December 19, 2015: Christmas Bells

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 352  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Burl Ives singing and old Christmas carol … I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day, originally penned in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, proclaiming the victory of the joy of Christmas over all the despair caused by wars in this world.

Highlight Passage:   Luke 2: 11 [NKJV] …  
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
… His birth rang true for the world in spite of the death knell of sin.
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Highlight Context – Luke 2: 8-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… The joy of that first Christmas morning will ring true FOREVER.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 9: 6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… 700+ years before it happened the bells rang the truth of the birth of our King, Jesus.

Reference Passage #2 - John 16:33 [NKJV] …   
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[a] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
… Yes, the world will produce darkness; but Christ’s light has overcome the darkness of the world.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, wrote about one of our great American poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who in 1864, after losing his wife in a tragic fire and having his first son critically wounded in the Civil War, penned a poem entitled Christmas Bells, written below in seven stanzas.

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I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day … Their old, familiar carols play, … And wild and sweet … The words repeat … Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 
And thought how, as the day had come, …The belfries of all Christendom … Had rung so along … The unbroken song … Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 
Till ringing, singing on its way, … The world revolved from night to day, … A voice, a chime, … A chant sublime … Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 
Then from each black, accursed mouth … The cannon thundered in the South, … And with the sound … The carols drowned … Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 
It was as if an earthquake rent … The hearth-stones of a continent, … And made forlorn … The households born … Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 
And in despair I bowed my head; … ”There is no peace on earth," I said; … ”For hate is strong, … And mocks the song … Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" 
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: … "God is not dead, nor does He sleep; … The Wrong shall fail, … The Right prevail, … With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
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And if you hear the more common Christmas carol, linked and sung by Burl Ives (see above), you’ll note that three of the verses [in BOLD above} have been omitted in the more modern version of our carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. The primary reason for this omission is Longfellow’s reference to the Civil War.

However, the primary message for Longfellow’s hymn remains; and that is the truth that God, in the form of Jesus Christ, rang the bells of truth at His incarnation, … overcoming the ills of horrors like war, and even defeating death as the bells of Christmas truth rang in the good news of Gospel, … even unto the cross, where we heard the ultimate message of … “peace on earth, good will to men!”

So, when you hear a bell ringing during this season, realize the truth of Christ’s words to His Disciples in John 16:33 (above) … that we will have tribulations, like the warring we see in this world, … but Christ came and His Christmas bells have overcome the world forevermore!!!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Your Christmas bells ring in my heart, Lord, forever. … HALLELUJAH!!! … 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.

December 18, 2015: Light of the World

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 351  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Debbie Boone singing the 60s classic … You Light Up My Life, a love song proclaiming the reality of how Christ lights up our life in the midst of darkness of this world, giving us hope to carry on … and THEN ON TO THIS LINK with the group Hillsong leading worship and singing Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, and declaring how pursuing Jesus opens our eyes to the Hope He is in our life … FOREVER!!

Highlight Passage:   Psalm 139: 12 [NKJV] …  
28 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You; but the night shines as the day. 
… His light dispels the darkness.
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Highlight Context – Psalm 139: 1-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… His light is always there for those who really believe.
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Reference Passage #1 - Deuteronomy 31: 6 [NKJV] …  
6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” 
… Moses to God’s chosen just before he died and they were to go, bewildered and feeling lost, into the promised land.

Reference Passage #2 - Psalm 119: 105 [NKJV] …  
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. 
… God’s truth is our light in the darkness.

Reference Passage #3 - John 14:1-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …    … Jesus, being a light for His disciples in the midst of their confusion and darkness.

Reference Passage #4 - Hebrews 13: 5 [NKJV] …  
5b … He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
 … Encouragement and hope from the words of God (see #1 above).

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David Roper, used a very personal story about his dog to illustrate his teaching for my morning quiet time. He wrote today, … Our old dog—a West Highland white terrier—sleeps curled up at the foot of our bed. That’s been her place for 13 years. … Normally she doesn’t move or make a sound, but lately she’s been pawing us gently in the middle of the night. At first we thought she wanted to go outside, so we tried to accommodate her. But we realized she just wants to know we are there. She’s nearly deaf and partially blind now. She can’t see in the darkness and can’t hear us move or breathe. Naturally, she gets confused and reaches out for reassurance. So I just reach down and pat her on the head to assure her that I’m there. That’s all she wants to know. She takes a turn or two, settles down, and goes back to sleep.

Ever been like that dog, … feeling like you were in the dark and needing a little light of hope to deal with the darkness? … I certainly have!! … And then I come here, as I do every morning; and God shines a light on my path with His word, … enough to start my day with light, even when I’m surrounded by darkness (see attached photo).

 So, take in that picture, listen to the two linked songs, and meditate on God’s truth above; and then take hope in the midst of this wonderful season. Jesus came into this world of darkness, as the group Hillsong sings, and brought eternal hope. And as Debbie Boone sang back in the 60s … Jesus does truly light up our lives … today, … tomorrow, … and FOREVER!!!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You light up my life with the truth of Your word, but even more with the hope of my Savior. … 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.

December 17, 2015: Resting at Christmas

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 350  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Alan Jackson singing … Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, proclaiming the reality of what it takes to deal with the stresses and anxieties of life.

 
Highlight Passage:   Matthew 11:28 [NKJV] …  
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
 … He commands me to come to Him when I labor.
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Highlight Context – Matthew 11:28-12:8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Christ is our rest.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 26: 3 [NKJV] …  
4 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you; because he trusts in You. 
… Our Peace always lies in The Lord … as long as we hold our focus on Him and not on our circumstances.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 4: 6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… When we’re anxious, God gives us His prescription for our stress … to bring it to Him with a thankful heart.

Reference Passage #3 - Hebrews 12: 1-2 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Focusing away from self and sin and putting our eyes upon Jesus.

Reference Passage #4 - 1st Peter 5: 7 [NKJV] …  
7 … Casting all your cares on Him, … because He cares for you. 
… The question is ... will we?

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, reminded his readers (me) that it’s difficult to find relief from the day-by-day struggles and stresses of life, … i.e., to find rest from the clamor of this world, … especially during this hustle-bustle time of year.

We live in a world where the information glut is almost overwhelming and much of what we have to process is bad news. And then there is the factor of our human flesh (i.e., see Jer. 17:9), where our deceitful hearts want to control everything, creating a heavy stress load. And we simply can’t control so much of life; can we? And what it the result? … Stress, frustration, and anxiety.

 So, where do we go? … What do we do? … Well, if you take in all that God has led me to write above this morning, especially the message sung by Alan Jackson in today’s song as wall as God’s word, … you will have the answer to these questions as well as God’s prescription for our anxieties. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether you want to control things today or just do all you can and leave the worrying to Jesus.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … I’ll do all I can, Lord. But You’re going to have to take care of the rest. … 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.

December 16, 2015: His Name Is Holy

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 349  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Marshall Hall singing … Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, … There’s Just Something About that Name, proclaiming reality and Glory of the Name of “Jesus!”

Highlight Passage:   Exodus 20: 7 [NKJV] …  
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. …” 
… We must not take the Name of God in vain.
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Highlight Context – Exodus 20:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… God’s Name is Holy!!
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 24: 4-5 [NKJV] …  
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 
… The ultimate offense of using the Lord’s Name in vain.

Reference Passage #2 - Acta 9: 20 [NKJV] …  
20 … Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. 
… Paul declares that Jesus was/is THE CHRIST, … the Son of God!!

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 2: 9-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Paul declares that Jesus’ Name is “LORD” … “King Jesus!!” … “Messiah” … “Son of God!”

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Randy Kilgore, used a teaching from a mentor to illustrate his teaching about how we use the Name of God. Kilgore wrote … One afternoon I was having a discussion with a friend I considered my spiritual mentor about misusing God’s name. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,” says the third commandment (Ex. 20:7). We may think this only refers to attaching God’s name to a swear word or using His name flippantly or irreverently. But my mentor rarely missed an opportunity to teach me about real faith. He challenged me to think about other ways we profane God’s name. 

Kilgore went on to describe several ways, besides using swear words, God’s Name is often misused (i.e., taken in vain), … such as [1.] saying that “God told me [something,” … or [2.] using Scripture out of context, … or [3.] when we teach or use Scripture carelessly or selfishly. And he quoted John Piper that we misuse God’s Name when we “speak of God in any way that empties Him of His significance.”

God’s Name is HOLY! Or the Name of “Jesus,” when referring to “The Lord” as Paul did, as “THE CHRIST,” in either Acts 9:20 or Phil. 2: 9-11, puts God’s name in His proper context of holiness or lifts His Name above all other names.

 But as Randy Kilgore and John Piper teach (see ODB for 12/16/15), we take God’s Name in vain any time we refer to our Lord and Messiah in any way that lowers His Holy Name to anything less than “LORD,” … or “MESSIAH” … or “SON OF GOD!” So, today I’m praying that I will never lower my reference to my God to anything less than He deserves.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You are my LORD!! And Your Holy Name is to be revered above all other names. … 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.

December 15, 2015: Working for Jesus

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 348  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Daniel O’Donnell singing … Here I Am Lord, proclaiming the attitude which should be shared by all Christians when we are placed in a place to serve our LORD.

Highlight Passage:   Numbers 4: 19b [NKJV] …  
19b …  Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and his task. … God to Moses/Aaron concerning the tasks of the Levites in the Tabernacle.
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Highlight Context – Numbers 4:17-32 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… We must bloom where we are planted.
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Reference Passage #1 - Romans 12: 1 [NKJV] …  
1 I beseech you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 
… Where ever God leads us we’re to follow and serve him gladly …

Reference Passage #2 - 1st Corinthians 10: 31 [NKJV] …  
31 … whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 
… Making our work for God’s glory …

Reference Passage #3 - Colossians 3: 17 [NKJV] …  
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, DO ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 
… Doing our all-in-all for Jesus!!!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David C McCasland, used a personal story to illustrate his teaching about how we serve God. He wrote, … While attending Bible college, my friend Charlie and I worked for a furniture store. We often made deliveries accompanied by an interior decorator who talked with the people who had purchased the furniture while we brought it from the truck into the house. Sometimes we had to carry the furniture up several flights of stairs in an apartment building. Charlie and I often wished we had the decorator’s job instead of ours!

Using this link - you can see that a 2013 Gallup poll revealed that 70% of workers surveyed reported that they hated their workplace or job. There were many reasons reported for these attitudes in the workplace; but it boiled down to most people were disgruntled about what they did for a living. And this attitude certainly flies in the face of what God’s word teaches with regard to our attitudes about work.

 The highlight passage above from the Book of Numbers took the ODB readers (me) back to when God instituted the duties of His people in building and maintaining the Tabernacle during the 40 years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. And we know how God’s chosen turned into grumblers during those refining years. And then, in the NT, the Apostle Paul taught a lot about what our attitudes should be like … no matter where we are or what we do (see the reference passages above). And the bottom line in God’s word should be a “bloom where we’re planted” attitude of gratitude, … no matter what job we have or where we are working … or for that matter, whatever we’re doing day-by-day-by-day.

 So, in that Gallup poll above I would hope that we’d find that the 30% of those who had positive attitudes about their work would be tinged heavily by Christians. … What about you and me? … Today will we be doing ALL we do for God’s glory (as Paul wrote to Corinth above)? On our jobs, will see ourselves as “living sacrifices” for God (as Paul exhorted Roman Christians)? … And/or will whatever we say/do … be done to honor the name of Christ Jesus?

 I’m praying - for me today - that I, … hopefully joined by you, … will respond as Daniel O’Donnell sings in the song linked above when God calls us to think, say, or do ANYTHING today … that we say it or do it for God’s glory.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, …It’s ALL FOR YOU, Lord!! … 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.

December 14, 2015: Hands Raised … “HALLELUJAH!!”

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 347  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of my friend, Clay Crosse, singing … When I Lift My Hands, proclaiming the joy of our praise when we come together to worship our Lord.

 
Highlight Passage:   Psalm 150: 6 [NKJV] …  
6 Let everyone that has breath praise the Lord. 
 … PRAISE THE LORD!! EVERYONE!!! … HALLELUJAH !!!
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Highlight Context – Psalm 150 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Celebrating our Lord with deserved Hallelujahs.
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Reference Passage #1 - Romans 12: 1 [NKJV] …  
1 I beseech you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 
… Giving it all for God a living HALLELUJAH …

Reference Passage #2 - Ephesians 4: 1 [NKJV] …  
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, … 
… Making our walk a living HALLELUJAH to/for our worthy Lord.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Marvin Williams, reminds His readers (me) of the exuberant celebration which occurs when any international professional soccer (i.e., futbol in Europe or S. America) scores a goal. Goals in soccer are few and far between, so it’s exciting for fans to see the individual celebrations and outright joy expressed by their soccer heroes when they score (see attached photo). And in the stadium where the goal is scored the fans go wild with celebration too.

Isn’t it interesting how we’re willing to shout our praises, so openly and without reservation, at a soccer game or at an American professional sporting event (basketball, baseball, or football); and yet we can be so reserved with our praises for God when we come to a worship service on the Sabbath. 

Psalms 146-150, the last five of the Psalms, have been called the “Hallelujah Psalms,” because they all begin with the Hebrew term “Hallelujah,” which is translated “PRAISE THE LORD!” And Psalm 150, linked above, expresses the outright open and flamboyant praise which was very likely expressed when these songs were sung by Jewish worshippers in the times of David and the Psalmists.

I can just imagine loud and exuberant praises being shouted to God by Hebrew worshippers, … with boisterous music, dancing, and joyous revelry being shared when these songs were sung in a Synagog in David’s Day, … much like the celebrations fans and players alike share when a goal is scored in a soccer game. Why do we feel so inhibited with our praise for the living God when we come to worship His Holy Name on a Sunday morning?

 Maybe today, … maybe right now, … you’ll listen to the linked praise song above and shout out, … in your heart if not with your voice, an exuberant HALLELUJAH!!!  And let’s worship God with our lives today, as Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1 and Ephesians 4: 1. Praise to God with all we think, say, and do today!!!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … hallelujah, … HALLELUJAH, … HALLELUJAH!!! … 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.

December 13, 2015: Perfect? … He is!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 346  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Fernando Ortega, singing … Just Give Me Jesus, proclaiming what should be the pursuit of all during this Advent season … Jesus!

Highlight Passage:   Romans 3: 23-24 [NKJV] …  
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ... 
... No, not one!
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Highlight Context – Roman 3: 19-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… None of us are what He is … perfect!
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Reference Passage #1 - Philippians 1: 6 [NKJV] …  
6 … He who has begun a good work in you will complete if unto the day of Jesus Christ: … 
… Made perfect … completed … only in Christ.

Reference Passage #2 - Hebrews 10:14 [NKJV] …  
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 
… And our only perfection [i.e., righteousness] is found in our salvation and sanctification.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Julie Ackerman Link, reminds her devotional readers (me) that this holiday season can produce much frustration and anxiety. … She writes, Christmas is the time of year when the pressure to be perfect intensifies. We imagine the perfect celebration and then put forth our best effort to make it happen. We shop for the perfect gifts. We plan the perfect Christmas Day meal. We choose the perfect greeting cards or write the perfect family letter. But our striving leads to discouragement and disappointment when our ability to imagine perfection exceeds our ability to implement it. 

All the hustle and bustle to buy perfect stuff or to be perfect in the eyes of others; and according to the Apostle Paul in Romans 3: 23, we all fall short. However, also from God, through Paul and the Author of Hebrews (see also today’s highlight passage and Hebrews 10:14), we will only find our perfection (i.e., completion) as we are sanctified in the perfection of Christ. As our ODB author, Julie Link, puts it, Instead of being discouraged, however, we can use our disappointment to remind ourselves of the reason Christmas is so important. We need Christmas because none of us is or can be all that we want to be—not for a month, a week, or even a day. 

So, let’s cut ourselves some slack this season, dear one; and in this Advent season let’s just celebrate the reality and truth that God, the Father, when He sees you and me, He views the perfection of the Robes of Righteousness which we’ve chosen - in faith - to wear because of the blood of the perfect One Who died for our sins and shed His blood to cover our imperfection.

And so I pray …

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Thank you, Lord, for sending us Your Son to be our righteousness forever. … 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.

December 12, 2015: Yes, … Every Day!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 345  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of the group, MercyMe, singing … Word of God Speak, proclaiming the reality of the God of Universe speaking to us through His word.

Highlight Passage:   Deuteronomy 4: 10 [NKJV] …  
10 ... especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 
... God calls us to hear Him through His word.
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Highlight Context – Deuteronomy 4:9-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… When God speaks and we listen, we are blessed.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 119 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… See the way this psalmist has built his relationship with God through His word.

Reference Passage #2 - Isaiah 55: 11 [NKJV] …  
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to Me void, but shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper the thing which I sent it. 
… It's really just a matter of deciding whom we will follow, isn't it?

Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17 [NKJV] …  
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
… God’s word is our primary channel to inspiration from and communication with God.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Poh Fang Chia, wrote in his devotional entry this morning of a fellow countryman who could not read and desperately wanted the author to read the Bible to him because he was so, so hungry to hear from God.

 When I came to know Christ as my Lord/Savior, after being an atheist for my first 39 years, a mentor turned me on to God’s word as the primary channel of communication between me and God; and after developing an EVERY MORNING habit (i.e., discipline) of quiet time, … reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture, … I came to realize that EVERY MORNING God, Himself, was speaking to me, … lowly me! And how incredible is that!!!

 So, since September, 1988 I have been starting each day with a prayer that God would reveal Himself to me through His word, … and that I would get to know Him more EVERY DAY, … through His word; and that promise has been kept by God EVERY DAY since.

 So, … I come here EVERY DAY; and as the song by MercyMe resounds above, God’s word speaks to me. A pretty good way to start EVERY DAY, wouldn’t you say?

 How about you? Would you like to hear today from the God of the Universe. Well, open your Bible [hard copy or digital] and dive into God’s #1 method of speaking to HIs kids … His word.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Speak to me, God, through Your word again today. … 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.

December 11, 2015: Dogged Faith

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 344  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Steve Greeen singing … Find Us Faithful, proclaiming the reality of our need as Christians to be faithful to God’s challenging and sanctifying call on our lives.

Highlight Passage:   Psalm 143: 8 [NKJV] …  
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you. 
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Highlight Context – Psalm 143:7-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… The Psalmist declares his trust in God in spite of trials and dangers.
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Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] …  
5 Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 6 In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. 
… It's really just a matter of deciding whom we will follow, isn't it?  

Reference Passage #2 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …  
23 … If anyone would desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 
… Jesus’ challenge of discipleship. Following Him involves denial of the flesh.

Reference Passage #3 - Ephesians 4: 1-3 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Following Christ is way UNNATURAL and requires denying our own flesh (see also Luke 9:23)

Reference Passage #4 - Galatians 5: 19-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Defaulting to the flesh is NATURAL; but living in the fruitfulness of the Spirit is like a dog jumping out of an airplane - totally SUPERNATURAL.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Joe Stowell, used an interesting illustration to make his point. His wrote … I am amazed by the story of the World War II paradogs. In preparing for D-Day (June 6, 1944), the Allied troops needed the sharp senses of dogs to sniff their way through minefields and to warn troops of approaching danger. And the only way to get these dogs to troops behind enemy lines was by parachute. But dogs are instinctively afraid of doing this—and let’s be honest, they are not alone. Yet after weeks of training, the dogs learned to trust their masters enough to jump at their command. 

As Stowell points out, all dogs have an inborn fear of jumping from heights; and since I’m a bit acrophobic myself, in my flesh, I can identify with those WW2 doggies. But notice how their love and devotion to their masters could overcome that fear and these dogs were trained to jump from 10,000+ feet to be able to serve their masters on the ground as mine sniffing dogs in WW2.

 I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to see where Joe Stowell is going with his illustration, does it? As Christians, we’re in a constant battle between our natural flesh as we follow our Master, Jesus, and our desire to do what Jesus’ commanded of His disciples in Luke 9: 23 … to deny our flesh and follow Him. But, … how often do our fleshly fears and failures cause us to balk at jumping from the heights in which we find ourselves in life?

 The Apostle Paul made that contrast evident in the challenge of Ephesians 4: 1-3 and Galatians 5: 19-23, linked above. As disciples of Christ, we really do want to jump out and follow The Master at 10,000 ft, don’t we? But our flesh screams, DON’T JUMP!!! We want to be worthy followers of our Master; but our fears too often cause us to remain tied to the flesh and unfruitful in our following of The Lord.

 Today, I pray that I (we) can choose to be a worthy follower of The Master; and when He says “JUMP,” we launch our selves out of that plane we call life.

 Let’s jump for Jesus today!!!

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … If you say, “Jump,” … I go for YOU! … 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.

December 10, 2015: Rescued to Rescue Others

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 343  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Nichole Nordeman singing … Finally Free, proclaiming the amazing rescue Jesus performs on ANYONE who is willing to surrender and receive His saving grace.

 
Highlight Passage:   2nd Corinthians 4: 1, … 6 [NKJV] …  
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. … 
 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 
… No matter what we face, we don’t lost heart because of our faith in Christ, which sets us free from the dark prison of sin.
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Highlight Context – 2nd Corinthians 4:1-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… It is the Gospel of Christ which has set us free to walk out of the darkness into His Light. 
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Reference Passage #1 - 2nd Corinthians 5:16-19 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Now, IN CHRIST, all things are new and we are reconciled through Him and to Him, and we walk in faith and freedom because of His grace.

Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Corinthians 5:17 [NKJV] …  
24 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; … old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 
… Anyone who believes in THE LIGHT can walk free in that Light, Who is Christ.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, C.P. Hiz, used the incredible illustration of those 33 miners in Chile who were saved from certain death after a mining explosion had entombed them underground. His wrote … Macarena Valdes’s skill in mapping underground mines made a real difference in the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped after an explosion in October 2010. Drilling to find the exact place where the men were located was like “trying to shoot a fly from 700 meters away,” she said. With her mining experience, Valdes was able to guide the probe to where the miners were entombed, which helped bring about their dramatic rescue. 

When someone like Macarena Valdes, knows what it’s like to be freed from that kind of darkness and death, she would do anything to make sure those miners got the benefit of her experience and skills. And that’s the way I feel about sharing my story of Christ freeing me from the darkness of my sin and letting me walk free in His light forevermore. I know the exhilaration that must’ve been felt by those Chilean miners when they were set free (see attached photo).

 When I was almost 40 years old, God chose to reach down in the darkness of my imprisonment in sin and pull me up into His light. As Nichole Nordeman sings in her linked song (above), I was Finally Free to walk in the Light with Christ. I was the new man which Paul wrote about in 2nd Cor. 5:17 (see passage above). And those of us who have experienced that kind of undeserved mercy from God certainly should be driven to do all we can to help others to walk free in Christ’s light, out from the darkness and imprisonment of sin.

 What can we do today to help someone whom we know is in that dark prison to walk free in the Light of Christ? We can certainly pray for their being set free … just as so many prayed for those Chilean miners. And if we have the opportunity, as did Ms Valdes, to use our experience and/or our story to help those in darkness to walk in the light, … LET’S DO IT !!!

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … You have set me free; and I walk with You in the light. Let me share Your Gospel and my story to help others walk in Your freedom! … 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.

December 9, 2015: God’s Amazing Grace

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 342  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … Your Grace Still Amazing, proclaiming the amazing grace of God and the mystery of His love … that He would become a man and die on a cross for the sins of all of wretched mankind.

 
Highlight Passage:   Ephesians 1: 7 [NKJV] …  
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace … 
… Truly amazing grace … that He would save a wretch like me …
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Highlight Context – Ephesians 1:1-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Think about the gift of God’s grace given to us FREELY through Jesus’ sacrifice.
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Reference Passage #1 - Ecclesiastes 7:20 [NKJV] …  
20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. [see also Romans 3:23 and 6:23] 
… Wonderful grace offered to us ALL, … none of us deserving anything else by death.

Reference Passage #2 - Romans 7:24-25 [NKJV] …  
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! 
… The Apostle Paul recognized - with thankfulness - the amazing grace which has saved him.

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 2:5-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Paul’s exposition of God’s willingness to humiliate Himself to become man, die on a cross, to extend His amazing grace to all who would receive it in faith … truly, truly God’s amazing grace!!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, took me back to our trip to Greece and Turkey several years ago where we had the opportunity to visit Ephesus, restored by archeologists, where the Apostle Paul had the opportunity to help birth a church of believers in that thriving sea port in Asia Minor in his day.

 As the ODB entry today explains, Ephesus was a bustling, cosmopolitan city in the first century, dominated by a hyper-selfish culture which featured a temple to Diana, the Greek god of sensuality, where men worshipped Diana with both male/female prostitutes. And also gory combats took place between men and animals in the largest theater in the world at the time (see attached photo of the theatre which we’ve visited). And Paul helped introduce Christ and His amazing grace to those pagan peoples; and later we know that Timothy, with Paul’s help, became the Pastor of the church in Ephesus.

 Really what was going on in Ephesus back then was not that much different from the hyper-sexualized, hyper-selfish world we see around us now in our world, does it? So, … in this Advent season, it’s good to remember, and be thankful, for God’s grace, extended to all of mankind in the gift of God’s Son, … Who was willing to set aside His heavenly glory, … be humbly born in a manger, … to walk the earth ministering to sinners, like me, … and then, … to die on a cross, shedding His perfect blood to save a wretch like me (or you).

 And if you take in the song linked above as well as meditate on today’s Scriptures, I think you’ll echo - with me - just how amazing God’s graceful gift was/is during this Advent season.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … Your grace always amazes me!! … 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.

December 8, 2015: What’s Our Gift for Jesus?

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 341

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of Becky Kelley singing … Where’s The Line To See Jesus, questioning where our minds/hearts are at this special time of year.

Highlight Passage:   Romans 12: 1 [NKJV] …
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 
… Our gift to Jesus should always be our living sacrifice of all He’s given to us.
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Highlight Context – Romans 12:1-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… What gifts will we offer to our Savior for Christmas?
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 96:8 [NKJV] …
8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 
… Every day! … Not just for His birthday.

Reference Passage #2 - Ephesians 4:11-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … 
… How about giving back to Jesus what He has given to us … HIS GIFTS?

Reference Passage #3 - 1st Peter 4: 11 [NKJV] …  
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. 
 … God’s exhortation, thru Peter, as to Christians glorifying God in all that we do … not just at Christmas.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Julie Ackerman Link, reminded me - on my birthday - of what I should be giving EVERY DAY for Jesus’ Birthday, which we’re celebrating so heavily and commercially this time of year.

 And as I was meditating on the ODB exhortations today, a text came in on my phone from another brother in Christ, who was wishing me a very gracious, early morning, “Happy Birthday!” I was gratified; but with ODB author, Link, exhorting Christians today to be giving back to Jesus what He has give to us, I was more than a bit convicted. Here Link was exhorting me [us] to become a “living sacrifice,” as the Apostle Paul exhorted in the Romans 12 passage linked above (especially verse 1). And it all caused me to remember the cute, but poignant and pertinent song, also linked above, “Where’s The Line To See Jesus?”

 Take in the attached photo, listen to the song, and meditate on the Scriptures above; and I think you’ll be asking much the same convicting question that I’m asking myself today on my birthday. And that is, … WHAT AM I GIVING BACK TO JESUS from what He’s given to me for Christmas and for my eternity? … And really, … what am I giving Him for every day of the year into the new year and beyond?

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … You’ve given me everything I am; may I be a living sacrifice, giving You back my all for Christmas and for all time. … 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.

December 7, 2015: Serving Faithfully

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 340  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a poignant video of John Waller singing … As For Me And My House, declaring that we Christians must lay down our idols and commit to serve the Lord.

 
Highlight Passage:   Joshua 24:15 [NKJV] …  
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 
… Joshua’s commitment to God as to the service chosen by his family.
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Highlight Context – Joshua 14: 6-15 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Caleb inherits the high ground for his diligent service to God.
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9:23-24 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Jesus spells out what it takes to follow and serve Him.

Reference Passage #2 - Colossians 3: 17 [NKJV] …  
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 
 … Paul joins in the chorus of exhortation to serve the Lord in ALL we do in word or deed.

Reference Passage #3 - 1st Peter 4: 11 [NKJV] …  
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. 
 … God’s exhortation, thru Peter, as to Christians glorifying God in all that we do.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Keila Ochoa, reminded her readers (me) of the diligence and dedication of what it takes to serve our Lord by telling of a hard working bricklayer in Mexico [see photo]. She writes in today’s ODB, … Madaleno is a bricklayer. From Monday to Thursday he builds walls and repairs roofs. He is quiet, reliable, and hardworking. Then from Friday to Sunday he goes up to the mountains to teach the Word of God. … At age 70, he still works with his hands building houses, but he also works to build the family of God. … His life has been threatened several times. He has slept under the stars and faced death from car accidents and falls. He has been kicked out of towns. But he thinks that God has called him to do what he does, and he serves happily. Believing that people need to know the Lord, he relies on God for the strength he needs. 

And this dedicated Christian bricklayer reminded Ochoa today of the lives of Joshua and Caleb, the two spies which Moses sent to scope out the Promised Land; and we read of their dedication to serving God in the highlight passages from the Book of Joshua above. These two surrendered servants of God were totally committed, whatever the risks, to serve God in whatever capacity the Lord would lead them. They were willing to do what Jesus commanded of His disciples in Luke 9: 23, as well as Paul and Peter, who exhorted Christians to serve God in WHATEVER we do … as in the other two reference passages above.

 What are we going to do today? Will we be laying bricks? Or maybe flipping burgers? Or perhaps you’ll do surgery, or home-school your kids? Or maybe you’ll volunteer to work in a shelter for the homeless or play some pickleball with friends. But WHATEVER we do, as exhorted by God in the lives of Gods’ warriors, Caleb and Joshua, or Jesus’ Apostles, Peter and Paul, … or that Mexican bricklayer, Madaleno, … let’s DO IT ALL for the glory of God.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … yes. may all I do be for You! … 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.

December 6, 2015: Our Gift of Obedience

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 339

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Mark Lowry and the Bill Gaither group, repeating my favorite Christmas song, … Mary Did You Know, which I cited in my blog yesterday, … where Mary is informed of what is to come with the birth of her baby boy, … much as she was when the Angel Gabriel came to her.

Highlight Passage:   Luke 1: 28 [NKJV] …
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 
… The angels declare to the shepherds near Bethlehem, the coming of Messiah.
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Highlight Context – Luke 1: 26-38 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Gabriel’s Christmas surprise for Mary!
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 1:18-25 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… When confronted with the birth of God’s Son to his betrothed, Joseph followed the call of God obediently.

Reference Passage #2 - John 14: 21 [NKJV] …
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 
… He gave us the ultimate Christmas gift on the cross. The gift we give back to Him is to surrender and share His love with others.

Reference Passage #3 - 1st John 2: 5 [NKJV] …
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 
… When we keep His will/ways obediently, we know that He is in us.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Albert Lee, reminded his readers (me) of the ultimate conundrum of Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph; and how their obedience to God’s calling became their Christmas gift back to God. Lee wrote: When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and then to shepherds with good news for the world, was it good news to this teenage girl? Perhaps Mary was thinking: How do I explain my pregnancy to my family? Will my fiancé Joseph call off the betrothal? What will the townspeople say? Even if my life is spared, how will I survive as a mother all alone? … When Joseph learned about Mary’s pregnancy, he was troubled. He had three options. Go ahead with the marriage, divorce her publicly and allow her to be publicly scorned, or break off the engagement quietly. 

But in both instances, … Mary, having a visit from the Angel Gabriel and Joseph, being called out by God’s Spirit in a dream, … these two were in a social dilemma of the highest order. However, they took what God gave them and obediently did exactly what God called of them. And that is the model we must have in this special time of year where we celebrate the gift of our Savior in a manger, … especially when there are so many cultural and commercial temptations to avoid our witness as well as demands of political correctness to shy away from sharing the love of Christ. Just like Mary and Joseph, there are a lot of human reasons to balk from sharing Christ at Christmas.

 But Jesus, Who now resides in our hearts, calls each of us out to be obedient and show His love in us by sharing it with others (see John 14:21 and 1st John 2:5), especially during the Advent Season. If we’re truly Christians that’s the least we can/should do during this special time of year … where we remember what God did to/through the obedience of Mary and Joseph @ the first Christmas.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Jesus!! And let me give You the gift of my obedience this time of year … AND ALWAYS!! … 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.

December 5, 2015: The Read Deal @ Christmas

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 338  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Charles Schultz’s character, Linus, telling his friend, Charlie Brown, and the world, about the essence of Christmas … A Charlie Brown Christmas. And THEN USE THIS LINK to hear my favorite Christmas song, sung by Mark Lowry, Mary, Did You Know, which declares who was really born in that manger Luke wrote about so long ago.

Highlight Passage:   Luke 2:11 [NKJV] …  
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
… The angels declare to the shepherds near Bethlehem, the coming of Messiah.
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Highlight Context – Luke 2: 8-14 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… God’s proclamation of the incarnation.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Prophesied 700+ years before He came in that manger to save you and me.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Davis C McCasland, helped me (and his readers) to recognize and realize the essence of the Advent season by writing about the animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. He wrote: Fifty years ago A Charlie Brown Christmas was first broadcast on American television. Some network executives thought it would be ignored, while others worried that quoting the Bible would offend viewers. Some wanted its creator, Charles Schulz, to omit the Christmas story, but Schulz insisted it stay in. The program was an immediate success and has been rebroadcast every year since 1965.

If you’ve seen the endearing TV presentation, Charlie Brown is searching for the essence of the Christmas season and he comes, in frustration, to his friends who laugh at him. But his insecure little friend, Linus, all of a sudden full of confidence, walks to the stage and gives the monologue Luke wrote in Luke 2 [linked above] about the coming of the Messiah. And Linus then walks over to Charlie Brown and announces, ”That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

And oh how I wish I had grasped the essence of Linus’ truth in 1965, when I was in college, struggling to find spiritual strength in my life. If I had turned to the One born in a manger and seen what Mark Lowry sings to Mary, in the song linked above, I could have saved myself 18 years of agnostic struggle. … Because, it was not until 1983 when, like Charlie Brown, I came to see and recognize that it was my Savior, … MY LORD, … who was born in that manger in Bethlehem, … prophesied by Isaiah over 700+ years before He came to us (see prophesies above).

But now I know the truth of the Luke 2 declaration of the angels; and I could sing to Mary as does Mark Lowry so poignantly, and to everyone … that the little babe, born in a Manger and shown first to those outcast shepherds, was GOD WITH US, … IMMANUEL, … come in a manger to save the world.

So, … as we go through the Advent Season, my fellow Christians, rejoice with the shepherds and as Linus was able to do for Charlie Brown, … to look past all the commercial glitz and see that little child, born in a cave in Bethlehem, … come to save you and me … and to die for our sins.

And as Linus declared to Charlie … That’s what Christmas is all about!!!

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … You were that Babe in a manger; and I’m overwhelmed that You would be born to die for me. … 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.

December 4, 2015: God’s Anti-Anxiety Medicine

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 337  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing their song … All Is Well, declaring the reality of God’s caring grace in the lives of all who trust and wait Him.

 
Highlight Passage:   Psalm 37: 1 [NKJV] …  
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 
… Trust in God, delight ourselves in Him, and commit our ways to His and we need not worry. 
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Highlight Context – Psalm 37:1-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… King David had God’s anti-anxiety prescription.
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Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Solomon, David’s son, adds his emphasis from God as to how we must use our trust in God to lead us and assuage anxiety.

Reference Passage #2 - Isaiah 26:3 [NKJV] … 
3 You will keep him (the believer) in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in you. 
… No need to worry when we hold our focus on and trust in God.

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 4: 6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Another of God’s prescriptions against stress and anxiety.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon, reminded me in his teaching this morning of something which is hotly in the news right now. Just a few days ago, two terrorists opened fire in a crowded office in California and killed some innocent folks; and this has been the pattern for many years now as the media coverage creates waves of anxiety for many people.

 Actually, one might say that a little over a decade ago (see attached photo), Satan and his henchmen took the post-modern world of stress to a much higher, and more debilitating, level when, on the morning of 9-11-01, we were awakened in the USA with the twin-towers of the World Trade Center being felled by terrorists. And since then, over and over again, as this past week, we’ve had occasional horrible reminders that Satan’s world is doing all it can to bring down the trust and confidence mankind has in God’s control.

 But make no mistake, my fellow Christian readers, … GOD IS IN CONTROL!! And if we’re truly surrendered to Him the way we should be, we have HIS assurances, as Phillips, Craig, Dean wrote and sang, … that All Is Well!. Going back as far as King David, God has given us His anti-anxiety prescriptions in His word. Meditating on the Psalm 37 passage above, David sings God’s assurance in the face of fret/worry … IF … we’re surrendered to trust in Him [v. 3], delight ourselves in Him (v. 4), and commit our ways to His (v. 5 - and Ps. 3:5-6), we can expect to rest in His watch care (v. 7). 

However, all too often we let our deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17:9) react to acts of terror by focusing on fear rather than resting in our faith that God is in control. And dear one, He has a plan, which was far more powerful on Calvary than Satan’s terror was on 911. And because of God’s ultimate plan, after the resurrection of Jesus, Satan is on the run and he’s doing all he can [and that’s a lot!!] to tear the faith of Christians away from the truth of God’s love and His redemptive plan.

 So, my friend, today (and always), let’s revert to God’s prescription for anxiety, spelled out clearly by Paul in Philippians 4:6-7; and when/if we feel anxious, let’s unload it on God, praying and resting and trusting in the hope we have in our Lord and Savior.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … no matter what the enemy may perpetrate, I KNOW that you have things under control and there’s no need to worry. … 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.

December 3, 2015: Mocking God - NOT!!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 336

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Sara Groves singing her song … You Cannot Lose My Lose, declaring the reality of God’s love … which cannot be mocked or lost in Christ

Highlight Passage:   Ezekiel 25:6-7 [NKJV] …
6 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, 7 indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; … 
… God’s declaration to a nation who mocked Him.
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Highlight Context – Ezekiel 25:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… God will not be mocked! … Ammon tried it; and paid the price dearly.
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Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 24: 17 [NKJV] … 
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; … 
… God speaks to all of us in this proverb to avoid hoping for and celebrating the downfall of our enemies.

Reference Passage #2 - Matthew 5: 43-48 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …
… Jesus, … on true Kingdom living, which even includes loving one’s enemy.

Reference Passage #3 - Galatians 6:7 [NKJV] … 
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man reaps, that will he also reap. 
… Sow hatred … reap hatred; … sow love … you guessed it … reap LOVE!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, used an OT story involving one of the enemies of the Israelites, the Ammonites, [see Ezekiel 5 passage], who were mocking God, which illustrates a universal truth … that God’s wrath, … nor His love, should EVER be, mocked.

 The Ammonites in the days of Ezekiel boastfully profaned God and His temple; and Ezekiel proclaimed God’s eternal law of reciprocity against them … that one reaps what he sows (see Gal. 6:7. That’s why Solomon warned us (in Prov. 24:7 not to sow prideful arrogance when an enemy stumbles; and Jesus taught us (in Matthew 5) to sow love ALWAYS.

 I’m a sports fan; and I watch a lot of American professional football on TV. And in the football league, there is a rule, called “Excessive Celebration,” whereby a team is penalized if the referees perceive a player mocking the other team, or any opposing player, openly and excessively (as depicted in the attached photo). And it’s one thing to mock an opposing team in a football game and being penalized; but imagine mocking God with our pride in the game of life. Do we expect an all-knowing, all loving God, will ignore us sowing such arrogance in His presence. … NOT!!!

 Hence, He has warned us in His word over and over again, as with the passages copied/linked above, against sowing such arrogance. But all too often, I’ve found myself feeling pridefully glad and wanting to celebrate when someone who has wronged me or a perpetrator of evil is brought down. I find myself wanting to celebrate that “fools” downfall with arrogant mockery.

 Do I sense some empathy here?

 God’s love is for all; and He wants to dispense it liberally to all; but He cannot pour out His love and grace any time we blunt His love with our arrogance and pride. So, how about today we do all we can to sow love by praying for our enemies and avoiding any arrogance which would celebrate the downfall of those who actually hate us. … Tough, yes; … but absolutely essential if we are to be Christ to others in our life.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … as Sara Groves sings in her song linked above, I know Your love is mine and it will always be mine; but help me be in a state of mind to receive Your love by sharing it with others. … 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.

December 2, 2015: God’s Make-over

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 335  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the group Phillips, Craig and Dean singing … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, declaring the reality of what our God will do through His grace to transform any believer into the beauty of His image, no matter how rough we were. … And THEN TO THIS LINK for Crystal Lewis and Ron Kenoly singing Beauty for Ashes declaring how God turns us from the rough hewn ashes of our sinful souls into the beauty of Christlikeness.

Highlight Passage:   1st Thessalonians 5: 23-24 [NKJV] …  
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 
… Paul encouraging Christians that Christ will sanctify us for His return … to bring us to Himself completed in Glory.
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Highlight Context – 1st Thessalonians 5 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Paul’s exhortations for Christians in Asia Minor (and us) to allow God to refine [i.e., sanctify] us completely for His glory.
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Reference Passage #1 - Genesis 50:19-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Joseph shows how God had refined him into a forgiving, merciful dispenser of God’s love to his family and how, over the years his brothers had become repentant of what they had done to Joseph.

Reference Passage #2 - Malachi 3: 17 [NKJV] … 
17 “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of Hosts, … and on the day I make them My jewels (i.e., special treasure), … I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 
… God speaks to His chosen people, thru Malachi, of a day when God will make His chosen ones His own, made over as very precious jewels …

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 1: 6 [NKJV] … 
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; … 
… Paul to beloved Christians in Philippi … encouragement that God’s Spirit will do a work of transformation (and completeness) in all Christians who patiently await His return.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David Roper, used a colorful word picture to illustrate His teaching. He wrote: Early 20th-century residents of Fort Bragg, California, disposed of their trash by throwing it over a cliff and onto a nearby beach. Cans, bottles, tableware, and household garbage accumulated in huge, disgusting piles. Even when residents stopped depositing trash on the beach, it remained an embarrassment—a dump seemingly beyond reclamation. … Over the years, however, wave action broke up the glass and pottery and washed the rubbish out to sea. The pounding surf rolled and tumbled the glass fragments in the sand on the ocean floor, frosting and smoothing the surface and creating gemlike “sea glass,” which it then deposited back onto the beach. The surf created a kaleidoscopic beauty at which visitors to Glass Beach now stare in wonder. [See also the attached photo which shows that transformed and beautiful colored glass. ]

 And then Roper uses this image to remind his readers (me) that God is in the renewal, refinement, and restoration business, … making over those who come to Him as rough-hewn and ugly pieces of glass; … and over the years, with His sanctifying grace, polishing them [us] into beautiful jewels of Christlikeness. Remember what God did with/for Joseph and his brothers (see Genesis 50:20). …

Remember what God’s Prophet Malachi said (see Malachi 3: 17) as to how HE would one day make His chosen ones into precious jewels. … And also remember how the Apostle Paul exhorted persecuted Christians to be patient until the day Christ returns, where He has transformed them (us) into His own - Christlike and completed - image. (see 1st Thess. 5:23-24 and Phil. 1:6).

 Perhaps you recognize, as I did years ago, that you are broken and shattered as the pieces of glass once were at one time on Glass Beach. But if we are truly IN CHRIST, i.e., saved and born-again, [as Phillips, Craig, and Dean sing in the song linked above], God will do whatever it takes through the sands of time to reshape our roughness into the beauty of Christlikeness. We just have to surrender and let God’s transforming grace and the time of our circumstances do that make-over in out lives.

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … Turn me into Your beauty from my ugliness. … 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.

December 1, 2015: What’s In A Name?

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 334

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Marshall Hall leading in worship and singing … There’s Just Something About That Name, declaring the worship of our dear Savior, Who’s Name declares Who is in the lives of all who believe on Him.

Highlight Passage:   Matthew 1: 21 [NKJV] …
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name “Jesus,” for He will save His people from their sins.” 
… The Angel to Joseph in a dream, declaring the meaning of THE Name to be given to Mary’s Son, which was “Yeshua” [i.e., “Jesus” in the Greek], meaning … “God, Who saves!”
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Highlight Context – Matthew 1: 18-25 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …
… His Name was to be called “Jesus” (in the Greek) … “Yeshua” in Hebrew
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 1: 23 [NKJV] … 
[From the Angel] … “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name IMMANUEL,” which is translated God with us."
… Jesus’ other God-given name - which means that God is with (i.e., in the heart) of any believer.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 2: 6-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Paul declares to Christians the very nature of Jesus and His Name now, in heaven, being “LORD,” (or Yahweh).

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David C McCasland, used an observation about names in Africa to illustrate the impact and importance of one’s name. He wrote: According to a New York Times article, children in many African countries are often named after a famous visitor, special event, or circumstance that was meaningful to the parents. When doctors told the parents of one child that they could not cure the infant’s illness and only God knew if he would live, the parents named their child “Godknows.” Another man said he was named “Enough,” because his mother had 13 children and he was to be the last one! There’s a reason for everyone’s name, and in some cases it also conveys a special meaning. 

One’s name, in the NT times of Jesus, was given either to convey hope about a child’s future, or in the case of God naming our Lord, it was God conveying a message to the world about Who was being born to Mary [see the highlight passages above]. God gave Him two distinct names “Jesus,” conveying what was to be the mission of His Son, i.e., to save the world; and also “Immanuel,” which declared Who was entering the world in the virgin, i.e., “God with us!”

 “Jesus” (in the Greek) was not an uncommon Jewish name in the times our Lord walked the earth. It was “Yeshua” in Hebrew, a form also translated “Joshua” into the Greek. And when it was given, as it was with by Joshua’s parents in the OT, it was usually given to declare the hope that that boy would be used by God in His plan of salvation; and this was most certainly the case with Moses’ warrior/leader, Joshua.

 But in the case of our Savior, God gave His Son the name “Yeshua” to declare what was to be the mission of His Son, Who was born of a virgin, walked the earth, showed Himself to the the Son of God, died on a cross, saving all who would believe on “JESUS” as KING/LORD, and then rose from the dead to pronounce His victory over sin/death, and then was reunited with God, His Father in Heaven, and regimen the name “Yahweh” … or “LORD.” [See Phil. 2: 6-11]

 So, today let’s celebrate and worship the NAME above all names … the name of Our LORD and Savior, … King Jesus!!!

My Prayer Today:  Oh, dear Lord, … You are my King, Jesus! … 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.