Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 29
Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Steffany Gretzinger singing … Letting Go … singing of how we, as Christians, must let go of our selves to find closeness to the Savior.
==============
Highlight Passage: … Matthew 19:21 [NLT] …
21 Jesus told him [the rich young ruler], “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
… Jesus teaches (and commands) the rich young ruler what it takes to enter God’s kingdom, a command to which the young man could not comply.
===============
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Matthew 19:16-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus encounters a rich young ruler who desires to know how to enter God’s kingdom.
========== .
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon shows that we must trust in God <b>with our whole heart</b> to be able to follow His leading in life
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Matthew 5:43-48 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus commands His followers (and disciples) to go beyond God’s commands to “love your neighbor” <b>[see Lev 19:18]</b> … and to even “love your enemies,” … praying for them, and doing all we can to “be perfect” as He, our Lord, is perfect.
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Ephesians 4:31-32 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul passes along God’s desire to fellow Christians to get rid of all past selfishness, anger or bitterness and to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us.
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Philippians 3:12-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to strive forward, as he (Paul) was, toward the goal of Christlikeness.
My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Monica La Rose AT THIS LINK … quotes author, Kathleen Norris, about the concept of “perfectionism,” who wrote, “Perfectionism is one of the scariest words I know,” … pointing to story in Matthew of the rich young ruler who thought he had led a pure and perfect life. Yet Jesus showed the young man that he was holding on to his wealth and power too tightly and would never enter God’s kingdom with that attitude.
With that story of the rich young ruler as a backdrop of truth, we need to ask ourselves if we’re holding on to any selfish attitude too tightly in this life, … being called by God’s truth (see Scriptures above) to let ANYTHING go (see photo) that’s holding us back from becoming more like Christ.
I know that I find myself holding on too tightly to my balloon of desire to be admired by others. What do we need to let go, as we hear in the linked song, to become more like our Lord?
My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me the enabling grace to let go of my self and to follow You, Lord, more closely. Yes, even today!!
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to let go of the balloon of selfishness to follow You, Lord, toward Christlikeness. … 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment