March 14, 2019 … Abiding In Christ

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 73 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube with images and lyrics from the Sara Groves singing … Abide With Me … poignantly singing of we only find meaning in life when we abide in our relationship with Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 29:35 [NLT] … 35 Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children. 
… Judah became the name his mother recognized and praised her Lord with the name. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 29:31-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Leah first sought significance by having children for her husband, Jacob, but when he didn’t recognize her, on her fourth child, she named him to praise God and that child became the forebears of The Messiah, in the tribe of Judah.
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Reference Passage : … John 15:1-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, as the “Vine of Life,” declares that our lives only have meaning when lived in/for Him.

Reference Passage : …Romans 14:7-8 [NLT] …  7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 
… EVERYTHING we think, say, and do is for our Lord!!

Reference Passage : … Philippians 3:8 [NLT] … 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 
… We only find worth in our relationship with Christ.

Reference Passage : … Colossians 3:15-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… EVERYTHING we are, EVERYTHING we do, finds significance in Christ, who created EVERYTHING for His Father’s glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Peter Chin, uses a word picture of modern social media to illustrate how so many in the current generation do all they can to find their worth thru recognition in social media. The ODB author wrote … In a TV program, young adults posed as high school students to better understand the lives of teenagers. They discovered that social media plays a central role in how teens measure their self-worth [see photo]. One participant observed, “[The students’] self-value is attached to social media—it’s dependent on how many ‘likes’ they get on a photo.” This need for acceptance by others can drive young people to extreme behavior online. 
The longing for being accepted by others has always been there. 

Certainly the latter statement is true, isn’t it? … And the ODB author used the highlight story of how Jacob’s wife tried to please her husband for years by naming her sons to honor him, without any recognition from her husband [see Gen. 29]. Finally, in her fourth child, “Judah,” she named him to praise and honor God with the child’s name, which means “PRASE”; and this child became the ancestor of David and Christ.

And this showed what Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught (see reference passages) … that our ONLY significance and worth in this world comes from an abiding relationship with Christ. So, when we do what is sung in the linked song, … to abide in Christ and to know Him intimately, … we find our meaning for life.

So, I pray that all here with me today will join me to seek our essence for life in building our relationship with King Jesus; and that - MOST CERTAINLY - is why you find me here every morning, doing all I can, thru prayer and my time in God’s word, … getting to know my Lord, Jesus, more intimately.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving me the only REAL meaning for life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and to do all we can to find our meaning for life in our relationship with 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.

March 13, 2019 … Divine Empathy

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 72 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube with images and lyrics from the group The McCraes singing … He Knows My Name … poignantly singing of how our Lord came down to us to know us - even by name - in a way that He could never have without becoming one of us and dying for us on the cross.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 2:9, … 18 [NLT] … 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, He is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 
 … 18 Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested. 
 … And we should make our plans based on the “Master Plan,” … i.e., God’s word. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 2:9-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, for a blink in history (HIS-STORY) became a man so that He could have divine empathy for mankind.
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Reference Passage : …Isaiah 53:6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 6  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.
… God’s prophesy of the Lord coming to become man to be able to take man’s sin upon Him as the Lamb of God.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:5-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God set aside His glory to become one of us, die on a cross, and return to heaven with the Father’s empathetic stamp of glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Estera Escobar, uses an interesting story to illustrate how one Christian decided to build empathy with the homeless and how that connects with how Jesus came from heaven to know us. The ODB author wrote … Keith Wasserman has chosen to be homeless for a few days every year since 1989 in order to grow in love and compassion. “I go to live on the streets to expand my perspective and understanding” of people who have no homes to live in, says Keith, executive director of Good Works, Inc. [see photo] 
I’m wondering whether Keith’s approach to become one with those he’s serving might be a small picture of what Jesus did for us. God Himself, the Creator of the universe, chose to confine Himself to the vulnerable state of a baby, to live as a human, to experience what we all experience, and to ultimately die at the hand of humans so that we can experience a relationship with God. 


I agree with the ODB author that Keith Wasserman’s strategy of temporarily becoming one with the homeless allowed him able to walk “a mile in their shoes,” is about the closest thing we humans may be able to do to see what Jesus did, coming from Heaven to us for a just a blink of HIS-STORY, … setting aside His glory and majesty so that He could add humanity to His divine nature (see Heb. 2:9-18 and Phil 2:5-11). And our Lord did this to be able to walk with us and return to Heaven, reinstated by His Heavenly Father, to be able to help mankind find the heavenly glory that we’d never be able to find without Him [see Is. 53:6].

So, what can we do - even today - to set aside our status - our egos - to reach out and walk with others whom we may be able to help more readily by “walking a mile in their shoes?” It’s a little scary to think about it; but I think we must try; because … what was our Savior willing to do in setting aside His glory for us?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for becoming one of us to be able to truly know us by name.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and to do all we can to set aside self and become more like divine empathy of our 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.

March 12, 2019 … Warning Signs

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 71 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube with song and lyrics from the group Mercy Me singing … Even If … poignantly singing of how we can get bogged down with the circumstances of life; and EVEN IF we encounter such challenges we must keep following God’s ways in life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 16:9 [NLT] … 9  We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. 
… And we should make our plans based on the “Master Plan,” … i.e., God’s word. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 16:1-3, … 9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God thru Solomon redirects us to use God's ways to travel the roads of life.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:9-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s master road map to avoid sin in our lives … i.e, knowing and following God’s truth.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 
… Trusting to follow God’s way in life, no matter where it will lead us.   

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 10:13 [NLT] … 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
… Even if we run into delays or detours in life, God can - AND WILL - show us THE way, … His way!

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:15-16 [NLT] … 15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 
… In these evil days, we need to be careful and proactive in the way we live.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a very common situational word picture which warns us of delays or troubles as we travel the roads of life. The ODB author wrote … Are you kidding me?! I was already late. But the road sign ahead instructed me to adjust my expectations: “Expect Delays,” [see photo] it announced. Traffic was slowing down. 
I had to laugh: I expect things to work on my ideal timeline; I don’t expect road construction. 
On a spiritual level, few of us plan for crises that slow us down or reroute our lives. Yet, if I think about it, I can recall many times when circumstances redirected me—in big ways and small. Delays happen. 

Scripture warns us to plan carefully in life but to expect challenges along the road; because these truly are evil days as Paul warned in Ephesians 15:15-16. And the highlight passage shows us that we can - and should - plan our travels in life; but we certainly should not be surprised if God directs or allows us to hit some delays or detours along that road.

I lead a ministry to help men who’ve gotten bogged down on life’s roads by patterns of habitual sin [USE THIS LINK TO WEBSITE]; and they desire to redirect their lives by following God’s will and HIS ways (see Ps. 119:9-11 and Prov. 3:5-6). So, we attempt to show these disciples that the best way to plan to avoid delays and pitfalls on their road in life is to use God’s word to be our “GPS” (God’s Positioning System) and to expect selfish and worldly delays along our way. And when we internalize God’s GPS, i.e., His word, we can expect far fewer delay signs along our paths.

I pray my readers here are using God’s “GPS” everyday to proactively map out our travel plans in life.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us Your “GPS” to travel our road today and all days.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and to seek our destination today by following Your will and ways from Your word. … 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.

March 11, 2019 … My Eraser

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 70 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube with song and lyrics from Natalie Grant singing … Clean … poignantly singing of how we are restored to Christlike cleanliness when we confess and repent of our dirtiness.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 43:25 [NLT] … 25  “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. 
… God’s promise to blot out and forget the sins of His people.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 43:25, 44:22, 53:6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God thru Isaiah, prophesies of His promise to cleanse the sins of His disobedient and chosen ones of Israel.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 103:12 [NLT] … 12  He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 
… Thru the Messiah God can - and will - remove our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Reference Passage : … Micah 7:19 [NLT] … 19  Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
 … God’s prophesy and promise to cast our sins in the “sea of forgetfulness.”

Reference Passage : … 1 John 1:9 [NLT] … 9 But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL wickedness. 
… Our confession and repentance cleanses us from all our transgressions.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses a story about the invention of the eraser to illustrate how God erases our errors/sins when we repent and receive God’s saving grace. The ODB author wrote … When he invented the pencil eraser [see photo], British engineer Edward Nairne was reaching instead for a piece of bread. Crusts of bread were used then, in 1770, to erase marks on paper. Picking up a piece of latex rubber by mistake, Nairne found it erased his error, leaving rubberized “crumbs” easily swept away by hand. 
With us too the worst errors of our lives can be swept away. It’s the Lord—the Bread of Life—who cleans them with His own life, promising never to remember our sins. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,” says Isaiah 43:25, “and remembers your sins no more.” 

What a wondrous and wonderful promise!! That our Lord can - and will - selectively separate us from our sins, when we repent and confess of our sins, … casting them as far as the east is from the west (see Ps. 103:12); and then even further He will selectively choose to forget our sins [see Micah 7:19] and see only what His Son did on the cross to erase the sins of any/all who repent and confess of our sinful ways.

And I almost always tear up when I hear Natalie Grant’s song, … Clean … because I do remember how dirty I used to be, … how dirty I still can be at times, … in my sin nature. And to think - and KNOW - that my Lord shed His blood so that He could be THE Eraser of my sins, … choosing to cast them in His sea of forgetfulness.

Oh, … do I sense a robust “HALLELUJAH?!!”

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for being my Eraser. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and in a “HALLELUJAH” of praise to our Lord for becoming “The Eraser” of our sins on the cross. … 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.

March 10, 2019 … Rescue Mission: Me!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 69 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube with images and lyrics from Steve Green singing … People Need the Lord … poignantly singing of how we need to be used for Christ’s rescue mission … to save the lives of lost souls in this world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 19:9-10 [NLT] … 9 And Jesus said to [Zaccheaus], “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 
… Jesus’ rescue mission was to seek/save all who would receive His saving grace. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 19:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God teaches, thru Moses, the essence of the Law which is loving others as ourselves. 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:19-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… We are called in to be rescuers in/for the Name of Christ in this world of lost and drowning souls.

Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus loves lost ones so much that He was willing to die to save us.

Reference Passage : … Romans 10:9-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… ANYONE of the lost in the world who is willing to openly repent of sin and receive God’s saving grace will be saved.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] … 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 
… If you’re one of those Jesus has saved, you are a new creation and have a new life in Christ.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, uses a true story about the greatest rescue mission in Coast Guard history to illustrate God’s mission to save lost souls in this world. The ODB author wrote … On February 18, 1952, a massive storm split the SS Pendleton, a tanker ship, into two pieces about ten miles off the Massachusetts coast. More than forty sailors were trapped inside the ship’s sinking stern in the midst of fierce winds and violent waves. 
When word of the disaster reached the Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber took three men on a lifeboat to try to save the stranded crew against nearly impossible odds—and brought thirty-two of the seemingly doomed sailors to safety [see photo]. Their courageous feat was deemed one of the greatest rescues in United States Coast Guard history and was the subject of the 2016 film The Finest Hours. 

But in my self-serving mind, God sought out and saved an even more miraculous lost ship; … and that was “the USS Willie B.” Yeah, … that was me in 1983, … an angry atheist who had already drowned in the waters of habitual sin. And my Lord reached down into those waters and pulled up my already drowned soul and gave me the new life Paul describes in 2Cor. 5:17. It was much like that rescue of one lost soul, Zacchaeus, in the highlight passaged described in Luke 19:1-10.

And perhaps it is like the story that others reading my words here have as well. Because, … after we, who were lost, are pulled and saved from the rough waters of this world, it becomes our mission [see Matt. 28:19-10] to do all we can to go out and be rescuers in the Name of and for the glory of our Lord.

Yes, as the linked song describes, “People Need the Lord,” … for sure. And perhaps today we can set out to be a rescue vessel in the turbulent and sinful waters of this world.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for being my Rescuer.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to be vessels of rescue in Your 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.

March 9, 2019 … Sharing/Loving Like Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 68 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube with images and lyrics from Jeremy Camp singing … The Answer … poignantly singing of how the only answer to the world’s ills is Jesus and His law of love.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Deuteronomy 10:19 [NLT] … 19 Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 
… We are to show love to those who are strangers … to others who hold different values.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Deuteronomy 10:12-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God teaches, thru Moses, the essence of the Law which is loving others as ourselves.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 7:12 [NLT] … 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 
… God’s “golden rule” … to show unto others what we would have them show to us.

Reference Passage : … Mark 12:28-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus expresses the essence of God’s law being to love others as we love ourselves.

Reference Passage : … 1John 4:7-8 [NLT] … 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 
… We Christians are charged to love overs as Jesus loved us all.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a personal story of a friend’s experience of hospitality to illustrate how God’s love can - and should - be shared with others. The ODB author wrote … When my friends lived in Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, they were overwhelmed by the warm welcome they received there, especially from other Christians. Once they took some clothes and provisions to a couple from their church who were very poor, yet who were fostering several children. The couple treated my friends like honored guests, giving them sweet tea and, despite their protests, something to eat. As my friends left with gifts of watermelons and other fruits and vegetables, they marveled at the hospitality they experienced. 

I have to confess that today’s ODB entry, and the Scriptures which support it, have me in some degree of personal turmoil. Here we are in the USA with almost a 50/50 division of opinion as to how to handle the influx of thousands of hurting souls crossing illegally into the US on our southern border. And in light of the commands of Jesus [see above] to love others and be hospitable, how does one answer this dilemma?  In the context of Christ’s LAW OF LOVE (see all the Scriptures above), how do Europeans handle the influx of Islamists who desire to consume all of Europe with their Sharia law and doctrine?

Certainly, as Jeremy Camp sings in the linked song, I know that God’s love is the answer.  ... BUT - and it’s an enormous “BUT” - how do we, as disciples of Christ implement God’s law of love in the world today.

I’m consumed with self doubt today. How about you?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us THE answer thru Your word, … even if I can’t see it clearly right now.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to pursue God’s LAW OF LOVE and implement it in our lives 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.

March 8, 2019 … Gentle Like Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 67 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube with images and lyrics from a worship group sining … Gentle Shepherd … poignantly singing of how we can always seek and find God’s strength and grace from our gentle, good Shepherd.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 40:10a, … 11a [NLT] … 10  See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm. 
… 11  He tends His flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in his arms … 
… Our Lord will come with power but be like a shepherd to HIs flock.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 40:10-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, describes the coming Messiah.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:29 [NLT] … 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
 … These are the only two character qualities that Jesus ever used to describe Himself … humility and gentleness.

Reference Passage : … Luke 23:34 [NLT] … 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” 
… The ultimate expression of strength and gentleness from the cross.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:5, 4:5 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As Christ’s disciples we are to strive to be like Him; and GENTLENESS is one of His primary characteristics.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses a historical reference to teach about the Christlike quality of gentleness (i.e., meekness), which we should emulate in our desire to be like Jesus. The ODB author wrote … As the enemy occupation of the Netherlands increased, Anne Frank and her family bravely prepared and then moved to a secret hiding place to escape the danger. They hid there two years during World War II before being found and sent to concentration camps. Yet Anne, writing in what became her famous Diary of a Young Girl, said this: “In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” Gentleness can be a complicated issue as we deal with real life. 

As disciples of Christ, we know that we should do all we can to emulate our savior. In fact, the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to do all we can to have the mind of Christ (see Phil. 2:5). And in striving to do that I’ve always felt that the best place to start in becoming more like Christ was to seek and follow how Jesus described Himself. And in that, our Lord only used two character qualities to describe Himself (see Matt. 11:29); and they were HUMILITY AND GENTLENESS (also translated “meekness”). And there was was no place in Scripture which exemplified this more than Christ’s words from the cross forgiving those who had nailed Him there [see Luke 23:34].

So, when we reflect on our own discipleship, what can we strive towards and/or do today to be more like our Lord, … our gentle, Good Shepherd? And that will be my prayer for myself and all of us this morning. … What about you?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for showing me (us) how to walk humbly and with gentleness, … ALWAY!!
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can today to reflect the qualities of humility and gentleness in our lives, especially relating to 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.

March 7, 2019 … Alone In the Quiet

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 66 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube piece about trying to hear from God thru all the noise of the world … A Still Small Voice … clearly showing what it’s like in today’s world to try to hear God getting thru to us thru all the noise we encounter in the world. … Then ON TO THIS LINK to hear the group Hillsong United singing Still, helping us to get alone and hear the Lord’s still small small voice.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Kings 19:12 [NLT] … 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 
… Elijah finally was able to hear God’s still small voice seeking the Lord in solitude. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Kings 19:9-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Elijah trying to sense God in the midst of the clamor of the world.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 46:10 [NLT] … 10  He [The Lord] says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 
… God says to us all that we should BE STILL and know that He is God!

Reference Passage : … John 6:14-15 [NLT] … 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. 
 … After feeding the thousands with the fishes and the loaves, Jesus needed to get alone in solitude to be with His Father.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Cindy Hess Kasper, uses a social picture of a very common challenge in today’s noisy world. The ODB author wrote … Several years ago, the president of a college suggested that students join her in “powering down” for an evening. Although the students agreed, it was with great reluctance that they laid aside their cell phones and entered the chapel. For the next hour, they sat quietly in a service of music and prayer. Afterward, one participant described the experience as “a wonderful opportunity to calm down . . . a place to just tune out all of the extra noise.”

If any reader here has taken the time (and I pray you do!) to hear the You Tube segments above as well as having read and meditated on the Scriptures, I really don’t think I need to add much more journaling to support the reality that we Christians often need to intentionally get alone in a quiet place these days to escape the din of informational noise in the world and to be able to sense what God is trying to say to us.

Even Jesus in His day had to go off to a quiet place (see photo) to get away from the clamor of the crowds and to be able to hear His Father’s clear voice [also see John 6:14-15]. And in today’s world, if we don’t intentionally get alone to seek God’s voice, it’s going to be very hard to hear our Lord speak to us. Hence, … that’s why you find me here in my “quiet place” each morning, … quietly listening, thru prayer and God’s word, to sense my Lord giving me His will and His ways.

Quietly listen, my friend; and you will hear Him too.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for showing us Your way thru the noise of the world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to be quiet and hear God’s still small voice. … 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.

March 6, 2019 … Heavenly Rewards

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 65 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images and lyrics from Brian Littrell singing … I Surrender All … poignantly singing of how we, as Christ’s disciples, are called to surrender our all from His providence to invest our time, talents, and treasures for God’s glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 10:27-28 [NLT] … 27 Jesus looked at them [His Disciples] and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” … 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 
… And Peter’s answer was Jesus’ teaching on what it takes to harvest heavenly rewards … i.e., to be willing to give our all for God’s kingdom.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 10:17-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows the rich young man what it takes to be saved and His disciples what it takes to reap rewards in heaven.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:19-21 [NLT] … 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
… Jesus teaches on what we must do to receive rewards in heaven from our earthly choices.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:7-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul clearly teaches on what it takes - in terms of earthly sowing - to reap harvests of reward in heaven.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a relatively recent reference to a financial crisis to illustrate how fickle our worldly and personal investments of time, talents, and treasures can be. The ODB author wrote … In 1995 US stock market investors received record-high returns—on average, a whopping 37.6 percent return on their dollars. Then in 2008 investors lost almost exactly as much: a negative 37.0 percent. The years between had varying returns, causing those with money in the market to wonder—sometimes with fear—what would become of their investment. 

What we do in this life with our investment choices, involving our time, talents, and treasures, will, according to the truths expressed in Scripture above, boomerang for us (see photo) and be received in heaven. That’s what Jesus was trying to show His Disciples when He confronted a rich young man who wanted to know what it took to be saved (see highlight passage). The Lord showed the young man, as is sung in the linked song, that it takes the willingness to surrender our all to Jesus to receive His saving grace.

However, beyond that lesson for the young man, Jesus, in this passage, also showed His disciples what He taught in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 6:19-21) and also what Paul would later teach in Galatians 6:7-10. And that is the principle of sowing and reaping … i.e., what we sow here on earth will be harvested in heaven.

So, we must ask ourselves if we’re investing our time, talents, and treasures wisely in our lives now so that we can expect to reap heavenly rewards in glory. And I’ve heard it said that the best place to determine how we’re handling God’s providence now is to look at our calendars and our check books (or online bank statements these days) to see whether what we sow will come back to us with bounteous rewards in heaven.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for showing us Your principles of sowing and reaping from Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to treat the time, talents, and treasures You’ve given to us as investments now for Heavenly rewards later. … 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.

March 5, 2019 … Chosen To Go Forth

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 64 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images and lyrics from Jason Gray singing … Glow In The Dark … poignantly singing of how we as Christ’s disciples are called to glow His glory in the midst of the darkness of this world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Acts 1:26 [NLT] … 26 Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. 
 … To choose Judas’ replacement, lots were cast and Matthias was chosen over another named Joseph.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Acts 1:12-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… A group of disciples gathered in Jerusalem after the ascension of Jesus and realized that Judas Iscariot must be replaced to maintain the inner 12 group of chosen disciples.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As disciples of Christ, we’ve been called and chosen to go forth in His Name and for His glory … ALWAYS!!

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. …” 
… Jesus charges all of HIS disciples to follow Him.

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] … 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
… Jesus charges all of HIS disciples to ALWAYS be His witnesses.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 10:31 [NLT] … 31 So whether you eat or drink or WHATEVER YOU DO, do it all for the glory of God. 
 … Whatever we do in life should be done for the glory of God.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, uses a NT biblical example of being chosen (or not) to go forth for God’s glory. The ODB author wrote … Poor Joseph. He was passed over by God, and he knew why. Joseph was one of two men in the running to replace Judas. The disciples prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen” (Acts 1:24). God chose the other guy. Then He announced His decision to the group, when “the lot fell to Matthias” (v. 26). 
As the disciples congratulated Matthias, I wonder about Joseph. How did he handle his rejection? Did he feel jilted, wallow in self-pity, and distance himself from the others? Or did he trust God and cheerfully remain in a supportive role? 

Interesting questions for us, aren’t they? But really, I think they were answered in the New Testament stories of how the disciples (all of them, not just the 12) went forth to fulfill Christ’s call to discipleship (see Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 9:23, and Acts 1:8). And those Scriptures call us too, don’t they? And no matter what we’re called to do in life or what we face, we are Christ’s called ones; and as Paul declared, we are to do whatever we do in Christ’s name and for His glory (see 1Cor. 10:31).

So, the lots cast by our circumstances in life today may lead us to feel like we are chosen to act for God, as sung by Jason Gray in the linked song; … or maybe not! … But even if we feel challenged by cruel fate, … no matter what may be our lot, … we must move forward to do all we can to “glow in the dark” and give God all the glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for calling us to follow You. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me and do all we can to deal with our crosses in life and follow our Lord … NO MATTER WHAT! … 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.

March 4, 2019 … Always There With Us

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 63 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with song and lyrics from the group Anointed singing … God Is All Around Us … poignantly singing of how God’s grace can - and will - ALWAYS be there for us - even in the simplest, silliest, moments.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 14:17 [NLT] … 17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they [His disciples] answered. …” 
… The Disciples just could not yet grasp that Jesus was God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 14:13-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God shows His followers that He’s in control of ALL situations, no matter how mundane. 
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Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NLT] … 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 
… Jesus promises that He has overcome the trials of this world/life; and that we can find peace in our relationship with Him.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NLT] … 28 And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
… That’s ALL THINGS, not just some things!!

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, show us that His grace is ALWAYS sufficient, and often offered to others thru us, to give us/others strength in the midst of our weakness.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:56 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God promises to ALWAYS be there for us and with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Blase, uses a personal reflection to illustrate how God is ALWAYS there with us, even in mundane moments of challenge which seem almost silly. The ODB author wrote … She was completely focused on the top shelf [see photo], where the glass jars of spaghetti sauce sat. I’d been standing beside her in the grocery aisle for a minute or two eyeing that same shelf, trying to decide. But she seemed oblivious to my presence, lost in her own predicament. Now I have no problem with top shelves because I’m a fairly tall man. She, on the other hand, was not tall, not at all. I spoke up and offered to help. Startled, she said, “Goodness, I didn’t even see you standing there. Yes, please help me.” 

Sometimes the circumstances of life seem too mundane to realize that God is still there with us, … and He wants us to know that we can go to Him in ANY situation, as the group Anointed sings in the linked song; … yes, even in a grocery store when we need to get to the jar of pasta sauce on the top shelf.

Sure, when we’re desperate as Christians, we may have grasped and believe in the truth of Romans 8:28; and we are shored up by the reality of Hebrews 13:5. But in the midst of a silly little situation like the one in the ODB story, do we realize that God is there with us and that tall guy down the isle from us can be the Lord’s agent of help and grace?

So, if/when we’re in some silly circumstance where we have trouble seeing where God is, let us go to Him and let Him multiple the loaves and fishes for us [see highlight passage].

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for ALWAYS being there with/for us.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to be willing to seek our Lord in ALL situations. … 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.

March 3, 2019 … God’s Grace - ALWAYS!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 62 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with song and lyrics from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … Your Grace Still Amazes Me … poignantly singing of how God’s grace can - and will - amaze us when we’re willing to surrender to it, … even in the midst of pain or trial.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 [NLT] … 4 He [God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 
… God often imparts His grace to others thru the empathy we have when others suffer similar pain or anguish.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, shows us that God can use our pain/suffering to be a comfort for others who encounter similar pain.
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Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NLT] … 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 
… Jesus promises that He has overcome the trials of this world/life; and that we can find peace in our relationship with Him.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 10:13 [NLT] … 13 The temptations [also “tests trials, or troubles”] in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation [test or trial] to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure. 
… God always provides His grace so that we can deal with the temptations/trials of this life.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, show us that His grace is ALWAYS sufficient, and often offered to others thru us, to give us/others strength in the midst of our weakness.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Leslie Koh, uses a personal reflection to illustrate how God often imparts His grace to others thru our empathy, having endured hardships or pain in our lives. … When Siu Fen discovered she had kidney failure and would need dialysis for the rest of her life [see photo], she wanted to give up. Retired and single, the longtime believer in Jesus saw no point in prolonging her life. But friends convinced her to persevere and go for dialysis and trust in God to help her. 
Two years later, she found her experience coming into play when she visited a friend from church with a debilitating disease. The woman felt alone, as few could truly understand what she was going through. But Siu Fen was able to identify with her physical and emotional pain and could connect with her in a personal way. Her own journey enabled her to walk alongside the woman, giving her a special measure of comfort others couldn’t. “Now I see how God can still use me,” she said. 

WE ALL have temptations, trials, or troubles in life that we must deal with (see 1Cor. 10:13), don’t we? But God provides His grace for to us to deal with those trials (2Cor. 12:9-10). And having gone thru such pain or anguish, we can have the empathy for God to impart His grace and comfort to others in similar circumstances [see highlight passage].

Perhaps some reading here are going thru a painful trial in life right now. Or maybe we’ll face one tomorrow. But, … take heart from the linked song and God’s word above. He will give us the strength, thru His grace, to deal with our trials; … and then He will give us the opportunity to help others, down the road of life, who need God’s grace and His love imparted to others thru our empathy.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for always giving us Your amazing grace to deal with our trials.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to thankfully praise our God for His amazing grace. … 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.

March 2, 2019 … Treasures of Wisdom

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 61 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with song and lyrics from The Gettys singing … Every Promise of Your Word … singing of how we must trust in the Lord and what His promises provide for us from His word.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 4:7 [NLT] … 7  Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. 
 … Pursuing the mind of God [i.e., “wisdom”] is probably the most valuable thing we can pursue in life.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 4:5-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, the Father, thru Solomon, teaching us of the value of wisdom.
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Reference Passage : … Job, Chapter 28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God shows Job (and us) how mining for the mind of God, tho risky, is the most valuable pursuit of our lives.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:13-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s wisdom, thru Solomon, about imparted to those who seek after God’s ways and His will thru His word.

Reference Passage : … James 1:5-6, 3:17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru James, tells of the value of pursuing and obtaining wisdom from the mind of God.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a story of pursuing treasure to illustrate how we need to view pursuing the treasure of wisdom in our life. The ODB author writes … Buried treasure. It sounds like something out of a children’s storybook. But eccentric millionaire Forrest Fenn claims to have left a box of jewels and gold, worth up to $2 million, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Many people have gone in search of it. In fact, four people have lost their lives trying to find the hidden riches. 
The author of Proverbs gives us reason to stop and think: Does any kind of treasure merit such a quest? 

As humans, we’ve always overvalued the pursuit of worldly-valued “treasures” in life, such as the pursuit of gold (see photo). But God, thru the authors of Proverbs (i.e., see above from Solomon), … thru Job’s quest for understanding (see Job 28, … and thru the brother of Jesus in the NT, (see James 1:5-6 and 3:17), … all make it clear that the pursuit of wisdom, … i.e., knowing the mind of God, … is a far more valuable pursuit than panning for gold.

Yes, … all these biblical authors point out that it takes faith and rigorous discipline to “mine for” the mind of God. And that’s why I’ve chosen to do my mining each morning here in God’s truth, … starting my day mining or panning in God’s word for the jewels and shiny treasures I know are there for my taking. And EVERY DAY I come upon some jewel of Godly wisdom that I can use for myself or share with someone who needs God’s treasures of wisdom.

I can only pray that my fellow readers here are panning daily for God’s treasures of wisdom in His word as well.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for always having some gem of wisdom for me as I dig daily in Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to dig in God’s truth for the gems of wisdom He has for anyone who mines in faith. … 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.

March 1, 2019 … Dangerous Comparisons

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 60 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … I Will Follow … singing of how we must trust in the Lord and follow Him only, avoiding comparisons with others on the roads of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 21:21-22 [NLT] … 21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him [John], Lord?” … 22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.” 
… It’s all too easy to focus our lives on the lives of others and take our focus off the one - the ONLY ONE - we need to follow and that is Christ!
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 21:17-25[NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, post resurrection, helps Peter realize he needs to take his focus off of other Disciples and keep his focus on the Lord.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6, 14:30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s wisdom, thru Solomon, about how focusing on the lives of others, as well as on ourselves, can lead us to envy and strife.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] … 3  You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! 
… The only way to find peace is to keep our trusting eye on the Lord and follow Him

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower [i.e., disciple], you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
… Jesus teaching on how to keep our lives on track, … by faithfully and obediently following Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, refers to the dangers of modern social media, which can lead us to make personal comparisons with others and get off track in following the Lord in life. The ODB author writes … “One of these days I’m going to put it all on Facebook—not just the good stuff!” 
My friend Sue’s comment—made casually over lunch with her husband—caused me to laugh out loud and also to think. Social media can be a good thing, helping us stay in touch with and pray for friends across the years and miles. But if we’re not careful, it can also create an unrealistic outlook on life. [see photo] When much of what we see posted is a “highlight reel” of “the good stuff,” we can be misled into thinking others’ lives are without trouble, and wonder where our own went wrong. 

Satan is continually devising weapons or weapon systems which divert our attention from our trek in life as Christians to follow Christ, which Chris Tomlin sings about in today’s linked song.   And often his weapons are two-faced, like social-media these days, which can be used for good; but can also be used for the devil’s evil purposes. Certainly social media can be used to bring people into loving connection; but also, it often leads us to make dangerous comparisons with others, producing jealousy, envy, and social strife.

The ODB author and all of the Scriptures above point us in the direction to avoid making selfish or social comparisons with others and keep our focus on the One - and ONLY ONE - with Whom we must compare ourselves; and that, of course, is our LORD, King Jesus. And Jesus, Himself, told us that in Luke 9:23, didn’t He? And Solomon and the Prophet, Isaiah, told us CLEARLY to keep our focus on the Lord, avoiding selfish comparisons in life (see Proverbs 3/14 and Isaiah 26 above), trusting only in our focus on the Lord.

So, … are there any ways in our lives these days that we’re being led - possibly by social media - to focus on self or others and taking our eyes off of Jesus? If so, we need to get back to comparing ourselves only with the Lord and avoid dangerous comparisons with others.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for leading me in Your word to follow You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to keep our focus on the Lord, avoiding the enemy’s distractions and comparisons. … 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.

February 28, 2019 … Living the Redeemed Life

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 59

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with song and lyrics from Big Daddy Weave singing … Redeemed … powerfully singing of living the life of the redeemed sinner, living under the love/grace of the Savior.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 51:7 [NLT] … 7  Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 
… David discovers and sings of the life of redemption and renewal which comes when a believer is willing to confess, repent, and be made new by the blood of Messiah.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 51:1-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David sings His song of redemption, reconciliation, and renewal after his confession for His sins. 
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Reference Passage : … Ephesians 1:3-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God reveals the spiritual blessing of His redemptive plan, … all wrapped up in our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross.

Reference Passage : … 1 John 1:5-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru John, shows that we don’t need to live in the darkness when we are redeemed by the love-light of Christ.

Reference Passage : … 2Corinthians 5:16-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … … God, thru Paul, shows the new life we can have when we live lives of faith and repentance, covered by the blood of Christ’s redeeming love.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Leslie Koh, uses a news story to illustrate how God’s redeeming love can change the lives of those who live in the reconciliation of Christ’s blood. The ODB author writes … The article in the local newspaper was short but heartwarming. After attending a faith-based program on building stronger family ties, a group of prison inmates were given a rare treat of an open visit with their families. Some hadn’t seen their children in years. Instead of talking through a glass panel, they could touch and hold their loved ones [see photo]. The tears flowed freely as families grew closer and wounds began to heal. 
For most readers, it was just a story. But for these families, holding one another was a life-changing event—and for some, the process of forgiveness and reconciliation was begun. 

Having lived in the darkness of hidden sin for many years myself and having been redeemed by my repentance and faith in the blood of our Savior, I know what it feels like to confess my sins, as King David did of the shame of Bathsheba, and to live under the forgiveness of Christ’s love and His redeeming grace.

And my prayer today is that all who read here, have experienced - and are now living - the life-changing redemption that Big Daddy Weave sings about in the linked song. Because God’s redeeming grace is a life-changer [see Scriptures above] and one I pray all live to receive everyday as we receive it thru our faith in the finished work of Christ.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for redeeming me. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to live under the redeeming grace offered and received by those who surrender to God’s 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.

February 27, 2019 … A Child Leads the Way

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 58

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images from The Martins singing … Heaven’s Child … a little Christmas song reminding us that God sent His Son as a little child to lead us to His Glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 21:16 [NLT] … 16  They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’ ”  
… Following someone who knows where they are going is wise counsel.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 21:14-16 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus quotes Scripture (Ps. 8:2) to the Priests about a child leading God’s people. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 8:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Declares the greatness of the Lord and how He will silence His enemies with the wisdom of a child.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 19:13-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus had such a heart to show His followers that we must have the attitude and faith of a child to receive Heaven’s child as our Savior and give us entrance into God’s family.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washington, uses a story of a child being given the opportunity to preach the gospel, much to the surprise of onlookers. The ODB author writes … After watching ten-year-old Viola using a tree branch as a microphone to mimic a preacher, Michele decided to give Viola the opportunity to “preach” during a village outreach. Viola accepted. Michele, a missionary in South Sudan, wrote, “The crowd was enraptured. . . . A little girl who had been abandoned stood in authority before them as a daughter of the King of kings, powerfully sharing the reality of God’s Kingdom. Half the crowd came forward to receive Jesus” (Michele Perry, Love Has a Face). 
The crowd that day hadn’t expected to hear a child preach. This incident brings to mind the phrase “out of the mouths of babes,” which comes from Psalm 8. 

Yes, we’d likely be surprised to hear a young child given the pulpit or stage to preach a sermon, wouldn’t we? It doesn’t fit our expectations of a preacher, does it?

Well, … imagine how the teachings and preachings of Jesus, … Heaven’s child, … must’ve been out of context to the Messianic expectations of the Jewish leaders and many of the people of Jesus’ day as the Lord walked about, doing miracles and preaching the Gospel, during His ministry time on earth. 

And quite often the people would hear Him say that they must have the heart and mind and faith of a child to enter the Kingdom of God (see Matt. 19:13-15). But who He was and how He preached was fulfillment of prophesy (see Ps. 8:2) … that God would use a little child to lead His people [see photo].

But Jesus, Himself, was the child of God, the Son of the House of Jesse, prophesied as the One Who would come, as the Martins sing in the linked son, as “Heaven’s Child,” born in a manger to ultimately lead God’s people to glory. And we must accept Him and follow the lead of Heaven’s Child, as He leads us home.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for leading us to glory. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to you, as Heaven’s Child, as You lead us homeward. … 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.

February 26, 2019 … Seeking God’s Way

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 57

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images from Clay Crosse, Bob Carlisle, and Bebe Winans singing … I Will Follow Christ … powerfully singing of our need as Christians to do all we can to follow Christ’s way and His will thru His Word.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 23:12 [NLT] … 12  Commit yourself to instruction; …listen carefully to words of knowledge. 
… Following someone who knows where they are going is wise counsel.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 23:9-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Wise Solomon directs us to get wise counsel to follow in life in God’s direction. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 37:27-31 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… We must always seek counsel from those who really know God’s way and His will.

Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:23-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Our prayer should always be to seek God’s way and His will on all the roads of life.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… We need to beware following our own feelings which can lead us astray if we don’t truly know where we’re going. Trusting God’s way and following His will is always best.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, uses a personal reflection of a mistake to avoid in life when we’re seeking God’s way in life. The ODB author writes … On a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I wanted to brave a snowy evening and hire a taxi [see photo] for a three-mile ride from our hotel to a Cuban restaurant. After entering the details into the taxi service’s app, I gulped hard when the screen revealed the price for our short jaunt: $1,547.26. After recovering from the shock, I realized I had mistakenly requested a ride to our home—several hundred miles away! If you’re working with the wrong information, you’re going to end up with disastrous results. Always.  

That situation described in the ODB entry today would be like putting the wrong destination in a GPS and expecting to get to where we want to go, And that’s what the Lord wants to relay to us thru His word in the Scriptures above as well as the linked song.

Every day - every morning actually - I pray the prayer of King David in Psalm 139:23-24 for God to show me if there is any wicked way in me or ahead of me and to show me the way … HIS WAY … everlasting. But I know that He has given me free will to make my own choices in life; so, … I have learned to choose to follow those who are well grounded in God’s word, the perfect “GPS,” … i.e., those who’re committed to following Christ. And it’s also why I’m here every morning gleaning the right direction for my life thru my use of God’s GPS, … His truth. In that way, I know that I have the best chance to get where my Lord wants to lead me and to avoid the misdirection where my own feelings and mind can lead me.

And I pray that all reading here with me are following others who know how to negotiate life by using God’s perfect “GPS.”

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for providing Your perfect “GPS” for my life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to use God’s “GPS” - His word - to lead us in life as well as to choose to follow those who know His way as well. … 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.

February 25, 2019 … The Bread of Life

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 56

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube version with images and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing … Come To The Table … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, must open the door to our hearts every day and partake of God’s “bread of life” at His table of fellowship where our Savior gives us the sustenance of eternal life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 24:30-31 [NLT] … 30 As they [the 2 disciples traveling to Emmaus] sat down to eat, He [Jesus] took the bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And at that moment He disappeared! 
… Jesus reveals Himself to the two in the context of fellowship and breaking bread together.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 24:28-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus reveals Himself to two disciples on the road from the crucifixion to their home in Emmaus. 
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Reference Passage : … John 6:32-35 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus teaches a crowd of followers about His role as the “bread of life.”

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NLT] … 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
… Jesus always wants to have fellowship with His disciples; but we’ve got to open the door of our hearts as He knocks to enter and dine with us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses a personal reflection of a local coffee house and compares it with how Jesus so desires to fellowship with us as His disciples. The ODB author writes … The coffeehouse in the town near my house is named Fika. It’s a Swedish word meaning to take a break with coffee and a pastry, always with family, co-workers, or friends. I’m not Swedish, yet the spirit of fika describes one thing I love most about Jesus—His practice of taking a break to eat and relax with others. 
Scholars say Jesus’s meals weren’t random. Theologian Mark Glanville calls them “the delightful ‘second course’” of Israel’s feasts and celebrations in the Old Testament. At the table, Jesus lived what God had intended Israel to be: “a center of joy, celebration and justice for the whole world.”  

 How often Jesus, in attempting to show Himself as the true Messiah, used the context of being the “bread of life” or our “living water; and often used those elements to invite others to believe in Him. He did so with those two despondent disciples walking to Emmaus after the crucifixion when Jesus appeared to them, opened up the “bread of life,” that is, the Scriptures; and then in actually breaking bread with them, they recognized The Messiah in their midst (see highlight passage).

Oh how Jesus wants to break the “bread of life,” i.e., His word, and dine with us in fellowship (see Rev. 3:20 as He knocks every day on the door of our hearts to let Him in; but we’ve got to open the door. And when we do, coming to His table of life, as the Sidewalk Prophets sing in the linked song, He will share His bread of life and the essence of Whom He is with us.

That’s why you find me here each morning, starting my day by breaking the bread of life (God’s word) with my Savior; and I pray that all who read here will hear our Lord knocking each day to come in and break bread with Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for inviting me to share Your bread of life here daily.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to open the door of our hearts daily and come to our Lord’s table to share His bread of 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.