January 12, 2016: Hold On!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 12  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Sara Groves singing her song … It Might Be Hope, where she sings of the hope we hold onto in Christ despite the realities of our live in this world.

 
Highlight Passage:   Revelation 3:11 [NKJV] …  
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 
… Can you get your mind around that truth? I don’t know that I ever will; but I’m so, so grateful for it.
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Highlight Context – Revelation 3: 7-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Jesus writes to His beloved Church (in Philadelphia) to hold on until He comes for them. 
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Reference Passage #1 … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Holding on to God’s promises, trusting in Him … no matter what!!

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 have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
… Sometimes when things seem hopeless, we trust that God can help us be overcomers.

Reference Passage #3 … 1st Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… NO TRIAL is too tough if we hold on … WITH GOD’S STRENGTH.

Reference Passage #4 … 2nd Corinthians 12: 9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Allowing His enabling - and empowering - grace to give us the strength to hold on.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David C McCasland, used an interesting word picture to illustrate how we, as Christians, must HOLD ON to the hope we have in Christ. He described how cowboys in a rodeo (see attached photo) must often hold on - for dear life - to the powerful steer they are trying to wrestle to the ground to win the competition. And this in spite of the almost overwhelming strength of the beast with whom they wrestle.

It’s that way with circumstances in life at times, isn’t it? Things just seem overwhelming as we wrestle with the beasts of challenge. But if you’ve taken in and meditated on the truths above and listened to the poignant and powerful song by Sara Groves, I pray that we all realize that when we hold on to the hope we have in Christ, we can be overcomers of any circumstantial beast we’re trying to wrestle into submission.

That’s what Jesus had John write to the Church (in Philadelphia and to us - see highlight passage above). And if we believe it, along with the truth He exhorted Paul to write in 2nd Corinthians 12: 9, we can use God’s enabling/empowering grace to give us the strength to deal with any trial. … That’s my prayer this morning.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Give us the strength of Your grace to wrestle our beast to the ground 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.

January 11, 2016: Really, … Me?!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 11  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Chris Tomlin singing the lyrics to his song … Jesus, He Loves Me, declaring the enigma of all times … that He would die for a sinner such as me.

Highlight Passage:   Romans 5:8 [NKJV] …
  8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
… Can you get your mind around that truth? I don’t know that I ever will; but I’m so, so grateful for it.
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Highlight Context – Romans 5:6-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
 … The ultimate enigma, … at least for me; … that Jesus loved me (or any of us) enough to die for me (us). Go figure?!!!
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Reference Passage #1 … John 3: 16 [NKJV] …  
[Again … You know this one!! … And it’s the big WOW, … isn’t it?]  
… How much did He value me … That He would die to save me?!! … WHEW!!!

Reference Passage #2 … Romans 3:21-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… We all have sinned … yet He still valued me enough to die for me. … WOW!!!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David Roper, taught [see link to ODB for today below] and reminded me of the ultimate enigma in my life … that My Savior, knowing who I was, a sinner who practically spit in His face for many years as an devil’s warrior and avowed atheist, would still go to the cross … FOR ME.

But He did, … just as Chris Tomlin sings above. And today’s highlight passage, from the Apostle

Paul’s letter to the Romans, capture it … for me and for all of us. We (all of us - see Romans 3:23) were sinners. Yet, as Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, Jesus went to the cross anyway, as the Lamb of God, to reconcile me, … yes, ME!!! … to God and make a way for me to be with Him forever. It’s the truth of John 3:16; and it’s for anyone who receives His saving grace. … ANYONE!!

All I can ever feel for that truth is … GO FIGURE?!!! … Because I can’t. But I will be eternally grateful for this truth.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Yes, Lord, You valued me enough to die for me. May my life be my pledge of THANK 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.

January 10, 2016: A Strong Tower

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 10

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Ruth Hanna leading in worship and singing … The Name of the Lord Is A Strong Tower, declaring where our refuge comes … every day … in every circumstance.

Highlight Passage:   Proverbs 18:10 [NKJV] …
3 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; … the righteous run into it and they are safe. 
… Abiding in His word will set you free!!
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Highlight Context – Joshua 20: 1-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Those who love and praise their God, … THE GOD … will draw water from His well of salvation.
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Reference Passage #1 … Psalm 32:7 [NKJV] …
7 You are my hiding place; … You shall preserve me from trouble; … You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. 
… All who’ve made Jesus LORD and Savior by faith can rely on Him as our Hiding place.

Reference Passage #2 … Ezekiel 11: 16 [NKJV] …
16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’ “ 
… God’s promise to His people … the ultimate remnant of faithful who will be saved by their Redeemer and Rescuer, … the Messiah.

Reference Passage #3 … 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 in him. 
… When we hide in Him through our obedience, He covers us with His presence and power and gives us life when we deserve death.

Reference Passage #4 … Romans 3:23, 6:23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… We all need refuge from our sin condition.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, taught today a strong lesson about God as our refuge. He wrote, People today still seek places of refuge, although for a variety of reasons. But as needed as these sanctuaries are, supplying shelter and food, they cannot completely meet the needs of refugees and fugitives. That rest is found only in God. Those who walk with God find true shelter and the safest protection in Him. 

To illustrate this, author Darmani used the Biblical example of cities of refuge which were established by the Levitical order (see Joshua 20:1-9) to protect those who accidentally committed murder … to protect them from the cultural practice of revenge by family and friends. In these cities (see attached photo) the perpetrator could come and find refuge and be safe. And in our sinfulness, … everyday, … we commit the equivalent of spiritual murder, often accidentally in our human condition [i.e., sinfulness]; and we all need a place to go and hide from the natural consequences of our sin [see Psalm 32:7, Prov. 18:10,  and Ezekiel 11:16 all above].

 That place is hiding in and behind Christ; and when our faith takes us there, God, the Father, doesn’t see our sin and He gives us the grace of pardon as we hide in our “city” of refuge, … our Lord and Savior.

 And do I sense what I want to shout for this truth … HALLELUJAH!!!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Yes, Lord, we praise Your Holy Name, where we come everyday to hide behind Your Robes of Righteousness. 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.

January 9, 2016: Wells of Salvation

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 9  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics from Hlengiwe Mhlaba, the South African singer, singing her search for living waters in her song … Let Your Living Waters Flow, with praises to God for His well of salvation.

Highlight Passage:   Psalm 12: 3 [NKJV] …  
3 Therefore with joy you [His beloved remnant] will draw water from the wells of salvation. 
… Abiding in His word will set you free!!
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Highlight Context – Psalm 12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
 … Those who love and praise their God, … THE GOD … will draw water from His well of salvation.
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Reference Passage #1 … Isaiah 11:10-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… God’s promise to Judah that He would save a remnant of believers and gather them back to His resting place in the Promised Land.

Reference Passage #2 … John 4: 9-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus wants to give all who thirst … His living water.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Marvin Williams, wrote of God gathering his parched and starving faithful as He promised through Isaiah in Isaiah, Chapters 11-12 (see above links). Williams wrote, In Isaiah 12, we learn that God wanted His people, who were living in a spiritual desert as well as a geographical desert, to discover His “wells of salvation.” The prophet Isaiah compared God’s salvation to a well from which the most refreshing of all waters can be drawn. After many years of turning their back on God, the nation of Judah was destined for exile as God allowed foreign invaders to conquer the nation, scattering the people. Yet, said the prophet Isaiah, a remnant would eventually return to their homeland as a sign that God was with them (Isa. 11:11-12). 

God promises His faithful remnant, just as Jesus promised the woman at the well in John, Chapter 4, that they (i.e., we Christians) would drink from His well of salvation and never thirst again after righteousness. And I truly believe, seeing thirsty and dying non-believers all around, we are headed toward His living waters, provided in Heaven for all who would drink in faith from His wells in the desert (see attached photo).

That’s why I come here daily, … to drink from His living waters, found in His word and in my solitude of peace with Him. And I pray that you are drinking from these waters every day as well.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … I drink from your word daily and never thirst. 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.

January 8, 2016: No, His way!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 8  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics from Frank Sinatra singing his anthem to egocentricity … My Way, expressing reality of many lives in this world, … living for self … and leading to an eternal separation for God.

Highlight Passage:   John 8:31-32 [NKJV] …  
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 
… Abiding in His word will set you free!!
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Highlight Context – John 8:31-38 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… “The Truth” is a person; and His Name is Jesus! And knowing Him and following Him sets us free from our slave master, sin.
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Reference Passage #1 … Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …
 23 Then He said to them all (Jesus’ followers), “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
… The cost of being His disciple.

Reference Passage #1 … John 14:6 [NKJV] …  
6  Jesus said to him (a confused Thomas), “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “ 
… Jesus is the living truth; and the only way to freedom and The Father is through Him.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Julie Ackerman Link, somewhat painfully reminded me of old excuses we make to keep ourselves as the center of our own universe (see attached photo), … a monument to our own egocentricity. And Frank Sinatra sang the personal anthem to that way of life in his song, linked above, … My Way.

 And when we use excuses in life, as author Link taught today, excuses like, “Everybody’s doing it,” as a teenager, or “It doesn’t hurt anyone else,” when we’re addicted to some sin pattern as adults, we’re saying what Sinatra sings, … to put ourselves at the center of our own universe, with the world revolving around my egocentric place in MY world.

 But Jesus had another idea, didn’t He? And in several of the Gospel messages (but in Luke 9:23 above), He expressed what it took to be His disciple; and His way was exactly opposite to that sung by “The Chairman.”

 And in today’s highlight passage from John 8, our Savior stated clearly Who He is and how following His way is the only way that we’ll ever find happiness and freedom from the slavery of our own sin … and that is to acknowledge Him as The way, THE TRUTH, and The life [see John 14: 6], as He had declared to a doubting Thomas and His Disciples just before He went to the cross.

 I pray, for all Who know Him as Savior and are reading here, that we surrender to THE TRUTH, and walk free from our selves.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You are THE TRUTH. Lead me in Your way, away from my self. I don’t want to do life MY WAY; … but Yours. 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.

January 7, 2016: He Hears!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 7  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of images from Twila Paris singing to her child … God Is All Around Us, expressing the truth behind our faith … that our God is all around us and He listens and knows best for our lives.

Highlight Passage:   Matthew 6:8-9 [NKJV] …  
8 “Therefore do not be like them [the hypocritical Pharisees]. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: … 
… Pray His way; and He hears.
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Highlight Context – Matthew 6:5-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Jesus said to pray … should be enough for Christians, should it not?
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Reference Passage #1 … Psalm 116:1-2 [NKJV] …  
1 I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me; … therefor I will call upon Him as long as I live. 
… Simple paradigm; … He is there; … He hears; … Therefore, I pray.

Reference Passage #2 … John 10:25-30 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… It’s really all a matter of whether we believe Jesus was Who He said He was, isn’t it?

Reference Passage #3 … Hebrews 11:6 [NKJV] …  
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
… The question is ... do we have faith that He is?

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Phillip Yancey, used a clear personal word picture to teach a truth about prayer; and I would suggest that any readers here use the link below (in my Blogger’s Note) to read his teaching.

 However, today’s OBD message, brought me to reinforce something I’ve come to learn, believe, and activate in my life. So, take in these serial questions; and see where you stand.

1 … Do you really believe God is real and believe He’s the omnipotent, omniscient, all sovereign God? [See Hebrews 11:6] 
2 … Do you really believe God bends down to hear you when you pray? [See Psalm 116:1-2] 
3 … Do you really believe, as a disciple of Christ, we should do what Jesus commands us to do? [See Matthew 6:8-9 and John 10:27 ] 

 Now, … my friend, … this really doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a Ph.D. in Theology to understand. If you’ve answered “YES” to all three of those questions above, … as I would expect any born-again Christian to do, … why are we not praying more often and with more intensity?

 I had to deal with the logic of this conundrum as I went into this New Year; and I’m doing all I can to live out a resolution I made for 2016 to make this MY YEAR OF PRAYER. We’ll just have to see, at the end of 2016, whether I seriously believed what I’m teaching here and have implemented what my thoughts imply.

 I’ll leave it to you to deal with this logic in your life … especially if you’ve answered “YES” to those questions. If not, I would seriously wonder about the depth of your relationship with Christ. Email me [ @ billb13@bellsouth.net if you have more ??? or add a comment to my blog.]

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … I know You hear, Lord; and I come to You each day to pray. 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.

January 6, 2016: My Redeemer Lives

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 6  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of images from an anonymous group singing … I Know That My Redeemer Lives, expressing the truth behind our faith … that our Savior and Lord, having died on the cross, now lives to grant me entrance into His glory.

 
Highlight Passage:   2nd Timothy 4: 16a & 17a [NKJV] …  
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; … for the Lord upholds him with His hand. 
 … Imprisoned in Rome and feeling alone.
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Highlight Context – Psalm 37:21-31 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
 … David knew that His Redeemer and Savior was always there to lift him up.
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Reference Passage #1 ... Job 19: 25 [NKJV] …  
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, … and He shall stand at last on the earth. 
… In spite of his maladies and misfortune, Job had faith that His Messiah would one day save him.

Reference Passage #2 ... Isaiah 41: 10 [NKJV] …  
10 Fear not, for I am with you; … be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 
… Isaiah saw the truth of The Messiah seven centuries before He came.

Reference Passage #3 ... John 20:24-29 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus came back to show a doubting Thomas that He was alive … so that Thomas could believe … and so that we could know that He now lives in Heaven to intercede for all believers.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, began with a report of the famous clock, Big Ben, in the Tower of London, which peals, with it’s bells, a refrain from Handel’s Messiah, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, which is a reference to today’s highlight passage from Psalm 37, where King David affirms his belief in a coming Messiah, … a Redeemer/Savior, Who would one day live to save and uplift David and mankind … no matter what our failures might be. 

Job wrote about it even before David (see Job 19:25); and seven centuries before the Christ was born in Bethlehem (as prophesied), the Prophet Isaiah, wrote of a Messiah, going to the cross to die for our sins. And we know that this Messiah returned from the grave to show even a doubting Thomas [see John 20:24-29] that He was risen and alive; … and our Redeemer now lives in heaven to intercede for us and to draw the lost to glory.

 The question is … do we believe that HE LIVES? I do!! … How about you? … Because if you really do believe our Redeemer lives, not needing to touch His scars as did Thomas, … King Jesus has redeemed us from our sins; and we will live with Him forever (knowing the truth and the promise of John 3: 16).

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You live, … even for all who believe and desire to be with You in glory. Praise Your Holy Name!!! 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.

January 5, 2016: Feeling Alone?

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 5  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics from Wayne Watson singing … Friend Of A Wounded Heart, expressing our hearts when we are lonely and feel abandoned … that our friend, Jesus, is always there, the Friend of friends, … the One Who meets us where we are.

 
Highlight Passage:   2nd Timothy 4: 16a & 17a [NKJV] …  
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. 
… 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, … 
 … Imprisoned in Rome and feeling alone.
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Highlight Context – 2nd Timothy 4:9-18 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… The Apostle’s loneliness in prison
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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 make your paths straight. 
… Way true! … But way hard to accept at times we feel lonely.

Reference Passage #2 Hebrews 13:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Repeating from Deut. 31: 6 and Ps. 118:6, the Author of Hebrews exhorts our confidence in a God which we sometimes just don’t understand, especially when we’re feeling lonely.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, took me to the true story of the Apostle Paul in his second imprisonment in Rome, shortly before his death. And we often have a mental picture of Paul being super-strong and always being able to rise above human fears or weaknesses. But as he was writing to his beloved protege, Timothy, in 2Tim. 4:9-18 [linked above], we read how Paul at one time felt abandoned by all of his former disciples; and when he wrote this epistle, as depicted in the attached photo, only Luke was there with Paul in prison; and he obviously longed for the friendship and support of other Christians he knew and loved.

 It’s tough, when we’re feeling lonely or abandoned, to have the faith to remember that Jesus is the Friend we can always count on … the One Who will never abandon us (see Heb. 13:5-6). But Paul (see 2Tim. 4:17) did remember this, likely with Luke’s help, writing to his beloved friend, Timothy, in the face of impending death in prison, how he knew that the Lord stood with Him. Paul, though feeling the pangs of loneliness, remembered that Jesus is ALWAYS as Wayne Watson sings in the linked song above, The Friend of a Wounded Heart.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Thank You for always being my Friend; and what a friend You are!! 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.

January 4, 2016: Are You There, Lord?!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 4  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics from Twila Paris singing … God Is All Around Us, expressing the reality and truth that our God is ALWAYS there, even when He seems distant.

Highlight Passage:   Matthew 27:46 [NKJV] …  
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” [Psalm 22:1] 
… Dying on the cross, Jesus cries out from Psalm 22:1 …
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Highlight Context – Matthew 26:39-42; 27:45-46 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …    … God will never forsake me … but The Father did forsake the Son; … for me!
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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 make your paths straight. 
… Way true! … But way hard to accept at times.

Reference Passage #2 Isaiah 55: 8-9 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… So often we don’t want to hear this; but it’s true … GO KNOWS BEST!!!

Reference Passage #3 Hebrews 13:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Repeating from Deut. 31: 6 and Ps. 118:6, the Author of Hebrews exhorts our confidence in a God we sometimes just don’t understand.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon, asks one of life’s most perplexing questions for the Christian. In the title for today’s devotional, Branon asks, … Is HE Listening? And then further he asks, What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not? 

Yeah, I know, …. “Been there myself!!” It’s hard not to ask the big “WHY” question when you go to God over and over and over with a prayer which, in our minds, would seem to be well within God’s will; but … silence! And it’s so tempting to think, “Is He listening?”

 But, … for all of us who are truly in Christ, the answer, as Twila Paris sings in the loving children’s song (linked above), is “YES,” … God IS listening; … and He knows what is best!” Unfortunately, at times we just can’t understand what our faith tells us … echoed in the truths linked and copied above from God’s word.

 And the question always comes down to … “Do I trust Him?” Do I really believe He knows best and will never forsake me? Well, if you’re in that place today; and you’re feeling “WHY, Lord?” Know that He hears you; and will always do what is best for you. The only One God, the Father, ever forsook was His own Son (see Matthew 26 & 27) on the cross; and He did that so that He would never have to forsake me [or you].

 So, today, … in my faith …, I will choose to believe that my God hears and knows best.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Thank You for hearing and always being there 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.

January 3, 2016: Bless The Lord!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 3

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics from Matt Redman, leading in worship and singing a contemporary version of an old hymn … Bless The Lord, O My Soul, now called “10,000 Reasons,” expressing the thanks of God’s created for their Creator … God, our Lord, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.

Highlight Passage:   Psalm 103:2 [NKJV] …
15 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all His benefits; … 
… How often to we forget His benefits, especially when we’re immersed in the challenges of life. 
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Highlight Context – Psalm 103 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Praise God for all His benefits
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Reference Passage #1 John 3: 16 [NKJV] …
… You know it, … I know it; … let’s praise God for its truth!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David C McCasland, was very straight forward in his teaching this morning … writing as follows, … A recurring difficulty on our journey of life is becoming so focused on what we need at the moment that we forget what we already have. I was reminded of that when our church choir sang a beautiful anthem based on Psalm 103. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (v. 2 NKJV). The Lord is our forgiver, healer, redeemer, provider, satisfier, and renewer (vv. 4-5). How could we forget that? And yet we often do, especially when the events of daily life shift our attention to pressing needs, recurring failures, and circumstances that seem out of control. 

I really don’t need to go on with a lot of my own words, do I; especially if you’ve take the time to hear Matt Redman’s contemporary version of Psalm 103, linked above? It is so, so true that we tend to forget God’s love, … His mercy, … and His grace, … especially when we’re wrapped up in the circumstances, and perhaps the challenges, of life. And in those times, we get our wants and needs so confused, don’t we?

Perhaps, right now, would be a good time to meditate deeply on Psalm 103 and pray thankfully, as David wrote this song, … to remind us of all the benefits God, our Jehovah Jireh, has provided in/for our lives.

So, let’s just stop and praise Him for all His benefits.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … I do so praise Your Holy Name, Lord God, … especially for how you’ve blessed me by Your sacrifice that I may have eternal life. 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.

January 2, 2016: God Answers!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 2  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of images from Twila Paris and Dennis Jernigan singing … On My Knees, written by Jernigan, expressing the need of all Christians to seek answers for life’s questions by using “knee mail.”

Highlight Passage:   Psalm 91:15 [NKJV] …  
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him … 
… Could His call for us to call Him be any clearer!!
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Highlight Context – Psalm 91 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… God will always answer.
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Reference Passage #1 - Jeremiah 33:2-3 [NKJV] …  
2 “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
… The Prophet tells of God answering the prayers of His people.

Reference Passage #2 - Matthew 26:40-41 [NKJV] …  
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 
 … Jesus, knowing the benefits of the watchfulness of His disciples, sees their weakness to join Him in prayer.

Reference Passage #3 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …  
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up His cross daily, and follow Me.” 
 … Jesus call His followers to follow His lead.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Poh Fang Chia, as we move into this New Year uses an illustrative story, … writing as follows, … An ancient legend tells of a monarch who hired weavers to make tapestries and garments for him. The king gave the silk and the patterns to the weavers with the strict instructions to seek his aid immediately if they had any difficulties. One young weaver was happy and successful while the others were always experiencing trouble. When the boy was asked why he was so successful, he said, “Didn’t you notice how often I called for the king?” They replied, “Yes, but he’s very busy, and we thought you were wrong in disturbing him so frequently.” The boy answered, “I just took him at his word, and he was always happy to help me!”

And I got the illustration clearly. In fact, this past week God has been calling me out, here as I come to Him each morning, that I could be getting so much more from Him if I were to be more diligent and watchful in my prayer time with Him. And then, I’m led by a devotional I heard on the radio this week and by today’s ODB entry to the reference of Jeremiah, being instructed to tell God’s people that He would answer them if they came to Him with their questions.

And then the “hooker” … I’m led, by God’s Spirit I believe, to the story of Jesus going into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and coming out to find His Disciples sleeping, … to which He chides them as to why they couldn’t even watch and pray at lease ONE HOUR. And so, from these events, I believe God is leading at least this one disciple (i.e., yours truly) to set aside one hour per week … to be on my knees, seeking God’s direction and guidance for my week.

Therefore, I’ve written a goal [call it a “resolution” if you like] for 2016, … to get up early each Monday morning and go to my knees (see attached photo) and to seek my Lord’s presence and power for that upcoming week. One hour per week to be on my knees is really not that much to ask, is it, especially when I believe it’s God that’s doing the exhorting. No, I feel it’s the least I can be investing in my relationship with God.

Perhaps you’ll join me with this goal. Perhaps not. But it seems that is what God is calling me toward; and from this conviction and direction, I will respond as He called His Disciples in the Garden to pray.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … I hear You calling, … give me the commitment and discipline to follow. … 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.

January 1, 2016: Maybe This Year!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 1  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Gordon Mote singing … Don’t Let Me Miss The Glory, declaring how we should live to prepare for the glory of His coming to retrieve His Bride.

Highlight Passage:   1st Thessalonians 4:17 [NKJV] …  
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 
… How exciting is that for Christians?!! Could this be the year?
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Highlight Context – 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Paul visualizes Jesus’ return for His Bride.
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Reference Passage #1 - John 3: 16 [NKJV] …  
16 [I sure hope we all know this one!] 
… He’s come once to save us. Next … He’s coming to get us.

Reference Passage #2 - Romans 12: 1-2 [NKJV] …  
12 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. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 
… Living sacrifice in anticipation of Christ coming for His Bride, the Church. Maybe today!

Reference Passage #3 - Revelation 19:7-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… The Bride preparing for the wedding feast of the Lamb as her Bridegroom.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Joe Stowell, on this New Year’s Day related a person story about his dad. He wrote, My dad was a pastor, and on the first Sunday of each new year he preached about the return of Christ, often quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4. His point was always the same: “This could be the year that Jesus will return. Are you ready to meet Him?” I’ll never forget hearing that sermon at age 6, thinking, If that’s true, I’m not sure I will be among those He’s coming for. … I felt certain that my parents would be going to heaven, and I wanted to go too. 

Joe Stowell was led by his dad into a saving relationship with Jesus; and now he, along with all the Saints, await Christ’s coming again as the Bridegroom to retrieve His Bride; and it’s an exciting prospect that this very year, 2016, could be that year. But the question is … for all who are in Christ, … are we ready for Him to come? Are we living each year, … each day, … each moment … in anticipation of our Lord descending to take His Bride home to glory?

 And the answer to those questions lies in how we are living in preparation for that imminent return. The Apostle Paul taught, in the 1st Thessalonians 4 passage, linked above, that one day, MAYBE TODAY!, Jesus will come for us. And in preparation for that, Paul also taught that we should live as “living sacrifices,” avoiding worldly influences and living as a sacrifice to the coming Lord. And in Revelation 19, the Apostle John shared a vision of the wedding feast of the Lamb with The Bridegroom, Christ, and His Bride, the Church, … the Bride all adorned in the linens she had prepared for her Groom, which were the righteous acts she had committed, waiting for Jesus to return for His Bride.

 So, are we ready for His coming? If it were today, have we been committed enough to prepare our linens for the Bridegroom? Today will we live as a living sacrifice to honor the coming of our Lord?

I don’t know about you; … but I’m getting ready for Him to come today.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Help me to be ready today if You’ve decided to come 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 31, 2015: He Watches Over Me

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 364  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics of an old hymn, sung by the group Selah, … His Eye Is On The Sparrow, expressing the truth that God’s eye is always on His sparrow … but even more, He watches me … ALWAYS!!!

Highlight Passage:   Matthew 10:29, 31 [NKJV] …  
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. … 
31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 
… God watches over every sparrow … and most certainly He watches me.
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Highlight Context – Matthew 10:27-31 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… If our God loves the sparrow, how much more does He love me?
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Reference Passage #1 - Deuteronomy 31: 8 [NKJV] …  
8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. 
… God will never leave, nor forsake His children (that’s us) !!!

Reference Passage #2 - 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. 
… I trust Him; … He’s watching over me as I follow Him.

Reference Passage #3 - John 3: 16 [NKJV] …
  16 [I sure hope you know this one!] 
… How much does God really love me? … A way big bunch!!!

Reference Passage #4 - 1st Corinthians 2:9-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
 … Whatever we see beyond our selves is from God.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dennis Fisher, uses a worldly scientific analogy to teach about the extent of God’s love for me (and you); and just how much He pursues us to break free from our selves and follow to the Savior. And on this last day of 2015, it’s a good lesson for me to remember how He came after me several decades ago.

In man’s attempt to save the endangered peregrine falcon, scientists attach transmitters to the birds to track their migratory flights [see attached photo]. But even with that, science can’t always know where these fast-flying birds are in the skies. The falcons often avoid detection from the radar tracking as they migrate. They are guided only by God’s imbedded nature.

But I hope all who’re reading with me here, as we move into the new year, know and believe just how much God loves His children [see John 3: 16], … just how much He pursues us [see Deut. 31: 8], … and just how much guidance He gives us from His Spirit to live [see 1st Cor. 2:9-12]. And as Jesus taught, if God loves a small sparrow (or a falcon) so much, … to guide those little creatures flight, … how much more does He love and desire to direct our lives [see Prov. 3: 5-6].?

Hey, dear one! … God’s eye is on the sparrow; and I know He’s watching me [and you] !!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Watch over me, Lord, as I move into the new year. Show me the way; and I’ll follow 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 30, 2015: Coming Soon, … I Pray!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 363  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics of an old country bluegrass song, sung by Ricky Skaggs … This World Is Not My Home, expressing the truth for all Christians that this sojourn on earth, with all it’s trials and struggles, merely prepares us for our real home in heaven where there will no longer be any tears and trials, … only glory with Christ forever.

 
Highlight Passage:   Revelation 21:3-4 [NKJV] …  
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 
 … The Apostle John sees the New Jerusalem, our permanent home in heaven.
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Highlight Context – Revelation 21:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… We’re just passing through this life, as Christians, on the way to the next … to live with our Lord forever.
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 22:38-30 [NKJV] …  
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
… Jesus’ invitation to rest from our worldly burdens, pains, sorrows, and trials.

Reference Passage #2 - John 14: 1-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus told His disciples, just before the cross, that He was preparing a place for them to be with Him in Heaven.

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 3:20-21 [NKJV] …  
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. 
 … Our citizenship is in heaven.

Reference Passage #4 - Revelation 22:20 [NKJV] …  
20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” 
 … Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 
 … Oh yes, … for sure … come soon, Lord Jesus!!!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, teaches about this life and our sojourn on earth as Christians being merely a preparation for our true citizenship in heaven. And if you’ve taken the time to take in the attached photo, the old country song, linked above, and God’s truth/promises from His word, I would hope to sense a strong “AMEN” when we consider what we’re going through in this life and where we’re headed to the New Jerusalem, so gloriously depicted for the Apostle John in his vision of heaven described in Revelation 21:1-7.

Can I hear a resounding “AMEN!!!” … that one day, in glory, we’ll have no more sin to confront, … no more tears of sorrow to experience, … and no more aches and pains of aging?

Can I hear a clarion “HALLELUJAH!!!” … that we’re not permanent citizens of this fallen world, … that we, as Christians, have passports to our permanent home in Beulah Land?

Very personally, when I look around and I see all the sorrows and pain in this world, … when I hear the painful cries of those who struggle mightily with sin or disease, … and when I, myself, feel the pain in this earthy body, … I long for what the Apostle Paul promised, from God [see Phil. 3:20—21 above], … and I’m eagerly waiting (and I am!!) for my Savior to return and take all of His children [me included!!] home to be with Him, FOREVER, in heaven.

And now, as we close out this year, looking forward to the next days on earth in 2016, all I can do is repeat the wishes of the Apostle John, as Jesus promised him the Lord’s return soon in Revelation 22:20, by saying … COME SOON, LORD JESUS!!! 

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … And that is my wish and prayer here 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 29, 2015: God’s “911”

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 362  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a video of images from Twila Paris and Dennis Jernigan singing … On My Knees, written by Jernigan, expressing the need of all Christians to go to our knees in prayer when we are perplexed or vexed about life.

Highlight Passage:   Nehemiah 1: 4 [NKJV] …  
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 
 … Nehemiah, learning of the destruction in Jerusalem, not knowing what to do, … went to God with his concerns.
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Highlight Context – Nehemiah, Chapter 1 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… When this called leader learned about the devastation of the Temple walls in Jerusalem, he immediately went to his knees in prayer, where we all need to go when we’re vexed by life. 
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 26: 3 [NKJV] …  
3 You (Lord) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. 
… If we seek peace in our perplexing world/life, focusing on God is our “911” strategy.

Reference Passage #2 - Matthew 14:11 [NKJV] …  
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 
… Jesus had just fed the multitude and He was about to go out on the water in the storm with His Disciples; so, to re-energize and receive direction, He went to His Father … and if it’s good enough for Jesus, … it’s good enough for us.

Reference Passage #3 - 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 [NKJV] …  
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 
… Our life should be continually connect to God in a “911” attitude of prayer.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Pho Fang Chjia, teaches about “Rejecting Apathy” today in this ODB entry; and to read his pertinent teaching, please use the link in the “Blogger Note” below. However, when the ODB author took his readers to the highlight passage in Chapter One of Nehemiah’s Book, God’s Spirit took me in a slightly, if not related, direction.

 This past week there were many violent storms, even tornadoes, which devastated many homes in our area and took a number of lives. And when we hear about the storm warnings on the TV, one feels humanly powerless before the frightening warnings and ultimately by the reports of damage and devastation.

 And you know, if we feel threatened by some crisis or devastation in our personal lives, what do we do? We call “911,” don’t we? Yeah, … when we need help or emergency assistance, we pick up our smart phones and call the emergency response network @ 911.

 And as I was confronted by the vexing and perplexing violence of those storms last week, and today I read about Nehemiah’s response to the horrible news of the walls in Jerusalem, I realized that this man of God, knew exactly how to activate His “911;” and that is with prayer. And Jesus did it too. In the Matthew 14 passage copied above, our Lord had just fed His thousands of followers and He realized that His disciples needed a further lesson in just Whom they were following.  So, … what did He do? He sent up a “911” to His Father for guidance and refreshment [see verse 23]. … Hey, if it’s good enough for Jesus, shouldn’t the strategy be good enough for us?

 And so, that’s exactly what I did last week when we got reports of the potentially impending storms. And it’s what I did when I learned of the damage which the storms had wrought. As Dennis Jernigan wrote in his song linked above, I was On My Knees, figuratively if not literally, using my personal “911” to God in prayer. And I will go to my knees this morning, praying that we all have the reflexive response to take our lives to God, not just when things become overwhelming … but also about all the little things in our lives as well [see 1st Thess. 5:17].

 God wants to hear it all; … not just the “911” episodes.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Thank You for ALWAYS being there when I need 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 28, 2015: Covered In The Storm

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 361  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of images from Gordon Mote singing … Mercy Walked In, pleading for and receiving the mercy of God to cover the guilt of our sins.

 
Highlight Passage:   Psalm 61:3-4 [NKJV] …  
3 For You have been a shelter for me, … a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; … I will tuts in the shelter of your wings. 
… David trusted in the sheltering mercy of God.
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Highlight Context – Psalm 61 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Written by King David when He needed God’s mercy desperately.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 26: 3 [NKJV] …  
3 You (Lord) will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. 
… In our mind we find refuge and protection in our trusting faith.

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 have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. 
… Jesus' promise of refuge.  …

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, related a word picture to help her readers (me) grasp the sheltering mercy of God. She wrote, Homeless people in Vancouver, British Columbia, have a new way to find nighttime accommodations. A local charity, RainCity Housing, has created specialized benches that convert into temporary shelters. The back of the bench pulls up to create a roof that can shield a person from wind and rain. At night, these sleeping spaces are easy to find because they feature a glow-in-the-dark message that reads: “THIS IS A BEDROOM.” [see attached photo above]

As I write this, the temperature is going much lower here in Memphis, TN; and the rain/wind is coming into our area. And after reading author Schuldt’s description above, I could just imagine how some homeless people in our area would appreciate finding refuge in a bench which converts to a covered shelter. And there are those who feel just as lost and unprotected spiritually in this world; and these folks would be seeking a refuge from the emotional/spiritual storms of life.

 I was one of the latter ones in the early 1980s. I was lost and sought spiritual strength to weather the emotional storms of life. And one morning, on my way to work, I found God’s bench of mercy. There’s not enough time to provide that whole story here; but as the blind singer Gordon Mote sings in today’s linked song, “Mercy Walked In;” … that morning I found refuge in Jesus. It was like being homeless and finding one of those benches in Vancouver, where I could be covered from the storms of life. And that’s why I come here everyday, … to crawl up in God’s truth and be covered by the warmth of His love and His grace. In His word, my mind finds the refuge of His truth; and I can crawl up under the wings of His mercy as did King David in Psalm 61.

 Come on, crawl up next to me here on His bench today.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You give me the cover of Your mercy and love. … 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 27, 2015: White As Snow

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 360  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the Maranatha Singers singing … White As Snow, showing the clean beauty of God’s pure power, cleansing and covering the earth of it’s impurity.

Highlight Passage:   Isaiah 1: 18 [NKJV] …  
18 … Says the Lord, … “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; … 
… He has covered our sins, making them white as snow with the crimson covering of Christ’s blood …
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Highlight Context – Isaiah 1: 18-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… The promise of God of God’s covering of sin with His blood for those who believe on Him and are obedient to His will.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 51: 7 [NKJV] …  
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
… David’s desire to be cleansed of His past sins …

Reference Passage #2 - 1st John 1: 9 [NKJV] …  
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse of all our transgressions. 
… As white as snow …

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon used a teaching word picture for his entry which reminded me of the snow my wife experienced when we lived for a year in Minnesota. It began to snow up there in November and it snowed often, covering the earth in whiteness and beauty (much like the attached photo). It was cold; but it was beautiful, the crystals of white covering over all the dirt and imperfections of the earth.

 It’s an image used in God’s word often to describe the cleansing we can expect from God’s mercy for His obedient remnant, … i.e., the ones who’re willing to surrender themselves in faith to His mercy. He expressed this covering power through Isaiah to a disobedient Judah (see Isaiah 1:18-20 linked above). He promised cleansing to David when the King was willing to confess His sins with Bathsheba (see Psalm 51: 7). And it was the promise of the New Covenant after Christ’s blood on the cross was shed for any who would confess their sinfulness and come to Him in faith (see Romans 10:9-13 on your own and 1st John 1: 9 copied above).

 So, when any faithful and obedient Christian brings the dirtiness of our sin to our Lord in humble confession, it is always God’s willingness to cleanse us, as the Maranatha Singers sing (linked above), and, in doing so, we will be cleansed … AS WHITE AS SNOW.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … cover me with your cleansing whiteness even today, helping me to see and confess my sins. … 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 26, 2015: Amazing Love

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 359  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Brian Littrell singing … I Surrender All, declaring what should be the attitude of all disciples of Christ … the attitude of surrender and love, offered to all in Christ’s Name.

Highlight Passage:   Galatians 4:4-5 [NKJV] …
  4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 
… His greatest gift of love for all mankind …
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Highlight Context – Galatians 4:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Jesus sacrificed all for us so that we could have all in Him.
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Reference Passage #1 - John 13: 1-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus demonstrated His sacrificial love for His disciples on the night before the cross by washing their feet and charging them to have that type of love for all.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 2:3-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… As Christians we are to take on the mind of Christ … that of a love which is willing to give His love for all …

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, used a classic story by O. Henry to illustrate his teaching. He wrote, O. Henry’s classic tale “The Gift of the Magi” tells of Jim and Della, a young married couple who are struggling financially. As Christmas approaches they want to give special gifts to each other, but their lack of money drives them to drastic measures. Jim’s prized possession is a gold watch, while Della’s is her long, beautiful hair. So Jim sells his watch in order to buy combs for Della’s hair, while Della sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. 

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas day; and many reading here may have been comfortably sitting next to a tree, as our family was, exchanging lovely gift and prayerfully giving sacrificially for loved ones as in the O. Henry story. But it all signified - or should have - Christ’s amazing surrender and sacrifice on a cross … His gift of all times … for all mankind.

And I pray this morning that all who come here take on the attitude of surrender expressed in Brian Littrell’s song, linked above. And maybe it caused you - as it did me - to remember the true story of Jesus taking the time to wash the feet of His Disciples in that upper room just hours before he would shed His blood as His ultimate Christmas gift to them [see John, Chapter 13]. And Jesus charged His followers (and that’s you and me too] to have that same kind of grace and love for others in our lives. But do we?

Oh, how I pray all of us will be as Paul charged his beloved readers in Phil. 2:3-5 … i.e., to show the willingness to humble ourselves, as Christ did … and to share the burdens of others. That would be a pretty good resolution for 2016, wouldn’t it?

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Help me to get my mind off of me and to share Your love with others today … and all days. … 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 25, 2015: Fragile Gift

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 358

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of the family group, The Martins, singing … Heaven’s Child, declaring the delivery of a fragile, but all powerful, gift … our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Highlight Passage:   Luke 2: 7 [NKJV] …
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. … Fragile!! Handle with care. … 
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Highlight Context – Luke 2: 1-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …
 … The glorious gift of the Messiah came in such a fragile package.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 9: 6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… The promise of this gift from God seemed to all to be a majestic King … and He was; but His delivery would be in such a fragile package.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 2:6-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… This incredible gift … the little, fragile, baby, Who grow in power and promise to save the world.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Keila Ochoa, used a pertinent word picture to describe God’s gift to mankind … the fragile little baby in a manger, Jesus. She wrote, When we give a fragile gift, we make sure it is marked on the box that contains it. The word fragile is written with big letters because we don’t want anyone to damage what is inside. … God’s gift to us came in the most fragile package: a baby. 

Today is Christmas Day, … the day each year during the Advent Season when we Christians, here in the USA, celebrate that little, fragile gift from God, … that gift, Who was given by God on high, through a young Jewish virgin, to mankind. And the fragile little baby was lain there in a manger with the announcement of His coming by Angels to nearby shepherds. And He was the One Who was later visited by Kings from afar.

 And that special delivery, in the unlikely manger scene we celebrate each year, was the package Whose coming had been prophesied as The Messiah over 700 years before He came, … being sent in such a fragile, gentle package. But it was the most powerful gift delivered to any/all who would believe on Him as the Savior and Lord.

 Please take in a few Christmas moments today, if you’re reading here, to link to the song above, sung by the Martin sisters; and then review the manger scene in Luke, Chapter 2, as well as the prophesy of this special delivery package in Isaiah, Chapter 9. And then pray with me a very personal THANK YOU to God, the Father, for sending His Son as that fragile little baby to save us all.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Thank you, Lord, for coming, … special delivery, … to save all of us Who have received You as Lord and 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 24, 2015: Advent Mystery

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2015 - Day 357  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Francisca Battistelli singing … What Child Is This, declaring what should be our praise for the birth of the greatest mystery of all human time … the birth of King Jesus.

 
Highlight Passage:   1st Timothy 3: 16 [NKJV] …  
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness … 
… And I am the answer to the mystery … He was born and died for me. Go figure!! … 
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Highlight Context – 1st Timothy 3:14-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK  …  
… Jesus is the great mystery of the ages.
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 2:9-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… He was the King, … worshipped by kings.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 2:6-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… This incredible mystery… that God on High would set aside His glory and majesty to become a baby, live among men, die on a cross, and give ME the right join Him in heaven, forever. … Go figure!!!

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, taught his readers (me) using the classic Christmas tale, made into many movies. He wrote, As Charles Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol begins, there is mystery surrounding Ebenezer Scrooge. Why is he so mean-spirited? How did he become so selfish? Then, slowly, as the Christmas spirits marched Scrooge through his own story, things become clearer. We see the influences that changed him from a happy youth into a selfish miser. We observe his isolation and his brokenness. As the mystery is solved, we also glimpse the path to restoration. Concern for others pulls Scrooge from his self-absorbed darkness into a new joy. 

But Dickens’ Christmas mystery pales in comparison to the scope of the greatest true tale of all time, … the truth that God on high was willing to dispense of the glory and majesty of the Godhead to be born in that manger in Bethlehem, … that He would grow and walk among men and show His Godliness, … and that He would allow Himself to be tried unjustly and to die in humiliation on a cross, … fulfilling all the prophesies in the Old Testament and becoming our New Covenant King … so that we could, by our faith in Him, receive His saving grace and gain entry into Heaven.

 Go figure! And join me, this day before Christmas, to celebrate this mystery, which became reality, so that we could join our King in Heaven. And let’s sing praises to our Lord for the answer to the question sung above … “What Child Is this?” …

 He was and is … King Jesus! ...  HALLELUJAH!!!

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … You are my King, dear Lord; and I join others here to celebrate your birth. … 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.