [NKJV] … 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 
… God, thru Paul, tells us how the Lord wants us to use our words.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, uses a current popular movie song to demonstrate the power of the spoken word to bring harm to others. … The ODB author wrote: The powerful song “This Is Me” is an unforgettable show tune featured in The Greatest Showman, the smash movie musical loosely based on the life of P. T. Barnum and his traveling circus. The lyrics, sung by characters in the film who’d suffered verbal taunts and abuse for failing to conform to societal norms, describe words as destructive bullets and knives that leave scars. [see photo] 
The song’s popularity points to how many people bear the invisible, but real, wounds caused by weaponized words. 

When I was a kid, a popular mantra to try to gain confidence when someone was bullying others with words was, ”Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” … Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Words do hurt; and that is evidenced in our culture today by the number of teens who’re committing suicide because they are bullied by words or images online via social media.

Jesus’ bother, James, wrote about the power of word to hurt other in the highlight scripture passage; and the Apostle Paul, [see Eph. 4:29] exhorted fellow Christians to avoid using any corrupted or weaponized words, … and only speaking word which either lifted others up or provided them with the love/grace of God. I pray that we all do that today and henceforth.

So, … let’s all go forth, with our confidence in Christ, as in the linked song, declaring with our words … “THIS IS US”!! … We are in Christ and declaring to others that we ALL are fearfully and wonderfully created … for God’s glory!! (see Ps. 139:13-14)

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us the power of words to provide others with Your love/grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to use our words to lift others up and give them Your 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.</ span>

October 22, 2019 … His Good Feet

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 295 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Point of Grace singing Heal the Wounds ... poignantly singing of God’s healing and restoring grace, leaving the scars to remind us of His love.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 116:8-9 [NKJV] ... 8  For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 
… God, thru His Son, delivers us from our sin wounds and allows us to walk free in the land of the living.
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Highlight Passage: John 5:1-15 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ... … Jesus shows His healing grace goes way beyond the dictates of the Law.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 12:9-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus declare that helping to heal other is not forbid on the Sabbath.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, uses a marketing story to illustrate the importance of having the ability to help others walk in faith in this world. … The ODB author wrote: The ad brought a smile to my face: “The most comfortable socks in the history of feet.” Then, extending its claim of good news for feet even further, the advertiser said that because socks remain the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, for every pair of socks purchased the company would donate a pair to someone in need. 

In His earthly ministry, Jesus was confronted on several occasions by those accusing Him of doing work on the Sabbath when He showed compassion on the wounded and healing them on that Holy Day [see Matt. 12 and John 5 passages]. And our Lord showed them that healing or even helping an injured lamb, let alone a child of God on the Sabbath, takes priority over any Law, … which BTW was given to man by God to show us the need for a Savior anyway.

And the Lord really showed that principle Himself when His own feet were nailed to the cross to heal all mankind from our wounds of sin (see photo).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for healing me from my sin wounds when You took those nails on that cross.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will see that we walk free, healed of our wounds of sin, because His feet took those nails on the cross. … 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>

October 21, 2019 … Dining At God’s Table

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 294 

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 God’s invitation to join our Lord forever at the table of life, to dine forever with all who’ve accepted God’s invitation to be in family of God.

Babette's Feast

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 6:51 [NKJV] ... 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 
… God, thru His Son, invites one and all to come to His family table and partake of His eternal filling … but only those who will believe on His Son as Lord and Savior.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 6:47-59 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru His Son’s finished work on the cross, invites all who would receive His Son as Lord, to come to HIs eternal love feast at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
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Reference Passage : … Romans 10:9-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… ANYONE can come the Lord’s table of life and dine with Him forever.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson uses a cinematic picture of the eternal love table we’re invited to share when we join the family of God.  … The ODB author wrote: In the Danish film Babette’s Feast, a French refugee appears in a coastal village. Two elderly sisters, leaders of the community’s religious life, take her in, and for fourteen years Babette works as their housekeeper. When Babette comes into a large sum of money, she invites the congregation of twelve to join her for an extravagant French meal of caviar, quail in puff pastry, and more [see photo]. 
As they move from one course to the next, the guests relax; some find forgiveness, some find love rekindled, and some begin recalling miracles they’d witnessed and truths they’d learned in childhood. “Remember what we were taught?” they say. “Little children, love one another.” When the meal ends, Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent all she had on the food. She gave everything—including any chance of returning to her old life as an acclaimed chef in Paris—so that her friends, eating, might feel their hearts open. 

The Danish film described in the ODB entry today is an apt cinematic picture of God’s invitation to dine with the entire family of God at the eternal banquet set for all those who’ve chosen to receive God’s invitation by receiving His saving grace as Paul described in Romans 10:9-13. As did Babette, God sacrificed His all to bring the faithful to His table of love.

And I pray here today that all reading here will join me at God’s table in Glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for inviting one-and-all to His table of love.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join our Lord at His table 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>

October 20, 2019 … Jesus: Steel and Velvet

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 293

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Blogger Note: … OOPS!  Any reader who follows Our Daily Bread

, which I use as a focus for my journal entries, will notice that I posted my entry for 10/19 from the ODB entry for 10/20.  So, today I’m filling by posting from the 10/19 ODB entry today.  Sorry for any confusion!

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Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Joy Williams singing Do They See Jesus In Me ... poignantly singing of our desire as Christians to have others see the character of Christ in the way we live.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 8:7 [NKJV] ... 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them (the Jewish leaders), “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 
… Jesus shows His compassion on the sinful woman and yet, His strength, in standing up to the Jewish leaders bent on stoning the woman.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 8:1-11 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus displays both strength and compassion when confronted by the blood-thirsty mob and the accused adulteress.
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Reference Passage : …Matthew 21:12-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows both his “steel” in cleansing God’s Temple of the thieves and robbers and yet His velvet compassion in gracefully healing those who needed His healing touch.

Reference Passage : …Luke 5:17-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows reaches out with compassion to heal a paralytic and also to forgive the man of his sins; but in doing so, His steel of commitment was illustrated before the Pharisees who accused Jesus of blasphemy.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, uses a reference to Carl Sandburg calling Abe Lincoln a rare man of “steel and velvet,” and then making reference to Jesus being the ultimate “steel and velvet” character in history. . … The ODB author wrote: Poet Carl Sandburg wrote of former US president Abraham Lincoln, “Not often in the story of mankind does a man arrive on earth who is both steel and velvet, . . . who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of terrible storm and peace unspeakable and perfect.” “Steel and velvet” described how Lincoln balanced the power of his office with concern for individuals longing for freedom. Only one person in all history perfectly balanced strength and gentleness, power and compassion. That man is Jesus Christ. 

And most certainly we read in the Bible of Jesus showing His “steel and velvet” character often when our Lord reached out to heal or heal the infirmed or forgive a repentant sinner (see Scripture passages above), … illustrating His “steel,” by confronting the Pharisees, but yet also reaching out with His healing/forgiving “velvet” of compassion.

And this confronts us with the question … do we exhibit Christlike “steel and velvet” in the way we live? … Do others see Jesus in us, standing with the “steel” of Christlike commitment to righteousness on issues like standing for life when so many are clamoring for the pro-abortion agenda? Do we reach out with Christlike “velvet” to help those accused of sexual/addictive sin when a fellow Christian desires to confess and repent?

As Joy Williams sings in the linked song … Do others see the “steel and velvet” of Christ in thew we live?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us grace to be strong and compassionate like You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to do all we can to have others see Christ’s steel and velvet in the way we live. … 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>

October 19, 2019 … Choosing Where We Serve

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 292 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from John Waller singing As For Me and My House ... poignantly singing of the decision Christians must make the decision whom - or rather WHOM - we will serve … Satan, self, or the Savior.

First Lady, Edith Wilson, serving her country in 1919

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 16:7 [NKJV] ... 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. 
… Paul affirms and recognizes fellow Christians who stand outs in service to the Lord, most of whom we don’t know except their recognition in this passages.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 16:3-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul recognizes a number of Christians called by God to serve the Lord in various capacities. 
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Reference Passage : … Joshua 24:14-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Joshua challenged fellow believers to choose whom they would serve … the idols of the day or The LORD … and that’s our choice too.

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. … “ 
… Jesus challenges us to choose whom we will follow … Satan, self, or our Savior?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Peter Chin uses a historical reference to show how we are often called to serve God in ways only we can serve. … The ODB author wrote: After the conclusion of the First World War, US President Woodrow Wilson was recognized as one of the most powerful leaders on earth. But few knew that after a devastating stroke in 1919, it was his wife who managed nearly all of his affairs, [see photo] determining which issues should be brought to his attention. In fact, modern historians believe that for a short while, it was really Edith Wilson who served as the president of the United States. 

Do my readers know of anyone who feels called to serve God’s kingdom in special ways which seldom get recognition, or are even notice, by others? Sure our church Pastors may need recognition and encouragement for their preaching or shepherding work for the Lord (and BTW, this is “Pastor Appreciation Month”). But, … there are others who are star servers in God’s kingdom, many of whom serve by praying or helping the church (or God’s kingdom) in quiet, unrecognized ways.

Yes, … God knows of the service of these, His called ones; but whom could WE identify and encourage this week (or even today) who could use the kind of affirmation and encouragement that Paul gave those Godly men and women he called out for their service in the highlight passage? Let’s do what we can - VERY SOON - to let one of these kingdom servers how important they are for the Lord’s work.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for calling out those who quietly use their time, talents, and treasures to serve the Lord.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to recognize and encourage someone we know who is serving the Lord quietly, but effectively, behind the scenes. … 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>

October 18, 2019 … Singing Praises

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 291 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from worship led by Hezekiah Walker singing Every Praise ... poignantly singing of praises to and worship for our God in song.

Paul and Silas freed from Philippian prison

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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 16:25-26 [NKJV] ... 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 
… Paul and Silas broken free from prison walls/chains by their praises in song.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 16:25-34 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul and Silas sang praises in prison and God broke their chains and opened the prison doors. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 96:1-2 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist declares in song that we are to sing to the Lord a new song of praise.

Reference Passage : … Psalm 98:4 [NKJV] … 4  Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. 
… God calls on His people to sing His praises.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:18-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to join together in songs of joy and praise to our God.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 2:9-10 [NKJV] … 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 
… We must praise our God Who has delivered us out of darkness into His light and freedom.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses a personal story to illustrate how life can be bitter at times. … The ODB author wrote: When nine-year-old Willie was abducted from his front yard in 2014, he sang his favorite gospel song Every Praise over and over again. During the three-hour ordeal, Willie ignored the kidnapper’s repeated orders to keep silent as they drove around. Eventually, the kidnapper let Willie out of the car unharmed. Later, Willie described the encounter, saying that while he felt his fear give way to faith, the abductor seemed agitated by the song. 
Willie’s response to his dire situation is reminiscent of the experience shared by Paul and Silas. After being flogged and thrown into jail, they reacted by “praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. [see photo] 

And as we read in the highlight scripture passage, we know that Paul and Silas, having sung praises to God in song and after God broke them free from their bondage, showed their praise and bondage to Christ by witnessing to the Philippian jailor and leading him and his family to Christ.

And having been freed our selves from the bondage of sin and deal, we need to do what is sung in the linked song; and sing our praises to the Lord by sharing how Christ has broken our chains and freed us to witness for Him to those still in bondage to their own sin.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us freedom to sing our praises to the Lord.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to sing a new song of praise to God for breaking us free from the prison of our own sin. … 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>

October 17, 2019 … Truth - Bitter or Sweet?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 290 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the Laura Story singing her song Blessings ... poignantly singing of how God sometimes disguises the sweetness of His blessings in the trials and challenges of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ezekiel 3:3 [NKJV] ... 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. 
… When Ezekiel consumed God’s word, the scroll tasted like honey to him, tho it was words of rebuke for God’s people.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ezekiel 2:4-3:3 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God commands Ezekiel to take in God’s word and deliver it to God’s people.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 19:8-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s word is pure, like much goal, and should taste sweeter than the sweetest honey.

Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:102-104 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist saw God’s word as sweeter than honey, helping him to avoid the bitterness of life.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 28 And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love God, … to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
… If we believe in God’s truth, as above, even the bitter pills of life, which seem bitter on the outside, will be like the sweetness of honey in reality for those who believe in God’s love and grace.

Reference Passage : … 2Corinthians 12:9 [NKJV] … 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
… When things were very bitter in Paul’s life, he remembered Jesus’ promise to give him the strength - i.e., the sweetness) to deal with the bitterness.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a personal story to illustrate how life can be bitter at times. … The ODB author wrote: I’d had the spot on my nose for the better part of a year when I went to the doctor. The biopsy results came back days later with words I didn’t want to hear: skin cancer. Though the cancer was operable and not life-threatening, it was a bitter pill to swallow. 

Yes, life can present some “bitter pills” to take in sometimes, … as in the ODB story, the author hearing that she had the “C-word.” Yes, … the truth can taste like that, can’t it?

But, unlike the taste of life at times, God’s truth never is bitter. And as we read from Ezekiel’s experience (see highlight passage) and the Psalmist’s taste of truth (see Ps. 119:103), God’s word always has us taste the sweetness of God’s love and grace thru the provision of His truth.

So, when we take in bitterness from a taste of life, we need to be taking in - and believing - the reality and truth in passages like those from Paul in Romans 8:28 and 2Cor. 12:9, giving him (and us) the sweetness of God’s blessings from His word, … which, as Laura Story sings in the linked song, may be like the sweetness of God’s blessings in disguise.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us the sweetness of love and grace from Your word to take in the bitter pills of life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to take in some of God’s sweetness which He doles out to us thru His 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>

October 16, 2019 … Quieter Lives

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 289 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singingBe Still and Know ... poignantly singing of how we Christians need to “be still,” knowing that God is always in control.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Thessalonians 4:11-12 [NKJV] ... 11 … that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. 
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to find quieter way of living …
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Thessalonians 4:9-12 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to find a quieter life to be able to see/hear God’s way more clearly in the midst of the noise of life.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 46:10 [NKJV] … 10  Be still, and know that I am God; … 
… The Psalmist sings what we all need more of …

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus instructs His followers how to yoke our lives to HIs to be able to find life easier.

Reference Passage : … John 15:4 [NKJV] … 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 
… Jesus shows us that we need to abide more closely in Him to be fruitful in this life.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:7 [NKJV] … 7 … casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 
 … So often we take on all the noise of the world when we need to let God carry it.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Blase, uses a common question which we confront in life to illustrate that we need to consider living quieter lives these days, much as Paul exhorted fellow Christians in his day. … The ODB author wrote: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We all heard that question as children and sometimes even as adults. The question is born in curiosity, and the answer is often heard as an indication of ambition. My answers morphed over the years, starting with a cowboy, then a truck driver, followed by a soldier, and I entered college set on becoming a doctor. However, I can’t recall one time that someone suggested or I consciously considered pursuing “a quiet life.” 

Do you agree that we live in a very noisy, harried world, which so often produces mega-stress in our lives? …DUH!! … Of course we do! And that’s why the message of today’s ODB entry is so pertinent for anyone reading here with me today, … most certainly including yours truly.

The Apostle Paul, inspired by God’s Spirit, had it right when he wrote to Christians in today’s highlight passage to slow down and live quieter lives. And that’s why what Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song today is something we all should seek more of … i.e., God saying … “be still and know that I am God.”

So, that’s my prayer for myself and for all reading with me here today? Let’s all slow down a bit and rest in Christ (Matt. 11 and John 15), unloading a lot of the noise of life on a God who truly cares for us (1Peter 5:7).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your promise of grace to live quieter lives and experience more of You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to slow down and find more quiet in our relationship with 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.</ span>

October 15, 2019 … Praying Together

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 288 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from a worship group singingFind Us Faithful ... poignantly singing of how others who come behind us will find us faithfully praying for our God to intervene on our behalf.

Williams College - Haystack Monument 

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Corinthians 1:11 [NKJV] ... 11 … you [fellow Christians] also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 
… Paul was so deeply grateful for other Christians gathering together to pray for His work. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Corinthians 1:8-11 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Paul, shows us the value of Christians coming together to pray to our Heavenly Father, Who must smile deeply when He sees/hears His kids praying to Him.
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Reference Passage : … 2Chronicles 7:14 [NKJV] ... 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
… Jesus’ promise to His disciples to be with us until He comes again for us. … God’s promise to heal our land when we, as believers, gather together to humbly pray for God’s healing and deliverance.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:7-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus instructs His followers how to pray.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 10:24-25 [NKJV] … 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
… God encourages us to come TOGETHER to seek and worship Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Poh Fang Chia, tells of an almost “accidental” gathering of Christians which led to a revival of sorts, illustrating how Christians, gather together in humble prayer can have great power before God. … The ODB author wrote: Samuel Mills and four of his friends often gathered together to pray for God to send more people to share the good news of Jesus. One day in 1806, after returning from their prayer meeting, they got caught in a thunderstorm and took refuge in a haystack. Their weekly prayer gathering then became known as the Haystack Prayer Meeting, which resulted in a global mission movement. Today the Haystack Prayer Monument stands at Williams College in the US as a reminder of what God can do through prayer. [see photo] 

We don’t pray enough, do we, … especially when we see the result of even just a few faithful Christians coming together, as in the ODB story, to humbly pray for God’s intervening grace. I, for one, am convicted today to do more to fulfill the promises and commitment from our God to intervene on our behalf, when - and if - we’re willing as Christians to gather together, in His Name and for His glory, to humbly pray for our Lord to heal our land and to redeem the lost for His Kingdom.

That’s why Jesus tried to instruct His disciples to pray as He instructed [see Matthew 6]; … and it’s why God promised His healing grace when His people would gather together in humble prayer [see the remaining reference passages above].

So, do you feel, as I do, that we, … as Christ’s body on earth, … need to come together, and desperately and humbly pray for God’s grace to heal our land?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your promises of grace when we come together as Christians to pray to You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to humbly prayer for You to heal our land. … 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>

October 14, 2019 … Songs for Strength

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 287 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singingHis Strength Is Perfect ... poignantly singing of how God can - and will - give us strength when we feel weakened or down hearted. … Or ON TO THIS LINK to hear Laura Story singing of how God’s grace abounds when we need it to lift us up.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 59:17 [NKJV] ... 17  To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy. 
… David often sang His own songs of praise to lift his spirits when fearful or feeling weakened. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 59:1, 14-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… When being pursued by Saul, David wrote and sang this song to give him strength. 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20b [NKJV] … 20 …, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 
… Jesus’ promise to His disciples to be with us until He comes again for us.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [NKJV] … 5 … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
… God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us when we feel down or discouraged.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, writes of the French resistance During WW2 using songs to draw hiding Jews from the forest near their town [see photo] to show them they were safe to hide with the French from the Nazis. … The ODB author wrote: When French villagers helped Jewish refugees hide from the Nazis during World War II, some sang songs in the dense forest surrounding their town [see photo] — letting the refugees know it was safe to come out from hiding. These brave townspeople of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon had answered the call of local pastor André Trocmé and his wife, Magda, to offer wartime refuge to Jews on their windswept plateau known as “La Montagne Protestante.” Their musical signal became just one feature of the villagers’ bravery that helped save up to 3,000 Jews from almost certain death. In another dangerous time, David sang when his enemy Saul sent nighttime assassins to his house. His use of music wasn’t a signal; rather, it was his song of gratitude to God his refuge. 

I don’t know about other readers here; but I’m one who feels undergirded with strength when I meditate on good Christian music which has a strong lyrical message of God’s mercy/grace, much like David must’ve used when he wrote songs like the highlight passage from Psalm 59.

My readers will note that everyday I find at least one such song from YouTube which gives me [and prayerfully you] God’s assurance and lift me (us) up. These songs, like they did for the Jews in the ODB illustration, can give us strength when we’re feeling weakened, just like Steven Curtis Chapman or Laura Story sing in the linked songs today. And I pray that readers are brought out of the dark forests of discouragement [see photo] or personal weakness with God’s grace to lift us up with the music.

If any readers are feeling weak or oppressed today, I would suggest that you begin collecting some uplifting Christian music, perhaps on your cell phone or digital tablet, to which you can go when you need to be reminded that God will never leave you or forsake you (see Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 13:5).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for songs like those linked today which ALWAYS lift me up when I’m down.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, to use strong Christian music to lift us out of any dark forest of discouragement. … 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>