January 2, 2022 … Fresh Start … 

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 2 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...    Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Ryan Stephenson singing … Fresh Start … powerfully singing of how we, as Christians, get to choose our fresh start every day … every moment … in our relationship with Christ.  

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Highlight Passage: …  Colossians 3:10 [NLT] …   

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. 

… Paul was adamant in teaching fellow Christians that we can choose to put on our new self in following Christ’s way rather than our own.   

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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Colossians 3:1-17 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul taught fellow Christians that we could choose EVERY DAY to put on the new self that is ours in our relationship with Christ.                           

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

… God, thru Solomon shows that we can choose - every day … every moment … to trust Him and when we do He will lead us in the right way in life. 

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

 23 [Jesus to HIs followers] …  “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. …” 

… Jesus was clear in giving His disciples the choice to follow Him or to follow our past selfish ways.  We get to choose!!!.

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 5:16-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 

…God, thru Paul, shows Christians that we need not look at life from a human perspective anymore because in Christ we have Spirit-led perspective to evaluate life.

Reference Passage: … Titus 3:3-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ...

…Paul was insistent in teaching Titus, and other fellow Christians [like us!], that when we follow Christ we get to choose - EVERY DAY - to follow a fresh start in life, … following our Lord rather than our previous selfish ways.   

          

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Sheridan Voysey, AT THIS LINK …   writes of three people who, as they entered a new year, decided to make some radical changes in their lives, trying to make a fresh NEW start for their idea of a better life.    

It’s January 2nd; and we probably find a number of us looking in the mirror and wanting to make a few start into the the new year (see photo).  Well, if we’re born again in Christ, we can, you know?  But not just as a New Year’s resolution.  In Christ, especially according to the insistence of the Apostle Paul in the ABSOLUTELY TRUE scriptures above, we can make a fresh start, follow Christ’s command in Luke 9:23 and God’s admonition, thru Solomon (in Prov 3:5-6). to decide TODAY - or really in this very moment - to trust and follow Christ’s way rather than our own selfish ways. 

And when we SERIOUSLY make that choice, … and we Christians know we need to, … God promises His power and direction to snow is the way to go.  How about we make some serious choices to follow our Lord today!!                           

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving us Your enabling and empowering grace to start on a new road - Your road - today.    

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to make some serious choices to follow You, Lord, and put on our new - Christlike - selves today.    … 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.