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>
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