January 31, 2020 … Two Masters?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 31 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group ABBA singing … Money, Money, Money … when is not a Christian song but powerfully illustrates the lure of wealth as an idol in Satan’s system, … the world.

Going, Going, Gone ... by the Artist, Banksy

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 23:4 [ESV] ...  4  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 
… God, thru Solomon, warns His chosen to avoid pursuing wealth.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 23:1-5 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Studying the Book of Ecclesiastes, the wisdom of Solomon about pursuing wealth was lost on himself, wasn’t it? 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:19-21 [ESV] … 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
… Jesus clearly warns His followers about the dangers of making money an idol.

Reference Passage : … Luke 16:13 [ESV] … 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 
… Jesus again warns that we cannot pursue the love of money and the love of Jesus at the same time.

Reference Passage : … 1Timothy 6:10 [ESV] … 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 
… Paul reminds Christians that the love and pursuit of wealth can produce all kinds of evil.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, uses a true story about an artists prank to illustrate how we can become possessed by our love of money or wealth. … The ODB author wrote: The mischievous artist Banksy pulled off another practical joke. His painting Girl with Balloon sold for one million pounds at Sotheby’s auction house in London. Moments after the auctioneer yelled “Sold,” an alarm sounded and the painting slipped halfway through a shredder mounted inside the bottom of the frame. Banksy tweeted a picture of bidders gasping at his ruined masterpiece, with the caption, “Going, going, gone.” [see photo] 

The “Going, Going, Gone” Banksy art prank is a clever - and some might say “cruel” - illustration of how our pursuit of prideful gain can be our undoing. Jesus certainly was repetitively clear about that, wasn’t He? In His Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 6:19-21 and Luke 16:13), … Jesus strongly declared that we can’t serve two masters … the love of money and the love of God at the same time. 

Solomon in the OT [see highlight passage] and the Apostle Paul in the NT [see 1Timothy 6:10], clearly warned the followers of God to avoid the “love of money” and making the pursuit of wealth an idol. So, we’re hit with another ODB self inventory, aren’t we today?

If someone were to look at our spending habits and our time scheduling in the past few months, which master would the auditor of our hearts say we are serving?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for giving us a clear guide to serve You above any pursuit of wealth and fortune.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to recognize that our relationship with Christ is the most valuable pursuit in our lives. 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>

January 30, 2020 … God’s Strength > My Weakness

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 30 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Dottie Rambo with a praise group singing her song … He Looked Beyond My Fault … poignantly singing of how our Lord provides us with His strength in our weakness … And Using this link  to hear Steven Curtis Chapman singing, His Strength Is Perfect, ... reinforcing the truth that God’s strength, thru His empowering grace, is always there for the believer who feels weak.

2nd Corinthians 12:9

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 35:3 [ESV] ...  3  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 
… God’s weak-kneed people needed His strength.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 35:1-4 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God encourages His people to trust in His strength to cover their weaknesses.
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 16:8, 27:1, 37:5 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… King David sings of the strength he gets by trusting in the Lord.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10, 13 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God promises, thru Isaiah, to lift God’s trusting people up when they (WE) feel weak.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [ESV] … 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
… Jesus invites all who follow Him as disciples to let Him help us carry the loads of life.

Reference Passage : … 2Corinthians 12:9 [ESV] … 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
… Paul reminds Christians that God’s grace is sufficient to cover our weaknesses.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:13 [ESV] … 13  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 
… Paul knew where his strength came from to handle all situations.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washington, uses a personal story to illustrate how God lifts up those who need His strength. … The ODB author wrote: When I was a kid, I thought the song title “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need,” written by Dottie Rambo in 1967 [see #1 linked song], was “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Knees.” Employing the logic of a child, I wondered why God would look at knees. Was it because they were weak? I knew that weak-kneed meant “afraid.” I later discovered that Dottie had written the song about God’s unconditional love in response to her brother Eddie’s belief that he was unlovable because of the wrong things he’d done. Dottie assured him that God saw his weakness but loved him anyway. 

If my readers today have heard the two linked songs, especially the last one by Steven Curtis Chapman, and you’ve meditated on the Scriptures above, I don’t need to add a lot of exhortation or encouragement to the Our Daily Bread message today, do I?

No, … we get it; … or at least we should. And I’m sure we all identify that there are going to be times when we feel weak. Most certainly; … maybe even today!! But in those times, the question is … will we seek to receive and use God’s strength and empowering grace to cover our weakness. … I pray we do!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for calling me to use Your strength to lift me up when I feel weak - as I do today.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to reach out and pray to receive our Lord’s amazing, empowering 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>

January 29, 2020 … Let’s Come to the Table

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 29 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing … Come to the Table … poignantly singing of how we Christians can - and should - take King Jesus’ invitation to dine with Him every day and forever in glory.

Eric Enstrom 1918 Photo of the Abundant Life 

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 10:10 [ESV] ...  10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  
… Jesus invites all to come and join Him at His table of abundance.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 10:7-15 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus wants to be our Good shepherd and to live our lives in the fullness of a relationship with Him forever.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 23:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, our Good Shepherd, has prepared for us a table from His abundance in glory which we can come to and fellowship with Him forever.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 4:19 [ESV] … 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 
… God, thru Paul, shows us that He will supply all that we need in life from His table of glory.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [ESV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
… Jesus wants to come into our hearts, everyday, … dining and fellowshipping with us for eternity.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, uses an biblical word picture of Christians being like old clay pots, being shaped into the image of Christ by the “Potter’s” hands. … The ODB author wrote: The year was 1918, near the end of World War I, and photographer Eric Enstrom was putting together a portfolio of his work. He wanted to include one that communicated a sense of fullness in a time that felt quite empty to so many people. In his now much-loved photo, a bearded old man sits at a table with his head bowed and his hands clasped in prayer. On the surface before him there is only a book, spectacles, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread, and a knife. Nothing more, but also nothing less. [see photo] 
Some might say the photograph reveals scarcity. But Enstrom’s point was quite the opposite: Here is a full life, one lived in gratitude, one you and I can experience as well regardless of our circumstances. 

Hey, fellow Christians. Have you taken in the full meaning of Eric Enstrom’s photo and the linked song, by the group, Sidewalk Prophets? And, having meditated on the Scriptures above, I hope we can all see ourselves, coming to King Jesus’ table, to partake of the fullness of life offered by our Savior.

And if any of us feel that life is bleak and barren, I pray we come to realize the abundance we have in our relationship with our Lord, the King, Who daily invites us to let Him in so that He can dine with us at His table.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for inviting us in to dine with Your … FOREVER giving us the abundance of Your providence.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to sit and dine at the King’s table. 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>

January 28, 2020 … An Old Clay Pot

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 28 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Hillsong singing … The Potter’s Hand … poignantly singing of how we Christians are fashioned into the image of Christ when we surrender to the Potter’s hand.

Ancient Hebrew Clay Pot

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Corinthians 4:7 [ESV] ...  7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  
… Paul’s word picture of our lives being like old jars of clay, containing the treasure of God’s grace thru His Spirit to share with others.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Corinthians 4:7-12 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… The Apostle Paul used the imagery of Christians having the treasure of God’s Spirit contained in old jars of clay, … broken but never destroyed.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 64:8 [ESV] … 8  But now, O Lord, You are our Father; … we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. 
… God, thru the Prophet Isaiah, shows that we are the clay in the “Potter’s” hands.

Reference Passage : … Romans 9:19-21 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Again Paul uses the imagery of us - Christians - being shaped and reshaped into the image of Christ.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [ESV] … 6 And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 
… God, the “Potter,” is going to complete us in glory, shaping us now into His own image.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, uses an biblical word picture of Christians being like old clay pots, being shaped into the image of Christ by the “Potter’s” hands. … The ODB author wrote: I’ve acquired a number of old clay pots over the years. [see photo] My favorite was excavated from a site dated during Abraham’s time. It’s at least one item in our home that is older than I! It’s not much to look at: stained, cracked, chipped, and in need of a good scrubbing. I keep it to remind me that I’m just a man made out of mud. Though fragile and weak, I carry an immeasurably precious treasure—Jesus. “We have this treasure [Jesus] in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). 

The Old/New Testament word picture of of followers of the One True God being, as the group Hillsong sings in the linked song, molded by God, “the Potter,” into the image of His Son and our Savior, is an apt one for this old clay pot. And sometimes, at my age, I feel a lot like that ancient pot in the attached photo.

But I know that my Lord, is shaping, … and yes, even reshaping, … this old pot; and I’m blessed to contain the ultimate treasure [see highlight passage], … i.e., His Spirit, … which He wants me to pour out into the lives of others so that they might overflow with His love and grace in this world. And I pray that we carry that treasure in these old pots of ours to share with others today 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for filling this old pot with Your treasure of love and grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to be filled with God’s treasure of grace and to pour out as much as we can on 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>

January 27, 2020 … Here With My Friend

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 27 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Matt Maher singing … Abide With Me … poignantly singing of how we can - as disciples of Christ - Invite the Lord to abide with us as a friend.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Exodus 33:11a [ESV] ...  11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. ...  
… Moses had the Tent of Meetings to go and share personal time with God just as he would with a dear friend.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Exodus 3:9-11 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Moses had a tent to go to abide with God.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 18:24, 27:17 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, shows us what real - true - friends are all about … always being there for us and helping us grow in the Lord.

Reference Passage : … John 15:13-15 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows His disciples (and us) that He is always there to abide with us if we’re willing to abide with Him … just a true friend would.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Peter, shows us that the Lord is always willing to lift us up when we’re humbly willing to come to Him with our cares.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [ESV] … … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 
 … Jesus is always there for His “friends,” desiring to fellowship with those who desire His friendship.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, shows how the use of a “friendship bench” can help to lift up the spirits of those who need a friend. … The ODB author wrote: In the African country of Zimbabwe, war trauma and high unemployment can leave people in despair—until they find hope on a “friendship bench.” Hopeless people can go there to talk with trained “grandmothers”—elderly women taught to listen to people struggling with depression, known in that nation’s Shona language as kufungisisa, or “thinking too much.” 
The Friendship Bench Project is being launched in other places, including Zanzibar, London, and New York City. [see photo] “We were thrilled to bits with the results,” said one London researcher. A New York counselor agreed. “Before you know it, you’re not on a bench, you’re just inside a warm conversation with someone who cares.” 

Moses had a special place (i.e., the Tent of Meetings) to go and experience the closeness of God [see highlight passage], … like going and sitting with a friend to unburden himself. And we Christians have our own special place too, don’t we? But we don’t need a tent or a “friendship bench” (see photo) to go and share our burdens with the living God. All we have to do is be willing to humbly open our hearts and let King Jesus come in and be our Friend (especially see John 15:15 and Rev. 3:20 and the other reference scriptures).

We can find a place in the solitude of our hearts … any time … anywhere … to take our cares to our “Friend,” Who just happens to be the living God; and One Who desires to be our Friend … AGAIN … ANY TIME, … ANYWHERE.

That’s where I am right now, dear ones, … in my quiet place, where I can abide and commune with God each morning … on my own, special, “friendship bench,” abiding and unloading with my dearest Friend, Jesus, to begin my day. That’s what Matt Maher sings about in the linked song; and I pray you have your own special “friendship bench,” to be with our mutual Friend, King Jesus. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for coming into my heart whenever I need Your friendship.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to go to our personal and special quiet place to share with our Friend, Jesus. 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>

January 26, 2020 … Teach Them Young

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 26 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … I Want To Be Just Like You … poignantly singing of how we can - and should - lead others like our kids to the Lord.

Wanting to be just like Dad !! 

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 Timothy 3:14 … 15 [ESV] ...  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  
… Paul exhorted Timothy to live out the truths he had learned from God’s word that Timothy’s mother had taught him and how he, Paul, was leading him toward.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Timothy 3:10-17 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul desired that Timothy follow in the teaching about God he received as a children from Timothy’s mother and from him, Paul, as his mentor.
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Reference Passage : … Deuteronomy 6:6-7 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The OT Jewish tradition was to teach their children in the ways of God from God’s word.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 22:6 [ESV] … 6  Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 
… Wisdom from God thru Solomon exhorts Godly parents to raise their children in the ways of God so that they will walk with the Lord.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 19:14 [ESV] … Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 
 … Jesus strongly commanded His disciples to do all they could to let children come to Him for His blessings and care.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 [ESV] … 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 
… Paul knew that if believers followed him they would be following the ways of the Lord.

Reference Passage : … 3John 1:3-4 [ESV] … 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 
 … John, writing to a Christian disciple, expresses great joy that he (Gaius) had come to walk the path of the Lord.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, teaches on the importance of Christian parents raising our kids or being disciplers … to seek the will of God from God’s word and then by leading others to those truths by example. … The ODB author wrote: An outspoken atheist believes it’s immoral for parents to teach their children religion as though it were actually true. He even claims that parents who pass along their faith to their children are committing child abuse. Though these views are extreme, I do hear from parents who are hesitant to boldly encourage their children toward faith. While most of us readily hope to influence our children with our view of politics or nutrition or sports, for some reason some of us treat our convictions about God differently. 

There was a time, 3+ decades ago, when I was that atheist with two young children, thinking and modeling that the things taught in the Bible were foolish. But PTL (!!), I came to my senses (long story) and became a parent who, as in the attached photo, desired that my kids followed me to learn about God. I learned by following other strong Christians, that the scriptures [like those above] strongly admonish Christian parents and Christian leaders to seek the will and ways of God by modeling those truths in the way we live. And I’m pleased to praise God that my kids have done that, now having led our five grandkids to the Lord.

So, if you’re reading this and you have kids, or you’re a mentor or discipler of other young people, I’m praying here today that we all do what Paul and John were desiring from their followers [see scriptures above]. Teaching and discipling young Timothy and Gaius, Paul and John so desired that these young men, their spiritual “children,” follow their lead in seeking out God’s will and following His ways from learning His word. And when we do that we’ll be leading young people, maybe our kids, toward glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for leading us so that we can lead other young seekers to Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to do all we can to lead our kids or to disciple others to follow Christ. 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>

January 25, 2020 … Liar, Lunatic, or LORD?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 25 

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 how Jesus, being God, is the answer to all our questions in life.

Jesus Is Our LORD and the Creator of all 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 1:15-16 [ESV] ...  15 He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. 
… And we either believe Jesus is God, … the Creator …, or not.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 1:15-22 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… The Apostle Paul declares clearly Who Jesus is, … the Creator of all … in/for Himself as God. 
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 9:6-7 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… 700+ years before Christ was born, His majesty, as Messiah and Lord, was prophesied.

Reference Passage : … John 10:30 [ESV] … 30 I and the Father are one.” 
 … Jesus declares clearly and openly that He and God, the Father, are one. But do we believe Him?

Reference Passage : … Colossians 2:9-10 [ESV] … 9 For in Him [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 
… Paul reinforces [see also highlight text above] God’s teaching thru the Apostle that Jesus is God !!

Reference Passage : … Revelation 22:13 [ESV] … 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 
 … Jesus reveals Himself fully to John in His revelation.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses a personal testimony to declare how the author came to realize that Jesus truly was/is God; and that our salvation rests in our belief in His divinity. … The ODB author wrote: Before I came to faith in Jesus, I’d heard the gospel preached but wrestled with His identity. How could He offer forgiveness for my sins when the Bible says only God can forgive sins? I discovered I wasn’t alone in my struggles after reading J. I. Packer’s Knowing God.  Packer suggests that for many unbelievers the “really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man . . . as truly and fully divine as He was human.” Yet this is the truth that makes salvation possible. 

“Who is Jesus?” … That’s the most important question one will ever answer for Him or Her self. And, in answering that question, one must decide, as a number of authors have posited, … Was Jesus … a LIAR, … LUNATIC, … or - as He, Himself, claimed (see John 10:30), … LORD?

It took me almost 40 years of my life to answer that question; and I came to agreement with the Apostle Paul (see the highlight/reference verses from Colossians) that Jesus truly is one with God, … and in fact, as Jeremy Camp sings in the linked song, … Jesus, being Who He said He was/is in Rev. 22:13), is the answer to all our questions and issues in life.

And I pray today that all reading here have made Him our LORD and our answer for our biggest question … “Whom will we follow into eternity?”

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Jesus, … for being Whom Your are … our LORD !!
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to follow You into eternity. Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

January 24, 2020 … Friends of God

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 24 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … Friend of God … poignantly singing of how God thinks of His called one … we Christians … as “FRIENDS.”

My Friend Max always wants to play 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 46:4 [ESV] ...  4  … even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. 
… Our God is ALWAYS there for us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 46:3-10 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru the Prophet, shows His chosen people that He will be there for us ALWAYS. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 18:24 [ESV] … 24  A man of many companions may come to ruin,  but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 
… And that friend is King Jesus !!!

Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [ESV] … 22  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
… God’s love and caring mercies are ALWAYS there for us as His children.

Reference Passage : … John 15:12-17 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… When we abide in our Lord, … as our faithful friend, … obeying His commands, He is closer than any friend we could have.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you. 
… Our God is alway there to lift us up because He cares so deeply for us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a reference to turtles patiently waiting to grow, as God designed them, as an example of how we must patiently wait on the transforming work of God’s Spirit to transform us into the image of our Lord. … The ODB author wrote: Sometimes when my Labrador retriever wants attention, [see photo] he’ll take something of mine and parade it in front of me. One morning as I was writing at the desk with my back turned, Max snatched my wallet and ran off. But realizing I hadn’t seen him do it, he returned and nudged me with his nose—wallet in mouth, eyes dancing, tail wagging, taunting me to play. 
Max’s antics made me laugh, but they also reminded me of my limitations when it comes to being attentive to others. So often I’ve intended to spend time with family or friends, but other things occupy my time and awareness; and before I know it the day slips away and love is left undone.

Okay, it may be a stretch to think of us as being like “the master’s” beloved pet lab, as in the ODB example. But in some respects it’s a good picture of just how faithful our God is for us as we desire to be His loyal friend. As disciples of the living God, our Messiah and King is ALWAYS there with His mercies (see Lam. 3:22-23). And He so wants to be our friend and show His loving and caring nature for us [see remaining reference passages].

So, … we’re not His pet. … He is our God!! But how wonderful it is to call Him our FRIEND. And He’s always there for us when I need Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for always being there for us as our Master … and FRIEND.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to go to the King if we need a friend. 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>

January 23, 2020 … Waiting Patiently

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 23 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing … Be Still and Know … poignantly singing of how we must patiently wait on God to do His transforming work in us.

Painted Turtles sunning themselves 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 40:1 [ESV] ...  1  I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. 
… We must be patient, knowing that God hears our cries for help.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 40:1-5, 14-17 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… As we trust in God and wait on HIs mercy and grace, He hears our cries of need. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 46:8-10 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We need to exercise the patience God gives to us to wait on Him to transform us into His image (and He will! - see Phil. 1:6)

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Avoiding our own feelings and self perceptions, we must trust that God will lead us on His path and for His glory.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ESV] … 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” … 
… Patiently waiting on God’s transforming grace to do His work to strengthen us into His image.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [ESV] … 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 
… We’ve just got to be patient that God is going to do His good work in transforming us into His Son’s image.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a reference to turtles patiently waiting to grow, as God designed them, as an example of how we must patiently wait on the transforming work of God’s Spirit to transform us into the image of our Lord. … The ODB author wrote: Every fall, when the painted turtle senses winter coming, she dives to the bottom of her pond, burying herself in the muck and mud. She pulls into her shell and goes still: her heart rate slows, almost stopping. Her body temperature drops, staying just above freezing. She stops breathing, and she waits. 
For six months, she stays buried, and her body releases calcium from her bones into her bloodstream, so that she slowly begins even to lose her shape. But when the pond thaws, she will float up and breathe again. Her bones will reform, and she will feel the warmth of the sun on her shell. [See photo] 

My wife would confirm that of all the “fruit of the Spirit” (see Gal. 5:22-23 if you don’t know them), PATIENCE is my least mature and weakest part of my character development into Christlikeness. I definitely need more of what Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song … to be still (like the painted turtle), letting God transform me into the image He created me to become (see reference Scriptures above).

Perhaps other readers here need to be willing to patiently let God do His thing in our lives, … transforming us and giving us the grace to become more like our Lord … day by day by day. Let’s be patient today and let Him do His work in and thru us.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your grace to be transformed into Your image.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to know that God is doing His thing to transform us into His image. 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>

January 22, 2020 … God’s Grace Abounds

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 22 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and song from Laura Story singing her song … Grace Abounds … poignantly singing of how God’s grace abounds to those who love the Lord and seek His mercies, which are new every morning.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Micah 7:19 [ESV] ...  19  He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 
… God’s promise to His people to forgive our sins and remember them no more.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Micah 7:18-20 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Micah, expresses His willingness to cast our sins into His sea of forgetfulness. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 103:11-13 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist sings of God’s willingness to cast our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… In God’s faithfulness to His people, His promise is to have His mercies (and grace) available to His children every morning.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 9:8 [ESV] … 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 
… God, thru Paul, shows us that God’s all sufficient grace will ALWAYS abound to those who love Him.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ESV] … 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” … 
… Jesus promises to us, thru Paul, that His grace is ALWAYS sufficient to cover our human weaknesses.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a story about forgiveness and God’s grace to illustrate how we can, as Christians extend God’s grace to others rather than seeking revenge. … The ODB author wrote: “In moments where tragedy happens or even hurt, there are opportunities to demonstrate grace or to exact vengeance,” the recently bereaved man remarked. “I chose to demonstrate grace.” Pastor Erik Fitzgerald’s wife had been killed in a car accident caused by an exhausted firefighter who fell asleep while driving home, and legal prosecutors wanted to know whether he would seek the maximum sentence. The pastor chose to practice the forgiveness he often preached about. To the surprise of both him and the firefighter, the men eventually became friends. 

I think we’d all agree that our human nature would seek revenge or legal justification if we lost a loved one to negligence as in the ODB story above. But in this instance the person who lost a loved one was willing to forgive and extend the very grace of God to the one who was at fault.

I would hope - and pray (even today) - that we, as disciples of Christ, could - and would - do the same thing. Certainly I know that my humanity would not have the grace - in my human frailty - to extend God’s grace is such a scenario. But I could - and hopefully would - if I could yield to God’s mercy/grace in which He has given me God’s empowering grace to forgive, … if not forget, … the loss caused by another [see the Scriptures above].

Who do we need to forgive to be able to move on sharing God’s love as we move into 2020? Certainly Laura Story sings about that grace which abounds in God’s love; and I pray we can - and will - extend it to others moving forward today.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your grace so that we can forgive and extend Your love to others who need it.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to forgive anyone who needs Your mercy, love, and 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>

January 21, 2020 …One Step At A Time

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 21 

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, as disciples of Christ, must choose - step-by-step - to follow our Lord, leading us out of the dark and into His light with His word.

Following Christ ... one-step-at-a-time !!! 

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 Samuel 12:7 [ESV] ...  7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,  …” 
… The Prophet, Nathan, calls out David for his sins and the cover-up …
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Samuel 12:1-14 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… David made bad choices and got WAY OFF TRACK in following The Lord, but Nathan helped him get back on track.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:105, 139:23-24 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Using God’s word as our “GPS” (God’s Positioning System) and praying that we stay on track … HIS TRACK!

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [ESV] … 23 And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. …” 
… Jesus calls us all - to those who would so choose - to follow Him.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [ESV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 
… Everyday Jesus calls us to open the door of our hearts and let Him in.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, uses recent news story of boys getting stuck in a cave by following the wrong path … one step at a time. … The ODB author wrote: In northern Thailand, the Wild Boars youth soccer team decided to explore a cave together. After an hour they turned to go back and found that the entrance to the cave was flooded. Rising water pushed them deeper into the cave, day after day, until they were finally trapped more than two miles (four kilometers) inside. When they were heroically rescued two weeks later, many wondered how they had become so hopelessly trapped. Answer: one step at a time. 

The youth soccer team got in trouble because they ended up in the wrong place by taking the wrong path … one step at a time. King David (see highlight passage) was called out by Nathan because the King, who had a heart to follow God, made one bad choice after another which led to adultery and even murder.

I would expect that most - if not all - reading here have answered Jesus’ call to follow Him (see Luke 9:23); and as in the linked song, we may have even declared our desire to follow Him. The question is, however, … ARE WE?!! … And if we’ve gotten off track, what steps could we take today to get back on the patch to follow our Lord? (see photo).

The reality is … that we’re all vulnerable to our own flesh, the world’s lures, and Satan’s ploys; and we need to do all we can to use God’s “GPS” (i.e., His word) to keep us on the right track in life. That’s why you find me here every day, seeking God’s light to keep me on His path (see Ps. 119:105 and 139:23-24). I pray you join me today.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for calling us and giving us Your light to follow Your path.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to carefully follow our Lord’s call and His “GPS” … to take one step at a time to follow Him. 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>

January 20, 2020 … Love Cleanses the Soul

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 20 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Wayne Watson singing … Love Found A Way … poignantly singing of how God showed mankind that love always finds a way to overcome and cleanse our selfish and hating souls.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Peter 4:8 [ESV] ...  8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  
… Peter shows fellow Christians that love covers a multitude of sins.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Peter 4:7-11 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Peter, shows us that living with God’s love cleanses the soul of our sin nature. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 10:12 [ESV] … 12  Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. 
… God, thru Solomon, shows us the contamination of our souls with hatred and the cleansing of our soul with God’s love.

Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s love came into the world in the person of King Jesus to save us from our human hatred and provide us with the cleansing love of God.

Reference Passage : … 1John 1:7-9 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We are cleansed by God’s love when we’re humble enough to confess our sins and allow God’s grace to cleanse our soul of our human sin.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [ESV] … 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 
… Jesus commands His Church to open the door daily - really every moment - and let Him cleanse us and fellowship with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses the story of how a British Pastor came to know that our Abba Father watches over His children, intervening when necessary for protection or provision. … The ODB author wrote: “Hatred corrodes the container that carries it.” These words were spoken by former Senator Alan Simpson at the funeral of George H. W. Bush. Attempting to describe his dear friend’s kindness, Senator Simpson recalled how the forty-first president of the United States embraced humor and love rather than hatred in his professional leadership and personal relationships. 
I relate to the senator’s quote, don’t you? Oh, the damage done to me when I harbor hatred! 

The attached photo shows what a container looks like before/after it is cleansed, … thereby picturing why God’s love came into the world in the person of our Messiah, … to save and cleanse us of our dirty souls and the hatred which we hold in our human nature.

But Senator Simpson declared that former President Bush was able to rise above his human nature to showcase a soul cleansed of that dirtiness. And we know, from Bush’s testimony, how much he attributed who he had become … to God’s love in his life and his relationship with Christ.

And if my readers have taken in the linked song and the truth provided in the Scriptures above, then I pray we all have have experienced … and are daily experiencing … the cleansing love of God, … the love which allows us all to be cleansed of the dirtiness of our human nature, … cleansed to showcase the love of God to others.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your Nature and Spirit to cleanse our own dirty nature.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to open the door (see Rev. 3:20) and to allow God’s love to cleanse our 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>

January 19, 2020 … Under God’s Watch Care

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 19 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Twila Paris singing … God Is All Around Us … poignantly singing of how our loving omnipresent God watches over His children (see photo).

God's watch care over His children

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Highlight Verse[s]: Numbers 23:21 [ESV] ...  21  He [God] has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has He seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout [i.e., promise] of a King is among them. 
… God would watch over His chosen ones, with the promise of a coming King, as they wandered in the wilderness.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Numbers 23:13-23 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… The story of how God watched over His chosen ones in Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 105:12-15 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist sings of God’s watch care over His chosen children.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… We must trust that God is watching over us and leading us on His path … for His glory.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [ESV] … 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are the called according to His purpose. 
… Paul learned that God’s watch-care and that all things allowed into the lives of His chosen ones are for our God and His glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses the story of how a British Pastor came to know that our Abba Father watches over His children, intervening when necessary for protection or provision. … The ODB author wrote: In a poem titled “This Child Is Beloved,” Omawumi Efueye, known affectionately as Pastor O, writes about his parents’ attempts to end the pregnancy that would result in his birth. After several unusual events that prevented them from aborting him, they decided to welcome their child instead. The knowledge of God’s preservation of his life motivated Omawumi to give up a lucrative career in favor of full-time ministry. Today, he faithfully pastors a London church. 

After a reader has listened to Twila Paris’ song, meditated on the Scriptures above, and taken in the ODB paragraph, I pray that we all recognize that God truly is all around us, watching over our every move, and intervening when necessary for our good … and for His glory.

Trust Him! … He’s there.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for always watching out for our good and Your will.
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 My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to come with a thankful heart today to His throne of 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>

January 18, 2020 … Revenge? … NO!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 18 

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 how we Christians must overcome our human nature and desires to follow our own ways … but rather to find THE ANSWER, … following Jesus!

Elizabeth Elliot - sharing God's love with the Huarani people

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 12:19-20 [ESV] ...  19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
… Paul quotes from Prov. 25:21-22 [linked below] to show how Christians should respond from being wronged in life.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 12:17-21 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul invokes Old Testament teaching on forgiveness instead of revenge when we are wronged. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:23-24 [ESV] … 23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! 
… My prayer EVERY MORNING to follow God away from my ways and to follow His !!

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 25:21-22 [ESV] … 21  If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22  for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. 
… Jesus and His Apostles simply preached and practiced what they had known God taught from the Old Testament.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:43-48 [ESV] …USE THIS LINK ...    
… Jesus preaches on loving our enemies to show that we are sons of God, the Father.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Estera Escobar, uses the story of Elizabeth Elliot’s response to her husband’s death to show how we should live as Jesus taught us … with love and grace rather than revenge. … The ODB author wrote: After Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were killed by Huaorani tribesmen in 1956, no one expected what happened next. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, their young daughter, and another missionary’s sister willingly chose to make their home among the very people who killed their loved ones. [see photo] They spent several years living in the Huaorani community, learning their language, and translating the Bible for them. These women’s testimony of forgiveness and kindness convinced the Huaorani of God’s love for them and many received Jesus as their Savior. 

When we’re wronged, especially when it causes deep loss, as in the case of Elizabeth Elliot losing her husband to natives whom he was ministering, … it would normally cause anger and the desire for revenge. But Jim Elliot’s wife took her faith to heart and carried out the teachings of Jesus [see Scriptures above] by going back to the people who had murdered her husband and showing them the Gospel love/grace of our Lord.

It’s a good life lesson in Christlikeness for us all, isn’t it? And I pray we have learned the lesson and can implement it in our lives when we’re wronged … today … or maybe tomorrow. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for showing the way for us to live as You did.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to live for/with God’s love as we overcome our desire for revenge. 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>

January 17, 2020 … Storms of Life

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 17 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris Rice singing his version of the old hymn … It Is Well With My Soul … poignantly singing of how we Christians, as we encounter the trials and storms of life, can ALWAYS declare that “It is well with my soul.”

Storm Chasers 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 107:28-29 [ESV] ...  28  Then they [sailers] cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. 29  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 
… In the storms of life, our God is always in control.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 107:23-32 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God shows us to come to Him with the “storms” of life.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 
… When we encounter the storms of life (and we will !), trusting in God’s control is the only way to go.

Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [ESV] … 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 
… Jesus promises that He will overcome the storms [i.e. troubles] we encounter in life.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [ESV] … 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 
… One of the hardest truths for us, as Christians, to hold onto when we are confronted by the storms of life.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 
… Encountering the storms (i.e., trials) of life, we must only bring them to God when they’re too big for us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder uses storm chasers to illustrate how life can be at times trying to avoid or deal with the trials (i.e., storms) we confront. … The ODB author wrote: “Chasing tornadoes,” says Warren Faidley, “is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles.” The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: “Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment.” 
Faidley’s words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events. [see photo] 

No, … storm chasing would not be a pursuit you would find me in, knowing the truth of what Jesus promised to His disciples in John 16:33. No, … when I encounter the storms (i.e. the trials) of life He promised we’d encounter, I’ve learned, thru being here in His word daily, that we have to run (as Peter wrote in 1Peter 5) to the One Who controls the storms; and put ourselves under His watch-care.

And I know that He may choose not to calm the storms I encounter; but I’m not going to chase after them to find out. I know they’ll find me; and when they do, I’m just going to trust in the truth of Romans 8:28 and Prov. 3:5-6, knowing that my God has me exactly where He needs for me to be. And, know that our God is ALWAYS in control, … I pray that you do too!!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for using storms to build our faith in You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to deal with the storms of life by taking them to the One Who controls those storms. 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>

January 16, 2020 … Can I Give More?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 16 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing … What If I Gave Everything … poignantly singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, so often hold back to give Jesus what we can for His glory and His service.

Giving All He Had To Give

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 6:8-9 [ESV] ...  8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 
… So many to feed with only a few fishes and loaves.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 6:4:14 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus feeds thousands with the fishes and loaves offered by a boy who gave what he could.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 
… We so often are tripped up by our own logic and experience and thereby limit what Jesus can do if we just trust Him.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 14:13-20 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Matthew’s version of the feeding of the thousands by Jesus.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [ESV] … 23 And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. …” 
… Jesus’ command for disciples to deny our selfish ways and follow … yes, even when it doesn’t follow common sense.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 3:20-21 [ESV] … 20 Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 
… Jesus can do so, so much more than we could ever imagine with what we have to give to/for His kingdom.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Cindy Hess Kasper, uses an old fable to illustrate that we can often do so much more than we think when we just give what we can. … The ODB author wrote: “Stone Soup,” an old tale with many versions, tells of a starving man who comes to a village, but no one there can spare a crumb of food for him. He puts a stone and water in a pot over a fire. Intrigued, the villagers watch him as he begins to stir his “soup.” Eventually, one brings a couple of potatoes to add to the mix; another has a few carrots. One person adds an onion, another a handful of barley. A farmer donates some milk. Eventually, the “stone soup” becomes a tasty chowder. 

All I ask of my followers today, after you’ve taken in the paragraph above, heard the linked song, and meditated on the Scriptures provided above, … we need to ask ourselves the personal challenge from all of this input … “Are we giving all we can in service to our Lord?”

And like the young boy in the story of the loaves and the fishes, are we willing to offer all we have to our Messiah who can do so much more than we might imagine.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us the opportunity to use what we have to serve You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to give all we can in service 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>

January 15, 2020 … Walking By Faith

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 15 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group The Gettys singing … By Faith … poignantly singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, must walk by faith in our quest to glorify God by walking in His Spirit.

Walking in Faith by the Spirit 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 5:16 [ESV] ...  16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 
… Paul exhorts us to put in the work to walk walk by faith in the Spirit so as to avoid being pray to the desires of the flesh.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 5:13-18 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to walk, guided by God’s Spirit, in the work that is this life. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:105 [ESV] … 105  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 
… We walk by faith and follow God’s Spirit when we use His truth to light our path in life.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 
… If we trust in God’s will and follow His way in faith from His word, we will be walking by His Spirit.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [ESV] … 23 And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. …” 
… Jesus’ command for disciples to deny our selfish ways and follow Him.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 11:1 [ESV] … 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 
… As Christians, we must walk by faith in God’s Spirit and not by sight.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Peter W Chin, quotes another expert on how hard a talented person must work to attain excellence in that person’s area of talent. … The ODB author wrote: Ten thousand hours. That’s how long author Malcolm Gladwell suggests it takes to become skillful at any craft. Even for the greatest artists and musicians of all time, their tremendous inborn talent wasn’t enough to achieve the level of expertise that they would eventually attain. They needed to immerse themselves in their craft every single day. 

Any reader who thinks that “walking in the Spirit,” as God, thru Paul, exhorts in the highlight passage, is some auto-pilot function of sanctification, as Christians we miss what the ODB entry is trying to say to us above. To achieve excellence as a disciple of Christ, following the Lord’s mandate to follow Him [see Luke 9:23], does NOT come automatically at salvation. Yes, we receive God’s saving and empowering grace at conversion; but then comes the hard part, … walking in faith [see linked song], guided by the Spirit, primarily by God’s word, to let our faith be led by His light of truth [see Ps 119:105].

Why else would you find me here EVERY DAY, trying my best to shine a light on my path (as shown in the photo), walking the walk of faith and following God’s light by seeing my path of faith by using His word to light my way. I pray you’re on that path as well, because walking in the Spirit is hard work, requiring the diligence of discipline and the direction proved by God’s truth.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for shining Your light of truth on my path of faith.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to let God’s word guide our path in life daily. 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>