Nov 12, 2020 … Taking the Long Road

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 317 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...    Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing  … I Will Follow … powerfully singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, must be willing to follow our Lord wherever He leads. 

The Long Road Home ... 

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Highlight Passage:  Exodus 13:18 [ESV] ... 

18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.<

…   God leads His people to the promised land … often by taking a longer, more difficult, route than the world would choose.   

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  Exodus 13:17-18 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God leads Moses and His people out of Egypt by taking the “long road.”   

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Reference Passage: …  Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  God, thru Solomon, challenges His people to trust His way, no matter where the Lord might lead us.   

Reference Passage: …  Luke 9:23  [ESV] … 

<i>  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. </i> 

…  Jesus, to His followers, demanded (and He still does!) that we deny our own way to follow His. 

Reference Passage: …  Romans 8:28  [ESV] … 

<i>  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. </i> 

…  Sometimes God’s road is hard to follow; but it’s ALWAYS for our good. 

Reference Passage: …  Romans 12:2  [ESV] … 

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

…  Paul knew that following the ways of the world will often - if not always - lead us astray.

Reference Passage: …  1Corinthians 11:1-2 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Paul knew that if others followed Him they would be in the right road; because he was following Christ.  

   

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Leslie Koh, AT THIS LINK writes about a young manager who felt he needed to follow God’s way rather than those around him and, tho it was the more difficult road to follow, it ultimately led him to success in his career. 

And in reading today’s ODB entry and meditating on the scriptures which came to my mind {see above}; … and then taking in the linked song, … am I the only one who sees that the Covid-19 road God has led us down, which is a very risky and long road, is a road we must trust God to follow as He leads us Home? 

I don’t like this road He’s leading us down!   In fact I hate it!!  But I know it’s for our good; and as Chris Tomlin sings, I’m going to follow my Lord wherever He leads us; because I know He’s leading us Home.    

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for showing us the road we must follow. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray that all reading here will join me to trust You, Lord, and follow You down this long, Covid-19 road You have us on.  … Amen 

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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.