April 23, 2021 … Sharing Is Caring …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 113 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Chris Christian singing … We Are An Offering … poignantly singing of how we Christians are called to make our lives an offering in Christ’s name and for His glory. 

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Highlight Passage:  Philippians 2:3-4 [ESV] …  

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

… We are charged by God to comfort others even before we would look out for our own interests. 

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  2Philippians 2:1-5 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God, thru Paul, showing fellow Christians how we must humbly and unselfishly be willing to share God’s love/grace with others. 

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 19:17. 22:9 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  God’s promise, thru Solomon, that He will bless those who’re willing to share with those in need.  

Reference Passage: … Luke 3:11 [ESV] … 

11 And He answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”  

… Jesus clearly commands those who have more than we need to share and help those who are in need.

Reference Passage: … Galatians 6:2 [ESV] …  

2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 

… Sharing and bearing the burdens of others fulfills God’s law of love.   

Reference Passage: … 1John 3:17 [ESV] …  

17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  

… John helps Christians see that God’s love abides only in those who’re willing to reach out and help others in need.      

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Winn Collier, AT THIS LINK …  tells of a video game which allows a player, eliminated from the game, to see the remainder of the game thru the exploits of the player who had eliminated them, … giving that player a new way of seeing the game thru the eyes of their opponent.  

Unfortunately, in life, we often have trouble seeing things thru the eyes of others, … thereby letting our own wants or needs blind us to the needs of others.  That’s what the Apostle Paul was trying to get fellow Christians to see in the highlight passage as well as Jesus and other Bible authors in the other Scriptures above. 

Wouldn’t it be great today if we all did our utmost to look out for those with whom we might be able to share God’s love/grace in some way, … sharing what we have with others?  So, let’s all take in the linked song and meditate on God’s word above; and then, … let’s do all we can to let God’s Spirit open our eyes to our ability to see and help others in need. 

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your empowering grace to help others. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … again today as I prayed yesterday, … to be the caring partner of our Lord to help others in need of His care.      … 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.