December 6, 2022 … Waiting Patiently …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 340 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of John Waller singing … While I’m Waiting … poignantly and powerfully singing about how we Christians must wait in humble obedience for the Lord’s return.  

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Highlight Passage: … Luke 2:38  [NKJV] …  

38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.  

… Anna, along with Simeon, had waited faithfully in the Temple for all their lives and finally were rewarded by seeing their Messiah.                                                                        

Highlight Passage (Context): … Luke 2:25-38 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Luke relates the story of Simeon and Anna who had waited patiently and faithfully all their lives for Messiah to deliver His chosen people from their oppression.                                             

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Reference Passage: … Psalms 27:14, 62:5 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

…  King David calls on God’s faithful in song, including himself, to wait patiently on God.   

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

…  Solomon shows that believers must humbly and patiently trust God …  ALWAYS …,  leaning not on our own human understanding.    

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 40:30-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  God, thru Isaiah, promises to His faithful believers that He will give them (us) the strength to wait on Him.   

Reference Passage: … Titus 2:12-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Paul charges fellow Christians (and us) to live our lives in obedience to Christ, patiently awaiting His return when the glory of the Lord will be revealed to the faithful.            

Reference Passage: … 1John 3:2 [NLT] … 

2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as he really is. 

…  God’s promise, thru John, to His children (that’s us!) that one day, when the Lord returns, we will be like Him and see Him face-to-face.     

                                                                               

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Patricia Rayon … AT THIS LINK …   tells of a US Mail clerk at Christmas, trying to be positive, greeting an elderly woman by saying, ”Well hello, young lady,” … showing off that he actually valued youth over the woman’s age.              

We live in a youth oriented culture, don’t we?  But in reality, if you’ve taken in the linked song and the Scriptures above, we see that God’s word - i.e., His truth - values those who wait patiently, perhaps all their lives like Simeon and Anna In the highlight passages, to see our Messiah face-to-face.  

Oh how I pray we’re all living our lives - day-by-day - in humble, yet faithful, expectation that our Lord may even return as we live for Him today.    

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for the promise of Your return for Your Bride … maybe even today!!          

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to wait patiently for Your return, Lord.   …  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.

December 5, 2022 … Dependent Daily …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 339 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Matt Maher singing … Lord I Need You … poignantly singing about we Christians need our Lord’s protection and guidance every hour of EVERY day.  

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Highlight Passage: … Matthew 6:11  [NKJV] …  

11 Give us this day our daily bread.    

…Jesus shows believers to pray with dependence on God’s providence DAILY.                                                                      

Highlight Passage (Context): … Matthew 6:6-13 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus teaches his followers how to pray with daily dependence on God’s provision.                 

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Reference Passage: … Psalms 63:1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

1 O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You.  My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. 

…  King David prays to God declaring his absolute dependence on His Lord. 

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

…  Solomon shows believers that believers must trust God ALWAYS and lean not on our own human understanding.    

Reference Passage: … Jeremiah 17:5-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  God, thru Jeremiah, to faithful believers, promises His blessing on those who daily trust in Him; … but curses to those who trust in human strength and understanding. 

Reference Passage: … John 6:47-51 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus refers to Himself as the “Bread of Life,” teaching that anyone who lives on His word will have eternals life.           

Reference Passage: … John 7:38 [NLT] … 

38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 

…  Jesus teaches that all born-again Christians can drink from the rivers of truth which flow from God’s word, … His living waters.     

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Glenn Packiam … AT THIS LINK …   tells of a morning when the author and his wife were sleeping in and their young children decided to prepare breakfast for their mom and dad.  But as one might predict, the parents were awakened by a crash and discovered a large bow of oatmeal was broken as the kids were trying, unsuccessfully, to clean up the oatmeal all over the kitchen floor.            

The ODB story, of course, illustrates the dependence of young children, especially early in their lives, for the guidance and protection of parents, … just as we immature Christian believers are dependent on God’s guidance and provision in our lives.  And that is why we must use Gold’s truth - i.e., His word - as our “bread of life” and our “living waters” as we consume and thrive on God’s truth in life EVERY DAY (see linked song and Scriptures above).

How do you let our Lord be your “Bread of Life” daily?  Personally, you can come back here tomorrow and you’ll find this old warrior coming back for more of God’s “living water” in His word. God’s “bread of life and living waters” keeps me alive DAILY in this dry and thirsty land that we call life (see Psalm 63:1).  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for providing me with the sustenance of life thru Your word.         

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to take in Your “bread of life and living waters” again today, Lord, as You keep us alive with Your truth. .    …  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.

December 4, 2022 … Service With Purpose …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 338 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Kristian Stanfill singing … More Like Jesus … poignantly singing about how Christ came into the world to be our King by serving mankind and how we should do the same in serving Hime.  

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Highlight Passage: … Colossians 3:23  [NLT] …  

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 

…To fellow Christians, Paul calls on us to serve The Lord in all we do.                                                                     

Highlight Passage (Context): … Colossians 3:23-24 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… The Apostle Paul exhorts fellow Christians to serve our Lord by serving others just He did for us.                                                                                                                                                     

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Reference Passage: … Mark 10:41-45 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus teaches His disciples (and us) that to be leaders in the kingdom of God we must be servants [i.e., “slaves”] of others here on earth, just as He was in His time on earth.    

Reference Passage: … John 12:26 [NLT] … 

26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.  

…  Jesus teaches that God, the Father, will honor those who serve Him in this life.   

Reference Passage: … Romans 12:1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,  I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.  

…  Paul calls on all Christians to become living sacrifices of service for the Lord.         

<b><u>Reference Passage </u>: … 1Corinthians 15:58 [NLT] … </b>

<i> 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. </i>

…  Paul teaches that we Christians have been called out to be strong in serving the Lord ALWAYS, because anything we do for the Lord is NEVER useless.    

Reference Passage: … Galatians 5:13 [NLT] … 

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

…  Paul repeats his call to fellow Christians to serve one another in love just as Jesus served us.                                                                     

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread< author, Kimya Loder … AT THIS LINK …   tells of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831–95), the first African-American woman to receive a medical degree; and how she faithfully served the families of former slaves thru all the strong discrimination she predictably encountered.          

And if you’ve taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above, how many of my readers are duly convicted - as am I - that we can - AND SHOULD - be doing more to serve our Lord in all that we’re called to do in life?  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for calling me out to serve You more today and then even more tomorrow.        

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to serve You more, Lord, today by serving others.    …  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.

December 3, 2022 … His Light Shines Brightly …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 337 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman singing … Light of the World … poignantly singing about how Christ came into the world to be the iglight that leads us out of our darkness and into God’s glory of salvation. 

His Light shining at Christmas ... 

  

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Highlight Passage: … Exodus 3:2  [NLT] …  

2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.    

…God calls Moses out by using a burning bush.                                                                     

Highlight Passage (Context): … Exodus 3:1-10 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God calls Moses to His presence and His service by using a burning light.                                

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 119:105 [NLT] … 

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.   

…  God’s word is His light which leads us in life.   

Reference Passage: … Matthew 5:14-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus teaches that His own, ie, those who follow Him, become lights of truth, thru their (our) works,  to lead others to His light of salvation and sanctification.      

Reference Passage: … John 1:5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 

…  Christ is The Light in the darkness of this world, … a light which cannot be turned off, … calling us out of our darkness.        

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 2:9 [NLT] … 

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. 

…  Peter teaches that we Christians have been called out of our darkness by the Light of Christ so that we can become Hi light in a world darkened by sin.   

Reference Passage: … 1John 1:7 [NLT] … 

7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

…  John teaches that when we Christians live in the light of God’s truth, we come out of the darkness of our sin and shine the light of Christ, dispelling the darkness of sin.  

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Lisa M Samra … AT THIS LINK …   tells of being so impressed, seeing real lighted candles on a Christmas tree (see photo) in the author’s youth, …  and later learning what it symbolized being the light of Christ coming into the world to dispel the darkness of sin.        

And the image of God calling mankind out of the darkness of our sin nature, is share in many ways in God’s word, isn’t it; … from Moses being called out by God in a burning bush (see highlight passage) to many other references (in the reference Scriptures above)? 

So, I hope all reading with me will take in the linked song and you/ve mediated on God’s word above as we enter the Advent season with all the lights showing us THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, which calls us out of our own darkness to live in Christ’s light … FOREVER!! 

My THANKFULNESS ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for swinging Your light brightly to lead me to You so many years ago.        

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to shine Your light, Lord, thru the way we live, to lead others to You.    …  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.

December 2, 2022 … More Like Him …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 336 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of  Zach Williams singing … Less Like Me … poignantly and powerfully singing about how real-deal Christians strive everyday to live more like Jesus. 

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Highlight Passage: … !Timothy 4:12b  [NLT] …  

12b … Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity..  

…Paul exhorts Timothy (and really all Christians) to life lives that reflect Christlike living.                                                                   

Highlight Passage (Context): … 1Timothy 4:12-16 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul charges his protege, Timothy, to live live his life as an example of Christlikeness.             

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 139:23-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  King David, recognizing his sinful tendencies/weaknesses, and prays ardently for God to lead him onto God’s path of everlasting life.  

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

…  God, thru Solomon, warns believers to avoid following our own ways in life but to trust God COMPLETELY to lead us in the way we live for Him.      

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

23 Then He said to the crowd, “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 demands of true Christians that they (we) set aside their (our) own way and follow only His ways of living.         

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

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

…  Paul exhorts fellow Christians (and that’s us too) to avoid living lives as the world lives; but rather to think and live like Christ.  

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] …

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

…  The Apostle Paul, who had surrendered himself as a slave to follow Christ as his Master, begs fellow Christians to to do the same and to honor our Lord with the way we live.

                                                                          

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Sheridan Voysey … AT THIS LINK …   tells of the author and his wife moving to a new country as missionaries and being counseled  by a trusted Christian friend to set aside the past and to do their best to be sterling examples of a Christian marriage for others they encounter.       

And that was basically the counsel that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy as a young Christian (see highlight passage), whom Paul had led to Christ and was mentoring him to become a Minister of the Gospel.  And if my readers have taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above, it’s the message that God’s Word calls us toward … to surrender our living to follow Christ and to live less like ourselves and more like our Lord, Jesus.   

So, as the photo asks, What are your values?  And, in personal conviction, … I’m asking myself …  RIGHT NOW …  if I’m willing to live for Christ; … or am I’m living for mySELF?   What about you?

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for calling me out to live more for You, Lord, and less for me.       

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to surrender ourselves to live more for You, Lord, and less for ourselves.    …  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.

December 1, 2022 … A Helping Hand …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 335 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of  Jeremy and Adrienne Camp singing … Whatever May Come … poignantly and powerfully singing about we are lifted up by our Lord ALWAYS, … event in the worst of times.  .  

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Highlight Passage: … Hebrews 3:13  [NLT] …  

13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.  

…We are charged by God’s word to lift each other up <b>EVERYDAY</b> with mutual encouragement.                                                                  

Highlight Passage (Context): … Hebrews 3:7-19 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God’s Spirit, thru the Author of Hebrews, quotes Psalm 95, for God’s chosen to worship the Lord by encouraging one another in the family of God.                                                                   

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 12:25 [NLT] … 

25 Worry weighs a person down; [but] an encouraging word cheers a person up,  

…  Solomon shows the power of words of encouragement to lift others out of their (our) worries. 

Reference Passage: … Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Solomon also shows the power of two or more believers helping one another.        

Reference Passage: … John 14:27 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 

…  Jesus shows His anxious disciples [and us] that He would be leaving them with His peace in times of trouble ahead.        

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 4:29 [NLT] … 

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 

…  Paul strongly exhorts fellow Christians to use our words wisely because of the power of the tongue to encourage or discourage others. 

Reference Passage: … Hebrews 10:24-26 [NLT] … 

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. 

…  God’s word, once again thru the Author of Hebrews, shows that Christians are to come together to encourage one another.   

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Xochitl Dixon… AT THIS LINK …   shows how the ODB author was experiencing a series of setbacks physically and was lifted up by a very positive word on a TV commercial, where she heard a young girl saying, ”You’re a champion”.     

And I would wager (tho I’m not a betting man) that all of my readers can think of a time when an encouraging word, or just the presence of a friend, in a tough time lifted us up with encouragement.  

So, … why don’t we all take the linked song and the Scriptures above - which we know are ALL TRUE - and look for opportunities today to lift someone up with a healing hand or words of encouragement (see photo).                                                         

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for lifting me up and giving me Your strength to help others.       

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to look for an opportunity to lift someone up today as You, Lord, have lifted us up.   …  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.