December 12, 2022 … Bells of Hope …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 346 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of the group Casting Crowns singing … I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day< … poignantly singing the Longfellow poem about the hope of Christmas which rings in the hearts of those who trust in Christ’s saving grace. 

==============        

Highlight Passage: … Psalm 43:5 [NLT] …  

5 Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again - My Savior and my God.   

… The Psalmist declares that he puts His hope in our God in times of trial or trouble. (See also Psalm 42:11)                                                                          

Highlight Passage (Context): … Psalm 43 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… The Psalmist sings of the hope we have when we put our trust in God.                                     

===============                                                                     .                                                                                       

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 40:31 [NLT] … 

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.. 

…  God, thru Isaiah, promises His strength to those who put their hope and trust in The LORD.        

Reference Passage: … Romans 15:13 [NLT] … 

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

…  The Apostle Paul expresses his hope and prayer for all fellow Christians who put their trust in the LORD and the power we get from His Spirit.  

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 1:18-19 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  The Apostle Paul prays for fellow Christians to find the hope and strength that he had found by trusting in Christ, … the hope all true believers in Christ experience.

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 1:13 [NLT] … 

13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.. 

…  Peter calls fellow Christians, especially those who are being persecuted, to prepare our minds and hearts for the hope we have in the second coming of Christ for His church.    ,

                                                                             

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder … AT THIS LINK …   tells of the poem, written by Longfellow, entitled “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day,” which is a poetic lament which evolves into a song of joy, expressing the hope we have in times of trouble thru our faith and trust in the Christ Child, … our Lord and Savior, Jesus.                     

My readers can hear a modern arrangement of that Longfellow poem in the linked song, performed by Casting Crowns; and I call on all my readers to meditate on the Scriptures above and take in the joy we can - AND WILL - have when we reflect on the hope we have by trusting in and following our Lord and Savior.  And oh how I pray, during this Advent season, that you all hold on to the hope we have in the second coming of Christ … maybe even today!!!           

My THANKFULNESS:.. Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for the joy You give to all of us who hold on to the hope of Your coming again to take Your Bride home to be with You.            

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to reflect on the hope we have that You may even come for us today, 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 11, 2022 … Clinging To God’s Love …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 345 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of the group Sovereign Grace singing … Cling to Christ … powerfully singing about how in our humanity we Christians must cling to Christ and share that love with others. 

==============        

Highlight Passage: …Romans 12:9 [NLT] …  

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.   

… Paul charges fellow Christians to cling tightly to God’s love and share it with others by the way we live.                                                                        

Highlight Passage (Context): … Romans 12:9-13 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul teaches and exhorts fellow Christians to cling tightly to God’s love and His goodness      

===============                                                                     .                                                                                       

Reference Passage: … Matthew 22:38-39 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus declares, from God’s truth in Deut. 6:5, just how far we must go to share God’s love with others.   

Reference Passage: … Matthew 13:12-17 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus demonstrates how far we must go to share the Love of God to others by washing the feet of His Disciples.   

Reference Passage: … Romans 8:38 [NLT] … 

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

…  The Apostle Paul teaches just how far God’s love goes in the life of a born-again Christians so that we can carry that love to plant it in the hearts of others. 

Reference Passage: … Philippians 2:3-5 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

…  Paul shows fellow Christians that we take on the attitude of Christ when we share persistently, His love by setting aside ourselves to help others.    ,

                                                                             

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Katara Patton … AT THIS LINK …  tells of walking thru a field to get from their car to their house, often picking up cockleburs (see photo), … those clingy seeds which attach themselves to clothing so that the seeds can travel to disperse themselves to other fertile soils.                 

It’s a pertinent life picture of how - and why - God’s Spirit attaches His love to the hearts of  born-again believers so that we can carry his seeds of love to others.  And the linked song sings, and the Scriptures above teach, that we must cling ourselves to God’s love in order to carry that love to others.  Will you join me today to do what we can to carry God’s clinging love to those who need it?          

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for Your clinging love which attaches to me to carry it to others.           

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to carry Your clinging love, Lord, to plant it deep in the lives of 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 10, 2022 … God Is Our Rock …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 344 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Paul Baloche singing … God My Rock … powerfully singing about how God is our rock, … our security, … in times of trial or trouble.   

==============        

Highlight Passage… 2Samuel 22:2 [NLT] …  

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; …    

… David sings of God being his [our our] security and deliverer in times of trial or trouble.                                                                          

Highlight Passage (Context): … 2Samuel 22:1-7 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… King David’s song (see also Plasm 18) about God being the king’s strength and security when he was pursued by his enemies, including Saul.                                                                    

===============                                                                     .                                                                                    

Reference Passage: … Psalm 61:1-3 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Once King David prays his song to honor God as his (and our) deliverer and our rock of safety in times of trouble. 

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

…  God, thru Solomon, calls on believers to trust COMPLETELY in the Lord and not on our own understanding in times of trial. 

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am Your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

…  God’s promise, thru Isaiah, that HE, the Lord, will provide us with His strength in times of trial or trouble. 

Reference Passage: … Matthew 11:28-20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus calls on us Christian to yoke our weakness to His strength when we feel weak. 

Reference Passage: … Matthew 21:42 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, declaring, to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, that HE was the cornerstone on which God’s kingdom was to be built.    

                                                                             

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Dave Brannon … AT THIS LINK …   tells of seeing children at play in the hallway of a school gym, during a basketball game, run to their parents for security when a fire alarm sounded, showing how the children naturally sought after their security in those they knew would protect them.                 

Is that what we do when we feel insecure or threatened?  Do we, like King David in the highlight passage, reflexively turn to our God, who is THE ONE Who can - and will - provide us with the strength we need in times of trial or trouble (see Reference Scriptures above)?  Is our Lord our ROCK, providing us with our stability and deliverance, when the world shakes beneath our feet (hear the linked song)?    

I pray so for all of us.          

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for Your stability and strength as the world shakes and crumbles all around us.             

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to trust in You, Lord, to be our strength when we tremble in our weakness.    …  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, 2022 … Sharing the Load …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 343 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... </b> … Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of blind Christian Performer, Gordon Mote, singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing about how we Christians can rely on God’s strength, often thru fellow Christians, being there to lift us up when our own strength is gone.   

==============        

Highlight Passage: … Galatians 6:2 [NKJV] …  

2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.    

… Paul shows fellow Christians (and us) that reaching out to help lift the burdens of others fulfills Christ’s law of love.                                                                           

Highlight Passage (Context): … Galatians 6:1-10 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul teaches God’s truth about helping to carry the burdens of others.                                      

===============                                                                     .                                                                                       

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am Your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

…  God’s promise, thru Isaiah, that the Lord will provide us with His strength when we are weak. 

Reference Passage: … Matthew 11:28-20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus models His helping Spirit by inviting any/all believers to yoke our weakness to His strength so that we can help others with their burdens.  

Reference Passage: … Luke 10:30-37 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Jesus uses the parable of the “Good Samaritan” to show His disciples (and us) how we believers should help others who are burdened or weak.   

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 9:8 [NLT] … 

8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 

…  God’s promise, thru Paul, to fellow Christians that God will provide the strength to help others.   

Reference Passage: …Philippians 2:3-5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to take on the attitude of Christ by being willing to humble ourselves and help others with Christlike compassion.      

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Karen Pimpo … AT THIS LINK …   tells of a number of Christian women, all carrying heavy personal burdens, coming together to share their burdens by vulnerable sharing and praying for one another.               

And if my fellow Christian readers have taken in the linked song, performed BTW by a blind Christian artist, and then you’ve meditated on the Scriptures above, .. I pray we’re all convicted to do all we can - today and tomorrow - to reach out to do what is depicted in the attached photo; and that is to exercise Christlike compassion by lending our strength to lift others up who are carrying heavy loads in life.          

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for Your empowering grace which allows me to help others who’re carrying extra loads today.            

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to do all we can, Lord, to use Your enabling grace to help others lift their burdens 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 8, 2022 … Sharing the Left-overs …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 342 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Michael W Smith singing … I Will Carry You … poignantly singing about how we Christians can rely on God to carry us when we don’t have the strength.  

Ruth gleaning from God's grace thru Boaz ... 

==============        

Highlight Passage: … Ruth 2:12  [NKJV] …  

12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”   

… Ruth prays to God her thankfulness for Boaz’s provision and grace.                                                                          

Highlight Passage (Context): … Ruth 2:1-20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God shows His loving provision thru Boaz providing for Ruth and her family from the gleaning of Boaz’s barley field.                                                                                                                       

===============                                                                     .                                                                        

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

…  Solomon shows that God will lead and provide for believers who humbly and patiently trust The Lord…  ALWAYS …,  leaning not on our own human understanding but on God’s love, mercy, and His provisions.                  

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 

10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am Your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

…  God’s promise, thru Isaiah, that the Lord will provide us with His strength when we are weak. 

Reference Passage: … Matthew 6:33 [NLT] … 

33 Seek the Kingdom of God ABOVE ALL ELSE, and live righteously, and He (the LORD) will provide everything you need.   

…  Jesus teaches His followers that we must seek God’s provision by being willing to help provide for those in need.    

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 9:8 [NLT] … 

8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 

…  God’s promise, thru Paul, to fellow Christians that God will provide for all their (our) needs.  

Reference Passage: …Philippians 4:19 [NLT] … 

19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 

…  From personal experience, God assures fellow Christians that The Lord will provide all their (our) needs thru and in our relationship with Christ.     

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Elisa Morgan … AT THIS LINK …   tells of Maria, a young lady taking in a fast-food lunch in a park and noticing a homeless and hungry man several tables in the distance.   And Maria, remembering the Bible story of Boaz providing for Ruth (see photo), decided to leave her left-overs for the hungry man to be fed.               

And immediately this ODB entry led me - and maybe you too - to think of what I [we] might be able to do, especially in this Advent Season, to follow God’s truth (in the Scriptures above) and do what I [or we] can to share God’s provision with others;  … yes,  maybe even today.        

My THANKFULNESS ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for reminding me today of what You, Lord, have given me in time, talents, and treasures that I can share with others.           

<b><u>My Prayer Today</u>:</b> Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to be willing to share the left-overs from our lives, Lord, with others in need.     …  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, 2022 … God’s Caring Pursuit …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 341 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... </b> …Please take the time to take in song and lyrics of Fernando Ortega singing … The Good Shepherd … poignantly singing about how our Lord is our Good Shepherd, eternally pursuing His beloved flock. 

Our Good Shepherd pursues His lost lambs ... 

 

==============        

Highlight Passage: … Psalm 23:6  [NKJV] …  

6 Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  

… David sings of his confident trust that his LORD will lovingly come after him all the days of his life.                                                                         

Highlight Passage (Context): … Psalms 23 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… King David sings of His Lord as The Good Shepherd who doggedly pursues him with the caring heart that a shepherd has for his sheep.                                                                               

===============                                                                     .                                                                        

Reference Passage: … Psalm 139:7-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

…  King David sings to assure fellow believers that there is no where we can go to escape God’s loving pursuit of His beloved chosen ones.

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 but on God’s love and mercy.                  

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 40:11 [NLT] … 

11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. 

…  The Prophet Isaiah compares God’s loving care for His children to the loving care of a shepherd for his sheep. 

Reference Passage: … Matthew 9:36 [NLT] … 

36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

…  Matthew shows how much compassion Jesus had for those who were following Him, . comparing that love and care to a shepherd’s care of his flock of sheep.  

Reference Passage: … John 10:11-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK .... 

…  Jesus compares Himself to a “good shepherd” who cares for his flock of sheep to the point of dying for them if necessary.      

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, John Blase … AT THIS LINK …   tells of seeing a man fall and drop a lot of packages the man was holding, including his wallet, which the author retrieved but had to run to pursue the man who had lost the wallet.               

And the ODB author used that story to illustrate how God’s love pursues the lost, … often in God’s word (see Scriptures above), comparing that faithful pursuit to the love of a shepherd for his sheep.  And oh how yours truly identifies with that analogy, because God pursued me - as a Good Shepherd - for over two decades of my youth, when I was like a wayward lamb, declaring my denial of God as angry atheist to anyone who would hear me.  

But God’s love doggedly pursued me, until finally I could not deny His faithfulness and mercy anymore; and I finally relented to my Lord’s pursuit and surrendered my life to him over 40 years ago.  And I will follow my “Good Shepherd” for the rest of my life, … just as David declared he would in Psalm 23 (see above).  And … oh how I pray you know and follow our Good Shepherd as well.      

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for lovingly and faithfully pursuing me … even today!          

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to surrender to Your loving Shepherd’s pursuit, 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.