June 9, 2016: Others Before Self

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 161  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the group NewSong singing, … For Goodness Sake, expressing the essence of Christlikeness and how we should emulate our Lord in all we do for others first.

Highlight Passage:  Philippians 2:3-4 [NKJV] …  
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 
 … JOY = Jesus first … Others Second … You last.
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Highlight Context – Philippians 2:1-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Paul showing others the essence of Christlikeness - putting others first.
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Reference Passage #1 … John 13:1-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus demonstrates His own servanthood and humility

Reference Passage #2 … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …  
6 If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 
… Discipleship defined = putting self after Jesus and others.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, related a story to illustrate his teaching about humility and servanthood today. He wrote: Two men sat down to review their business trip and its results. One said he thought the trip had been worthwhile because some meaningful new relationships had begun through their business contacts. The other said, “Relationships are fine, but selling is what matters most.” 
Obviously they had very different agendas. It is all too easy—whether in business, family, or church—to view others from the perspective of how they can benefit us. We value them for what we can get from them, rather than focusing on how we can serve them in Jesus’s name. 

In the upper room hours before Jesus would die for world, He gave a living illustration of the essence of His Messianic character by washing the feet of His Disciples (see John 13:1-17 linked above). And the Apostle Paul exhorted his fellow Christians (yes, that’s you and me) to take on Christlikeness by putting others before self [see the highlight passage linked above from Philippians 2].

Simple question from today’s ODB entry: Am I putting others before myself? You’ll have to answer that one for yourself; but for me, I’m going to go out and try to do my best to be a disciple of Christ (see Luke 9:23) … today … and everyday.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to be like You and serve others before myself.    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.

June 8, 2016: Dispelling Fear

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 160  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing, … All Is Well, expressing how, no matter what we face, in Christ … ALL IS WELL!!

Highlight Passage:  Philippians 1:21-23 [NKJV] …  
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 
… Living or dying was joy to Paul.
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Highlight Context – Philippians 1:12-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Paul could defeat fear, knowing that living was FOR Christ and dying was to be WITH Christ. 
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Reference Passage #1 … Romans 8:28-31, 37-39 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Why would we fear ANYTHING?

Reference Passage #2 … 2nd Corinthians 5:6-8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… In Christ we NEVER need fear … not even of death!!

Reference Passage #3 … Philippians 4:6-7 [NKJV] …  
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
… If this is true - and it is!! - why would we Christians fear anything?

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Schudt, reminded me with her own personal story (see ODB link below) of a time in my young life which helped me dispel any fear of weather or storms.

When I was a young boy [maybe 4-7], we lived in Indiana sharing a home with an elderly maiden lady. Her name was Maude. And when thunderstorms would traverse through our area of the MidWest back in those days, Maude used to say to me, “Common, Bill, … let’s go out on the swing and watch God’s fireworks.” And we’d go out on our front porch and she would sit in the swing, put my head in her lap, and let me watch the lightning crackle in the heavens (see attach photo) as the thunder rang loudly as well. It was magnificent … even peaceful!! And I never feared those storms being there in Maude’s lap. And to this day, I love to watch the lightning ripple in the heavens during a roaring thunderstorm.

Today’s Scripture references express how Paul came to recognize that there is no reason for us Christians to fear anything in life, … not even life threatening thunderstorms … no NOTHING!!! As Paul expressed it in today’s highlight passage, … “to live is Christ; and to die is gain!” So, why fear? …

But we do, don’t we?

We all too often let our fears get in the way of living for Christ; and as Paul also exhorted in Philippians 4:6-7 all we have to do is take our fearful life circumstances to God in prayer with a humble heart and He will give us His peace to take away our anxieties.

It’s a good plan, isn’t it. Because, since the worst that could happen in fearful circumstances is death, … all that would do is usher us into the presence of the Almighty. So, how about we go onward today and set aside our fears? Let the lightning crackle in the heavens; and enjoy God’s light show.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to live by faith and not by fear.    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.

June 7, 2016: Go Tell It !!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 159  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of an anonymous worship group singing, … Let The Redeemed of the Lord Say So, worshipfully declaring the need of all Christians to go forth and declared the redemption and reformation which has taken place in the lives of all of us who are born again … in and by Christ.

 
Highlight Passage:  Mark 5:19 [NKJV] …  
“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 
… Jesus charges the healed demoniac to go forth and tell of God’s mercy/healing.
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Highlight Context – Mark 5:1-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus heals a demon possessed man and charges him to be a witness to others of God’s mercy and healing grace.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 107:1-2 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …    … Let all who are saved say so!!

Reference Passage #2 - Acts 1:8 [NKJV] …  
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 
… Jesus, at His ascension, charges all who are redeemed to go forth as a witness to the glory of that redemption.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, reminded me with a personal story (see ODB link below) of how my life changed FOREVER at the age of 40 when The Lord redeemed me from my brokenness and sin. And from that moment on, I have take his charge seriously (see Acts 1:8) to go forth and be a witness to His saving and sanctifying grace.

Certainly any born-again Christian reading with me here today who has taken in the linked song, the attached photo from ODB, and the highlight scriptures above, feels the call of God to go forth and tell the story of how Jesus has redeemed us, … how He is reshaping our lives into His own image, … and how the lives of those who don’t know Him will be changed FOREVER if they would just repent and receive His saving grace.

So, fellow Christian, let’s go do what the old Christmas hymn sings and ”Go Tell It On the Mountain that Jesus Christ is Lord!”

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, give me divine appointments, even today, to share Your love and mercy and forgivingness with others.    Amen    

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

June 6, 2016: Broken and Patched for Glory

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 158 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing, … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, worshipfully declaring the reality of God being willing to break us to a place where we can receive His empowering grace.

Highlight Passage: Psalm 119:75 [NKJV] … 
75 … I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 
… But in affliction, too often, we lose our sense of perspective with our God.
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Highlight Context – Psalm 119:71-75 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist yields to God’s judgment, even afflictions, being for his good.
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Reference Passage #1 - Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
… A truth which many Christians find so, so difficult to deal with.

Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul learned that he must accept the afflictions to remain humble and receive God’s empowering grace.

My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Dennis Fisher, tells a personal story to illustrate a difficult truth. . He wrote: During World War II my dad served with the US Army in the South Pacific. During that time Dad rejected any idea of religion, saying, “I don’t need a crutch.” Yet the day came when his attitude toward spiritual things would change forever. Mom had gone into labor with their third child, and my brother and I went to bed with the excitement of soon seeing our new brother or sister. When I got out of bed the next morning, I excitedly asked Dad, “Is it a boy or a girl?” He replied, “It was a little girl but she was born dead.” We began to weep together at our loss. 
For the first time, Dad took his broken heart to Jesus in prayer. At that moment he felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort from God, though his daughter would always be irreplaceable. Soon he began to take an interest in the Bible and continued to pray to the One who was healing his broken heart. His faith grew through the years. He became a strong follower of Jesus—serving Him as a Bible-study teacher and a leader in his church. 

 I don’t know about others reading with me here; but I don’t like pain. Affliction hurts!! And when I hurt, I have a knee-jerk tendency to go to the old “WHY ME, GOD!” attitude. Today I read in Psalm 119:71-75 (see above) from the OBD entry, of one who was able to keep a strong, “YOU’RE IN CONTROL, GOD!” attitude in the face of affliction. Well, to be quite honest … that’s tough, isn’t it?

Even a very mature Apostle, Paul, had to learn that lesson the hard way; and we read in 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10 about God having to allow Paul to go through a very painful “thorn” experience to learn that God’s grace would carry him through any trial or affliction; and he went on to encourage other Christians of this truth via Romans 8:28, which is one of the toughest passages for any of us to handle in life at times.

But handle it, we must; ...  and we need to remain humble to realize that God’s grace truly is sufficient to allow us to deal with the trials and afflictions of life. Perhaps, like me, you need some of that grace today.

My Prayer Today:   O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, give us Your grace to be able to deal with the afflictions of this 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.

June 5, 2016: High and Lifted Up

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 157

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing, … Worthy Is The Lamb, worshipfully declaring how Jesus overcame all the glory of Rome to give mankind all the glory of God in defeat of death and sin.

Highlight Passage:  John 17:3 [NKJV] …
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 
… And Jesus prayer His own prayer before His sacrifice for glory on the cross.
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Highlight Context – John 17:1-5 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus prays that His sacrifice would bring glory to His Father in Heaven.
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Reference Passage #1 - Revelation 5:11-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… All Heaven will worship the Lamb of God, Who was slain for the glory of the Father.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Mart DeHaan, wrote about the history of the greatness and glory which once was Rome. . He wrote: The glory of the Roman Empire offered an expansive backdrop for the birth of Jesus. In 27 bc Rome’s first emperor, Caesar Augustus, ended 200 years of civil war and began to replace rundown neighborhoods with monuments, temples, arenas, and government complexes. According to Roman historian Pliny the Elder, they were “the most beautiful buildings the world has ever seen.” Yet even with her beauty, the Eternal City and its empire had a history of brutality that continued until Rome fell. Thousands of slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and army deserters were crucified on roadside poles as a warning to anyone who dared to defy the power of Rome. 

And what - or rather WHO - was it which ultimately caused the greatness of Rome to crumble. It was The Lamb of God Who was slain on one of those common crosses just out side of Jerusalem by the Roman soldiers. And now, over 2000 years later, Whom do we worship as the Lord and Savior of mankind; … not the greatness of Rome, or any other power on earth, for that matter; … but the worthiness of the Lamb?!

And today, in reading the overture of Jesus’ Priestly prayer [see John 17] … offered up to His Heavenly Father hours before His death on the cross, I read of how His death was about to bring down the glory of Rome and offer up the glory of the Father to mankind.

Oh yes, my dear one, as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings (linked above) … “WORTHY IS THE LAMB!!!” ... And may be worship Him this day for His greatness and glory.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … We come on this Sabbath to worship Your glory. 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.

June 4, 2016: My “Why” For His Glory

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 156

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Steve Green singing, … Find Us Faithful, prayerfully singing of our attempts as Christians to honor our Lord by the faithfulness of our service to Him.

Highlight Passage:  1st Peter 4:10 [NKJV] …
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 
… Peter’s fervent prayer that he and his fellow Christians will glorify God through their purpose in life.
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Highlight Context –1st Peter 4:7-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Peter’s exhortation to fellow Christian to find their purpose in working to glorify our God. 
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He said to them all, … “If anyone is to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” 
…Christ on the essence of being His disciple.

Reference Passage #2 - Ephesians 2:10 [NKJV] …
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 
… Using what God has given us, by His grace, for His glory.

Reference Passage #3 - Colossians 3: 23-24 [NKJV] …
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 
 … Whatever we do, we are to do it for the Lord.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Cindy Hess Kasper, related a personal story to picture her teaching today. . She wrote: On a hot day in western Texas, my niece Vania saw a woman standing by a stoplight and holding up a sign. As she drove closer, she tried to read what the sign said, assuming it was a request for food or money. Instead, she was surprised to see these three words:  “You Have Purpose” 

And when I took in Cindy Kasper’s teaching today and I found the attached photo to illustrate her thoughts, … as well as the song by Steve Green [linked above], I came to realize that even what I’m doing right now, typing my Spirit-driven thoughts today, are attempts to exercise the gifts/talents God has given me to serve Him for His glory.

So, when you have taken in all of what is above, and maybe you’ve gone back to read the ODB devotional for today (by using the link below), I hope you are inspired, as was I, to go out and use your WHY for God’s glory today.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … You gave me these gifts and talents and abilities; … may I use them today for You. Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

June 3, 2016: His Strength Is Perfect

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 155


Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Steven Curtis Chapman singing his lyrics, … His Strength Is Perfect, prayerfully declaring the strength that only god can supply in our times of weakness.

Highlight Passage:  Isaiah 40:31 [NKJV] … 
31 For those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; … they shall mount up with wings like eagles, … they shall run and not be weary, … they shall walk and not faint. 
… Wow; … there are sure times where I can use that strength. … How about you?
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Highlight Context – Isaiah 40:27-31 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… God’s prophet gives God’s promise of strength when we are weak.
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Reference Passage #1 - 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.” 
 …Christ is our overcomer … when we need Him to be.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 4:13 [NKJV] …
13 I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the (HIS) strength. 
… And He has … so, so many times!!!

Reference Passage #3 - 1st Peter 5: 7 [NKJV] …
7 … casting all your care on Him for He cares for you. 
… When we’re weary and burdened, there’s where to go with our cares.



  My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, David McCasland, related a personal story to picture his teaching today. . He wrote: On a beautiful, sunny day, I was walking in a park and feeling very weary in spirit. It wasn’t just one thing weighing me down—it seemed to be everything. When I stopped to sit on a bench [see attached photo], I noticed a small plaque placed there in loving memory of a “devoted husband, father, brother, and friend.” Also on the plaque were [the words from Isa. 40:31 - see above.” 



I think all here can identify and empathize with some time [or times] in our life when we were seriously depleted of strength - down-and-out weary. And that’s where God’s people were when Isaiah tried to give them a pep talk in Isaiah 40 - see linked above. And there are times, when we simply need to have faith that God can give us the strength to overcome our weakness or trials (see John 16:33, Phil. 4:13, and 1st Peter 5: 7).



So often (at least in my case), we have a tendency to think that we have to be ones to carry our load when we’re just too weakened to do so. Maybe you’re there right now. Well, let’s rely on THE ONE Who has the strength to cover our weakness (as Steven Curtis Chapman sings).



My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … It’s a load today; and I need Your help. 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.

June 2, 2016: Help Us, Lord!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 154

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Bebo Norman singing I Will Lift My Eyes, prayerfully crying out to God in a time of need, as we all do when we have trouble knowing what to pray.

Highlight Passage:  Hebrews 4:16 [NKJV] …
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 
… Oh … the confidence to come our God when we are in need.
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Highlight Context – Hebrews 4:14-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… We have a great High Priest in Heaven to Whom we can come when we are in need. 
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 56:3, 116:2, 123:1 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
 … Psalmists who knew to Whom we can turn in need; … a God who will hear us and heed our needs.

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, … I will help you; … I will lift you up with my righteous right hand. 
… This is the One to Whom we pray in times of need.

Reference Passage #3 - Romans 8:26-27 [NKJV] …
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 
 … Even when we don’t know what to pray, we have a paraclete in Heaven Who does and will pray for/with us.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Poh Fang Chia, related a personal story to picture his teaching today. . He wrote: I was so happy for my friend when she told me she was going to be a mum! Together we counted the days until the birth. But when the baby suffered a brain injury during delivery, my heart broke and I didn’t know how to pray. All I knew was Whom I should pray to — my God. … He is our Father, and He hears us when we call. 

Somehow I sense that we’ve all “been there, done that, and have that T-shirt;” don’t we? Maybe not exactly the same scenario; but some time when there was a desperate need; and we may not have even known exactly what or how to pray. But we knew, as Christians, to Whom we could go; … the One Who not only would hear us (see the Psalms above), but the One Who would/could even pray to God, the Father, for us … to lift us up in our time of need (see Is. 41:10 and Romans 8:26-27 above).

Maybe you’re right there right not. If so, let’s pray …

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … My Lord, … There may be some here with me today, who need you in a time of need; and we come to You, … knowing that You not only listen; but Your are there to lift us up.        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.

June 1, 2016: Life is Simple! - NOT!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 153  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Kristyn Getty singing their song Speak O Lord, declaring the desire we all should have as Christians to seek out God’s truth and direction through His word.

 
Highlight Passage:  2nd Chronicles 16:9a [NKJV] …  
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. … 
… Follow God = All is well1 … WELL, … perhaps not!
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Highlight Context – 2nd Chronicles 15-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Asa refused to rely on God and suffered the consequences - along with God’s people. 
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Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… But are we willing to do so?

Reference Passage #2 - Luke 9:23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… As often as I cite this verse, I hope you know it’s truth … and live by it!!

Reference Passage #3 - Romans 8: 28 [NKJV] …  
28 All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purposes. 
… Knowing this, … believing it, … and living it are very different things, aren’t they?

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, cited an Old Testament reference about King Asa to illustrate how we might think God’s ways are simplistic and easy to follow, especially in the Old Testament. The ODB author wrote, … Life seems straightforward in the laws of the Old Testament. Obey God and get blessed. Disobey Him and expect trouble. It’s a satisfying theology. But is it that simple? King Asa’s story seems to fit the pattern. He led his people away from false gods and his kingdom thrived (2 Chron. 15:1–19). Then late in his reign, he depended on himself instead of God (16:2–7) and the rest of his life was marked by war and illness (v. 12). 

Seems straight forward and simple to follow, doesn’t it? Do right by God and all goes well. Mess up; and get messed up. Well … not so fast. What do you do about Job, … who was just an upright guy and loved the Lord; … and WHAMMO?!! And there was Joseph, who really did the right thing in refusing to bed his master’s wife; and … WHAMMO!! And there was Jeremiah, who was a chosen Prophet of God and was totally obedient in carrying God’s message to Judah; … and, you guessed it … WHAMMO!!

So, life is not just a simple “do well and walk in the roses” formula, is it? … No, life can be - and often is - way messy!! And in some respects, it’s like a minefield at times; and as we walk, we don’t always know where the mines are. But as I learned years ago; and now I often teach others: “Would you rather go first - on your own - through the minefield; or would it be better to follow someone who knows were the mines are? … DUH!!! … No brainer, right?

Well, … God has given us the Master mine locator in our Savior and Lord, … King Jesus! … And I don’t know about you, but I plan to do all I can to follow Him - step-by-step - through the minefields for the rest of my life.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … O Lord, shine Your light brightly on my path so I can know where to step 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.

May 31, 2016: Possible Only From Him!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 152  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Brian Littrell singing I Surrender All, declaring the reality of what it takes to be a disciple of Christ.

Highlight Passage:  Mark 10:27 [NKJV] …
  26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” … 27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” 
… In other words … on our own, it is IMPOSSIBLE, to be saved! … OUCH!!!
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Highlight Context – Mark 10:17-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus teaching his Disciples and followers a lesson in how difficult it is to be His disciple. 
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …  
5 Then He said to them all (His followers), … “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
… Jesus on true discipleship.

Reference Passage #2 - Romans 10:8-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, teaches very clearly what it takes to be saved.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Poh Fang Chia, quoted Chinese philosopher, Han Fiezi, with an observation about life. He wrote, … “ Knowing the facts is easy. Knowing how to act based on the facts is difficult.“ 

And in a nutshell, this truth is what Jesus was communicating to His inner disciples and those who were following Him around the countryside as the Lord was teaching about life and especially about being saved. In Mark, Chapter 10 [see link above - and also found in Matthew 19 & Luke 18], we read of Jesus being confronted by a rich young ruler who asked Jesus about what it would take to be saved. The young man related that he had lived his life doing all he could to obey God’s law; but he wanted to know if there was anything more to salvation than obedience to the Law of God. And when Jesus answered, the young man couldn’t take the answer; and he went away saddened [and might I add, likely broken!].

What Jesus told the young man was that he (or we) must be willing to surrender all, as Brian Littrell sings in the song linked above, to be Jesus’ disciple [see also Luke 9:23]. Really God lays out very clearly what it takes to be saved (see Romans 10:81-3); and yes, it’s an impossible task … on our own. But as Jesus related to His disciples/followers, (see Mark 10:27) … “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” 

 And I pray that all who read here with me know that we must depend on God to give us the faith to surrender to Him and receive His free gift of salvation; … and my friend, HE WILL … for ANYONE willing to repent and receive His saving grace! …

 I have; … have you?

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … O Lord, I pray that all who read here have repented to receive Your impossible, but wonderful, free gift of salvation. 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.

May 30, 2016: All Clean!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 151  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing This Is How It Feels To Be Free, declaring the reality that all who are in Christ can feel free and be cleansed of our sin.

Highlight Passage:  Psalm 51:17 [NKJV] …  
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise. 
… David experiencing the freedom which comes from a cleansed and contrite heart.
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Highlight Context – Psalm 51 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… With this prayer/song, David was cleansed of his sin with Bathsheba, … the feeling of freedom that all Saints can experience in Christ.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalm 32:5 [NKJV] …  
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” … and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. 
… King David’s witness of the benefits of having confessed and extolling the forgiveness of God.

Reference Passage #2 - 1st John 1:8-9 [NKJV] …  
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
 … Confession brings cleansing from our sin.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Schuldt, told of a friend visiting a church while on vacation, She wrote, … During my friend Myrna’s travels to another country, she visited a church for worship. She noticed that as people entered the sanctuary they immediately knelt and prayed, facing away from the front of the church. My friend learned that people in that church confessed their sin to God before they began the worship service. 

In this writer’s estimation, that true story seems like a good religious practice. It’s hard - if not impossible - to praise God and/or worship our Lord when there is unresolved/unconfessed sin in our hearts. Certainly King David discovered that during the year he covered up his sin with Bathsheba; and it was not until he came clean - COMPLETELY, as we read in Psalm 51 and then witnessed to others openly about his sin (see Psalm 32) that David was cleansed by God and allowed to walk in freedom from his forgiven sin.

I’m hoping that all who read here with me are in a place where we all can praise our Lord with cleansed and contrite hearts. So, let’s just stop right here and walk into God’s shower of confession and get clean. And then, dear one, … let’s all fly free in the promise of 1st John 1:9 and praise or Lord with clean hearts.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … I come to this place with a clean heart to praise Your Holy Name, dear 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.

May 29, 2016: Free At Last

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 150  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Nichole Nordeman singing her song Finally Free, declaring the reality that all who are in Christ are free from the chains of our sin - FOREVER … and THEN ON TO THIS LINK  to hear Steve Green singing People Need the Lord, expressing the need of all to be freed from the chains of their sin by allowing Christ’s blood to free them … TODAY!

Highlight Passage:  Matthew 10:27-28 [NKJV] …  
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 
 … Jesus on fearing only God.
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Highlight Context – Matthew 10:26-32 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …    … Jesus exhorts believers to fear only God; because man can only kill the body - not the soul.
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Reference Passage #1 - Galatians 5:1 [NKJV] …  
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 
… God’s truth that we can stand fast in the freedom we have in Christ, not being shackled by our sin nature.

Reference Passage #2 - Hebrews 9:27 [NKJV] …  
27 And it is appointed for me to die once; but after this the judgment. 
… We can only die once … so, we need only fear the One Who will judge us.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, wrote of the historical picture of Harriet Tubman, who, during the Civil War, and according to today’s ODB, … found freedom when she slipped over the Maryland state line and out of slavery. She couldn’t remain content, however, knowing so many were still trapped in captivity. So she led more than a dozen rescue missions to free those still in slavery, dismissing the personal danger. “I can’t die but once,” she said. 

Tubman, according to Gustafson, was a human and historical picture of Christ, … Who came to set us free from the bondage of our sin, … humbly and faithfully following His Heavenly Father and fearing no man, … knowing that man could only kill His body, … not His soul.

Fellow reader and Christian, if you’ve heard the two linked songs above, then prayerfully you agree that we indeed are free in Christ and we need to do all we can - even TODAY - to share that freedom with others who desperately need the freedom offered by our Lord.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Let others see the chains of sin which are loosed in my life because of Your blood, 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.

May 28, 2016: He Truly Understands

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 149  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Wayne Watson singing his song Friend of A Wounded Heart, declaring the reality that we have a Savior Who has walked our shoes before He went to the cross to save us. He can - and will - meet us where we are. He truly is the friend of a wounded heart.

Highlight Passage:  Hebrews 2:17-18 [NKJV] …  
17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. 
… Jesus truly is the “fiend of a wounded heart.”
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Highlight Context – Hebrews 2:10-18 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… King Jesus walked in our shoes as the God-man; and He understands all we’re going through; and He has taken all our cares on Himself on the cross.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 53 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… 700+ years before He came, God, thru Isaiah prophesied what The Messiah would go through for us.

Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 2:5-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus emptied Himself of His majesty, though none of His divinity, to take on humanity.

Reference Passage #3 - Hebrews 13:5 [NKJV] …  
5 … He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
… Jesus … always there for us !!!

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, David McCasland, used a personal analogy In today’s ODB entry to illustrate how divinely empathetic our Savior is; and it reminded me of my own days in healthcare for the elderly.

To be able to understand - and maybe even empathize - with our handicapped or aged patients, we young healthcare workers (and doctors, like myself) would - for 24 hours at time - mimic some aspect of handicap or aging. For example, we would go through a day in a wheelchair to simulate physical handicap. Or we’d wear glasses with the lenses covered with vaseline to blur our vision. Or perhaps we’d wear special earplugs to simulate being hearing impaired. And all of this was done so that when we encountered patients with such life impairments, we might understand them better. 

Well, 700 years before The Messiah came, Isaiah prophesied that God Himself would come and suffer humanity to be able to save us from our infirmities as sinners (see Isaiah, Chapter 53). And then after The Messiah had been raised from the dead, The Apostle Paul laid out for us how our Lord laid aside His glory and majesty to humble himself as a man and to ultimately go to the cross to defeat death (see Phil. 2:5-11).

 So, I hope all reading here with me have used the link above to see the video and hear Wayne Watson sing about Jesus, … “The Friend of a Wounded Heart,”. … My friend, He’s the One Who can - and will - take upon Himself our wounds and care for our needs. Perhaps you need such a “FRIEND" today.

Well, if so, … Jesus has been there, … walked in your shoes, … and wears your T-shirt!

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Thank You for understanding and 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.

May 27, 2016: Peace Like A River

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 148  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of a Gaither Homecoming group of friends, singing the old hymnWonderful Peace, declaring the reality the peace offered and given by God’s Spirit when we’re willing/able to receive it from our Lord.

Highlight Passage:  John 14:27 [NKJV] …  
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 
… We can find peace from our Lord … even in the most dyer of circumstances.
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Highlight Context – John 14:16-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus calming His Disciples in the light of His impending death with the promise of His Spirit.
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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. 
… Peace = holding onto and trusting in God.

Reference Passage #2 - Matthew 11:28-38 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus’s promise of peace when we bring our burdens to Him.

Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 4:6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… God’s rebuke of worry or anxiety … and His promise of peace.

Reference Passage #4 - 2nd Timothy 1:7 [NKJV] …  
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 
… A spirit of fear NEVER comes from God. His Spirit gives us His love and His peace!

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Amy Boucher Pye, tells a personal story to illustrate how Christians can jettison fear and in faith capture the peace of God. In today’s ODB entry, she writes: “I’m not surprised you lead retreats,” said an acquaintance in my exercise class. “You have a good aura.” I was jolted but pleased by her comment, because I realized that what she saw as an “aura” in me, I understood to be the peace of Christ. As we follow Jesus, He gives us the peace that transcends understanding (Phil. 4:7) and radiates from within—though we may not even be aware of it. 

Immediately, in reading this today, the question bubbled to my consciousness, asking if others would feel like standing beside the stream depicted in the attached photo when they were in my presence. … I hope so; … because over the years I’ve learned to believe and trust in the truth of the reference Scriptures cited above and to have my heart sing a song like the one linked above with a Gaither gathering singing, “Wonderful Peace.”

In the ODB highlight passage, the author today teaches of Jesus offering His disciples His peace in that Upper Room the night before our Lord was to go to the cross; and even these close Christ followers had trouble receiving the Lord’s peace that night. But later, after His resurrection, they grasped the truth of what Jesus had said that night and they lived their lives as fearless and peace-driven ambassadors of the Gospel.

Prayerfully that is how we are living today; … and how we can - and should - live tomorrow.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Prayerfully, Lord, others see and sense Your peace in my life, flowing in my heart like a peaceful stream. 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.

May 26, 2016: Wayward Sheep

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 147  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean, singing a song I often use to illustrate God’s love in our ODB entries, the song they wrote and performed He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, declaring the reality of a Good Shepherd Who will pursue us with His saving grace until, as wayward sheep, we’re willing to follow Him.

Highlight Passage:  Isaiah 53:6 [NKJV] …  
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; … we have turned everyone to his own way; … and the Lord Has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 
… Our Messiah will give all wayward sheep the opportunity to come back to Him as the Good Shepherd.
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Highlight Context – Isaiah 53:1-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… The prophesy of a Messiah who will save wayward sheep from themselves.
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …  
23  Then He (Jesus) said to the me all [His followers], … “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
… Jesus - on the essence of discipleship.

Reference Passage #2 - Luke 15:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
 … Jesus - the parable of the lost sheep, … which was me!

Reference Passage #3 - John 10:1-30 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus - on being the Good Shepherd … MY Good Shepherd!

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darmani, tells a personal story to illustrate how God’s Children are like wayward sheep, … desperately in need of a Good Shepherd to save them. In today’s ODB entry, he writes: One of my daily chores when I lived with my grandfather in northern Ghana was taking care of sheep. Each morning I took them out to pasture and returned by evening. That was when I first noticed how stubborn sheep can be. Whenever they saw a farm, for instance, their instinct drove them right into it, getting me in trouble with the farmers on a number of occasions. Sometimes when I was tired from the heat and resting under a tree, I observed the sheep dispersing into the bushes and heading for the hills, causing me to chase after them and scratching my skinny legs in the shrubs. I had a hard time directing the animals away from danger and trouble, especially when robbers sometimes raided the field and stole stray sheep. 

Anyone who’s ever been in the role of Pastor, teacher, or even small group or committee chair knows the truth of the highlight passage today from Isaiah 53, especially verse 6, where God’s word, thru the Prophet, likened mankind to sheep, … who are wayward and selfish wanderers. … Common, admit it! … We’re all like that, aren’t we, … at least sometimes?

Well, for 22 years of my younger life, I was a VERY WAYWARD lamb, wandering about as far from the Good Shepherd (see the reference passages above); as one could get, … actually pushing Christianity away as an atheist, rebellious sinner. But as the song relates [linked above], God, our Savior, … our Good Shepherd, … The Messiah, … came after me; and was willing, as the attached photo depicts, to bring me back to His fold.

I pray today, that all who read here are safely in the fold of God’s watch-care; because if you’re not, it’s time to come back home to the Good Shepherd and to follow Him for the rest of your life [see Luke 9:23].

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … O Lord, ... You are my Good Shepherd; and when I hear the lion roar (see 1st Peter 5:8), I follow You to safety.    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.

May 25, 2016: New Life … New Love

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 146

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of blind Christian singer, Gordon Mote, singing the song he wrote for his wife, If They Could See You Through My Eyes, declaring the love he has in seeing his beloved wife through very special “eyes,” … much like God’s love sees all of His children through His omniscient eyes of love.

Highlight Passage:  John 11:25 [NKJV] …
25 Jesus said to her [Martha, concerning her brother, Lazarus], “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. …” 
… Jesus brings life … even to the dead.
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Highlight Context – John 11:14-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus on what remains when He raises a dear one from death.
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Reference Passage #1 - John 12:23-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus to His disciples [esp. verse 24] on how one must die to self in order to be raised by His love into eternal life with Him.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Julie Ackerman Link, used a personal observation about nature to teach on the renewal power of God’s love. In today’s ODB entry, she writes: Through cold, snowy winters, the hope of spring sustains those of us who live in Michigan. May is the month when that hope is rewarded. The transformation is remarkable. Limbs that look lifeless on May 1 turn into branches that wave green leafy greetings by month’s end. Although the change each day is imperceptible, by the end of the month the woods in my yard have changed from gray to green [see attached photo]. 
God has built into creation a cycle of rest and renewal. What looks like death to us is rest to God. And just as rest is preparation for renewal, death is preparation for resurrection. I love watching the woods awaken every spring, for it reminds me that death is a temporary condition and that its purpose is to prepare for new life, a new beginning, for something even better. 

Last year on a summer cruise to Alaska with a group of Christians, my dear wife and I had the opportunity to see/hear Gordon Mote, the very talented, but blind, contemporary Christian artist/song writer as he performed for our group. One of the songs he performed is one which is linked above for your YouTube viewing/hearing; and I pray that you’ll take it in, because he sings about his love for his wife and what he “SEES” in her love for him.

And that song so reminds me of the love God has for His beloved Bride; and how He brings life out of death and beauty out of ugliness, … just as He did with Lazarus [see highlight passage] so that He can spend eternity with His dear ones; - and that’s you and me, beloved!!

So, today, let’s make it a spring day, … alive with God’s love; and let’s do all we can to see the beauty in others and share some of God’s love with them.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Help me today to see others through Your eyes of 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.

May 24, 2016: Calming My Storm

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 145

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing their song, All Is Well, declaring the reality and result of our faith in the God-man, our Messiah, King Jesus … that no matter the storms of life, our Lord is in control.

Highlight Passage:  Mark 4:39 [NKJV] …
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 
… If Jesus is in our boat, why should we be afraid of anything?
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Highlight Context – Mark 4:35-5:1 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… The wind and waves obey Jesus in the boat.
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Reference Passage #1 - Romans 8:28 [NKJV] …
28 And we know that ALL THINGS work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purposes. 
… Yes, ALL THINGS!!!

Reference Passage #2 - 1st Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Paul’s exhortation of our power, thru God’s grace in Christ, to overcome the trials and temptations of this life.

Reference Passage #3 - 1st John 4:4 [NKJV] …
4 … He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 
 … The power we have in Christ to overcome the powers that be in the world.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, C.P. Hia, used the highlight story of Jesus rebuking the winds of a storm in a fishing boat with His disciples to illustrate why we need not fear rough storms in this life. In today’s ODB entry, Hia writes: Though Jesus’ disciples were seasoned fishermen, they were terrified the day a storm threatened to swamp their boat. They were following Jesus instructions. Why was this happening? (Mark 4:35-38). He was with them but He was asleep at the stern of the craft. They learned that day that it is not true that when we do as our Lord says there will be no storms in our lives. Yet because He was with them, they also learned that storms don’t stop us from getting to where our Lord wants us to go (5:1). 

Once again I use a photo of a painting which hangs in our living room, … a depiction of Jesus calming the storm in the Mark 4 story. If you look closely in the attached photo, you can see my reflection taking the picture of this powerful Dave McGraw painting, which depicts an even more powerful story of Jesus showing His inner disciples how He was God, … even having control of the wind/waves in that little boat.

 And my friend, that’s the power that we have in our boat of life, isn’t it? But aren’t we, so often, like the disciples, having little faith, and not recognizing that we actually have the power of God in our life boat to deal with the waves of fear resulting from life’s storms (see the reference passages above).

How about it, my friend? … Let’s just give Jesus the reign of our boat today; and let Him calm the waves which rage in our life.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … I beg You, Lord. … Forgive my unbelief; … calm my storm of fear.     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.

May 23, 2016: My Redeemer Lives!!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 144  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Nicole C Mullen singing her song My Redeemer Lives, declaring her deep gratitude and love for The Redeemer of her sinful life.

Highlight Passage:  Ruth 2: 10 [NKJV] …  
10 So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him [Boaz], “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 
 … Ruth knew her status was not worthy of the grace shared by Boaz; and her attitude of gratitude was shared openly and honestly with her benefactor.
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Highlight Context – Ruth 2:1-13 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Ruth was so grateful for the gracious treatment of Boaz.
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Reference Passage #1 - Psalms 91:3-4 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … 
… The Psalmist’s attitude of gratitude for The Lord, our Redeemer and Deliverer

Reference Passage #2 - Romans 5: 8 [NKJV] …  
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
… We are so undeserving of His love … yet He has granted to us His redeeming love - FOREVER.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Keila Ochoa, used the highlight story of Ruth’s grateful attitude to her “kinsman redeemer,” Boaz to illustrate what should be our gratefulness to our God. In today’s ODB entry, Ochoa writes: Ruth was a foreigner. She was a widow. She was poor. In many parts of the world today she would be considered a nobody—someone whose future doesn’t hold any hope. However, Ruth found favor in the eyes of a relative of her deceased husband, a rich man and the owner of the fields where she chose to ask for permission to glean grain. In response to his kindness, Ruth asked, “What have I done to deserve such kindness? . . . I am only a foreigner” (Ruth 2:10). 

And given our evil hearts (see Jer. 17:9) and sinful nature (see Rom. 3:23), should not Ruth’s attitude toward her kinsman redeemer be mirrored in ours toward our Redeemer and Lord, … the One Who was willing to (and did) die as the Lamb of God for the atonement of our sin.

 If you’ve taken in the song, linked above, and today’s ODB story, … as well as my added reference passages above, … I pray that we all share Ruth’s attitude of gratitude for what our Redeemer, Jesus, did - though we didn’t deserve His favor - to take away our sins. Can I get a witness of gratitude here as you read this, joining me in a hardy PRAISE THE LORD?!!!

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for Your redeeming 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.

May 22, 2016: Staying the Course

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 143  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the Sara Groves singing her song Eyes On The Prize, declaring the desire which all Christians share, to stay on the course of our service to Christ.

Highlight Passage:  Philippians 3: 13-14 [NKJV] …  
3 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 
… Reveals Paul’s focus to stay the course of His calling for Christ.
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Highlight Context – Philippians 3:12-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Paul declares his desire to keep his eye on the prize of his quest to serve His Lord. 
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Reference Passage #1 - 2nd Corinthians 11:22-33 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … 
… What Paul went through to stay the course of His calling in Christ.

Reference Passage #2 - Ephesians 4:1 [NKJV] …  
1, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, … 
… Paul’s exhortation for ALL born-again Christians to walk worthy of their calling in Christ.

Reference Passage #3 - 2nd Timothy 4:6-7 [NKJV] …  
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 
… Paul declares his resolve in staying the course for Christ.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Dave Roper, uses an entertainment analogy to illustrate his teaching. In today’s ODB entry, Roper writes: I like Reepicheep, C. S. Lewis’ tough little talking mouse in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Determined to reach the “utter East” and join the great lion Aslan [symbolic of Christ], Reepicheep declares his resolve [see attached photo]: “While I may, I sail East in Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I row East in my coracle [small boat]. When that sinks, I shall paddle East with my four paws. Then, when I can swim no longer, if I have not yet reached Aslan’s Country, there shall I sink with my nose to the sunrise.” 

The Apostle Paul was a “Reepicheep” figure, wasn’t he? Called by Jesus Himself to serve Christ by evangelizing the Gentiles of his day, Paul, traveled the known world and went through almost unimaginable trials (see 2Cor. 11:22-33), always keeping His eyes on the prize of his hope in Christ (see Phil. 3:13-14), calling other Christians to walk the worthy walk of faith (see Eph. 4:1), and staying the course to the end (see 2Tim. 4:6-7).

And after meditating on the imagery and reality of today’s ODB entry, I don’t know about any other reader here with me today, but I’m convicted that I need to do more to serve my Lord … today and most certainly, … tomorrow!

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, … Help me to keep my eyes on the prize which will come from my calling to serve You, my 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.

May 21, 2016: A Reservation in Glory

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 142  

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the Southern Gospel Group, The Hoppers, singing The New Jerusalem, declaring the desire which all Christians share, to one day go to God’s City of Love, … The New Jerusalem.

 
Highlight Passage:  Revelation 21:3-4 [NKJV] …  
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 
… What a hope in glory … and I have a reservation!!! … HALLELUJAH!!!
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Highlight Context – Revelation 21:1-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… The beloved Apostle John reveals God’s vision of the New Jerusalem, reserved for all of God’s chosen Saints.
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Reference Passage #1 - John 14:1-4 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …  
… Jesus tells His disciples where they will join Him in glory.

Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Corinthians 5:7-8 [NKJV] …  
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 
 … And one day I’ll be absent in my boy; but present with my Lord.

My Journal for Today:  … Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, uses an earthly city, Savannah, GA, to illustrate the New Jerusalem, which awaits all born-again believers. Today Crowder writes: James Oglethorpe (1696–1785) was a British general and member of Parliament who had a vision for a great city. Charged with settling the state of Georgia in North America, he planned the city of Savannah according to that vision. He designed a series of squares, each having a green space and designated areas for churches and shops, with the rest reserved for housing. The visionary thinking of Oglethorpe is seen today [see attached photo] in a beautiful, well-organized city that is considered a jewel of the American South. 

Then, Crowder turned to the Apostle John’s vision and description of the “City of Love,” the New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21 [see above]. And I don’t know about others who read here; but reading that glorious narrative as well as Jesus’ promise to any/all of His disciples in John 14:1-4, almost gives me chill bumps of anticipation; … because I have a reservation in that City of Glory either when Jesus comes back … or I join Him after my death [see 2 Cor. 5:8].

What about you? Do you have your reservation to spend eternity with our Lord in the New Jerusalem? I pray so.

My Prayer Today:  O, Heavenly Father, …  I pray that all reading here have a faith reservation to join You when you bring down the New Jerusalem.  Come soon, Lord Jesus!!     Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.