January 14, 2020 … What’s Really Important?

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 14 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group 4Him singing … The Basics of Life … poignantly singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, need to get back to prioritizing the basics of the faith to avoid what the world thinks is important.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 90:12 [NLT] ...  12  Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. 
… Letting God show us the way we should use the fleeting time we have.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 90:4, 12-15 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Time flies; so we need to manage it as best we can for God’s glory.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:23-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK ... 
 … If we let God lead us on His path in life, we’ll always be seeking to make the right priority decisions.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 
… If we seed to prioritize God’s will and our circumstances, avoiding following selfish ways, we’ll be headed on the right path.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 6:33 [NLT] … 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. 
… Jesus taught the best way to prioritize our time!!

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. 
… Paul exhorts Christians to live

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Patricia Raybon, uses observations about our way of life to show us that life makes it difficult to make wise choices. … The ODB author wrote: A lot has changed since the electric clock was invented in the 1840s. We now keep time on smart watches, smart phones, and laptops. The entire pace of life seems faster—with even our “leisurely” walking speeding up. This is especially true in cities and can have a negative effect on health, scholars say. “We’re just moving faster and faster and getting back to people as quickly as we can,” Professor Richard Wiseman observed. “That’s driving us to think everything has to happen now.” 

Do any readers here, besides me and the ODB author, think that things are flying by us these days; and it seems to be harder and harder to prioritize what’s really important, … living as Paul exhorted fellow Christians to live (see Eph. 5:15-16), … wisely … because the days are evil (and they are, aren’t they!)?

But I’m going to stop and pray that we decide (and it is ALWAYS a decision!) to do what the group “4Him” sings in the linked song … get back to the basics of the faith. And I pray that we simply (but challengingly) follow Jesus’ time management command … to “seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness” in making priority decisions in life [Matt. 6:33].

That’s why you find me here each day, … seeking God’s way and HIS will (see Ps. 139:23-24) by using His word as my GPS.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for helping me to decide what’s really important in life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to use God’s word as our primary GPS in making priority decisions which glorify our Lord in the choices we make. 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.</ span>

January 13, 2020 … Needing His Compassion

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 13 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Laura Story singing … Mighty to Save … poignantly singing of how we all need the compassion of our Good Shepherd, being lifted up by the compassion we’re shown by others.

Everyone Needs Compassion ... 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 9:36 [NLT] ...  36 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 
… Jesus had compassion on all He contacted while living because He had been sent to be their Good Shepherd.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 9:27-38 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Everywhere Jesus went He showed compassion on those around Him because He had been sent to be their Savior.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 53:6 [NLT] … 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. 
… We’re all like sheep in need of a Good Shepherd.

Reference Passage : … 1John 3:17 [NLT] … 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 
… God’s love is seen in those who see needs in others and are willing to share the love of God with them by reaching out, in compassion, to help.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 3:8 [NLT] … 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 
… Being like Christ and reaching out as the body of Christ, in compassion, to help others.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a story about a young man who became a Pastor because he realized the compassionate need in the hearts of everyone who needs a Savior. … The ODB author wrote: When Jeff was a new believer in Jesus and fresh out of college, he worked for a major oil company. In his role as a salesman, he traveled; and in his travels he heard people’s stories—many of them heartbreaking. He realized that what his customers most needed wasn’t oil, but compassion. They needed God. This led Jeff to attend seminary to learn more about the heart of God and eventually to become a pastor. 

Perhaps there are those reading with me who find it easy to be the figure in the photo who’s reaching out to help another who needs God’s uplifting grace. I’m not one of those who has the Spiritual gift of mercy to share with others. I’m more like the figure in the photo who’s being lifted up by a compassionate one like you. Actually, it’s probably easier for all of us to identify with that figure, isn’t it? Because, as Isaiah prophesied (see Is. 53:6), we’re all like stray lambs in need of a merciful, gracious, loving Good Shepherd, aren’t we?

So, I pray that if any of us see the opportunity to step in, as Jesus so often did when He walked this earth (see highlight passage), I pray we reach out and be the compassionate arms of one who cares enough to show God’s love to one in need of His mercy/grace.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for being my Good Shepherd. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to reaching out if/when we see someone in need and show the compassion of our Savior. Amen

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

January 12, 2020 … Singing Praises

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 12 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Michael W Smith singing … Forever God Is Faithful … powerfully singing praises to God for His eternal faithfulness and His eternal love.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 146:1-2 [NLT] ...  1  Praise the Lord!! Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2  I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
… Lifting our praises to God in song is called upon by God’s word often as in this psalm. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 146 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… The Psalmist declares in song that he will SING praises to His God … FOREVER. 
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Reference Passage : … Acts 16:22-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, demonstrated the power of songs of praise while in prison.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:18-20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK ... 
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to be filled with God’s Spirit, often singing our praises with songs of joy and thankfulness.

Reference Passage : … Colossians 3:15 [NLT] … 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to counsel and disciple others in the faith by sining songs of praise with thankful hearts.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, John Blase, uses a story of a mother’s lifestyle which sang of her love of God and thankfulness for His love. … The ODB author wrote: Wallace Stegner’s mother died at the age of fifty. When Wallace was eighty, he finally wrote her a note—“Letter, Much Too Late”—in which he praised the virtues of a woman who grew up, married, and raised two sons in the harshness of the early Western United States. She was the kind of wife and mother who was an encourager, even to those that were less than desirable. Wallace remembered the strength his mother displayed by way of her voice. Stegner wrote: “You never lost an opportunity to sing.” As long as she lived, Stegner’s mother sang, grateful for blessings large and small. 

Perhaps some of my readers can recall - or now know - of someone who often sings a song of joy and thankfulness, … if not with songs of praise, … with a lifestyle of open praise to God. That was the case with King David and other of the psalmists who wrote and sang of their thankful praise to God (see Highlight Psalm 146). And note how the Apostle Paul called on fellow Christians (that’s us too!) to sing out our praises to God (see Reference passages) … as even he and Silas did in a jail in Philippi (see Acts 16).

And I’m praying that all reading here have something for which we can praise God … maybe even in song today. … Sing it, friend … (or say aloud with me) … ”Hallelujah!!”

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving me Your love and providence, which make it easy to sing my “Hallelujahs.”
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to sing of our love and praise for 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.</ span>

January 11, 2020 … Surrender to the King

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 11 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Third Day singing … Surrender … powerfully singing of what should be our challenge ever day … to surrender our lives in sacrifice to King Jesus.

Worshipping The King 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 2:11a [NLT] ...  11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. … 
… These “wise” men were led by God to worship their ONLY King.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 2:1-12 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... … Magi came from the east to worship the prophesied King of the Jews.
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Reference Passage : … Romans 12:1 [NLT] … 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to surrender ourselves to live as “living sacrifices” to our One - AND ONLY - King Jesus.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] … 1 Therefore I, a prisoner [i.e., “slave”] for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  
… Paul saw himself as a “slave” to his King and called Christians to live lives worthy of the King in service to Him.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:6-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus set His heavenly glory to become a man, serving mankind by even dying for us … just as we should surrender out self to our Savior King.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, uses boy’s attitude of love for Jesus to illustrate what should be our surrender to our King Jesus. … The ODB author wrote: As five-year-old Eldon listened to the pastor talk about Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth, he gasped when the pastor thanked Him in prayer for dying for our sins. “Oh, no! He died?” the boy said in surprise. 

As it was in Jesus’ day, many, even today, are motivated to eliminate even the Name of “Jesus” from our world. In His day, as illustrated in the Matt. 2 passage, King Herod wanted to prevent Jesus from becoming King. But, as the devotion of the Magi showed [see photo], Herod failed; and Jesus came to serve us, … just as we should live to serve Him [see reference Scriptures].

Today, I’m praying here that the ODB entry, the linked song [don’t miss the song!!], and the Scriptures provided, as well as my humble words, show the attitude of surrender and worship which we need to live out by the way we’re totally surrendered to our One and Only King, Jesus. So, let’s live in surrender to His glory today and all days.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for coming to be our Servant King.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to live lives, as called by the Apostle Paul [see above] … in total surrender to our King 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.</ span>

January 10, 2020 … No More Dragons

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 10 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Fear Is A Liar … powerfully singing of how fear can become our dragons which keep us from following Christ and leading others to His glory.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Timothy 1:6-7 [NLT] ...   6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 
… Paul helps Timothy (and us) realize that God never provides us with a spirit of fear. He gives us the power of His grace to move forward - ALWAYS!
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Timothy 1:6-14 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul helping a timid Timothy realize that his fears never come from God’s Spirit and become liars trying to frighten us from follow Christ,
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 10  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
… God’s promise to His believing people is to always be there to lift us up when we need His strength.

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 told His disciples, in a fearful time, that they (and we) would have fearful trials; but that HE had overcome the word’s lies and fears.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 11:1 [NLT] … 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 
… Paul confidently told fellow Christians they could imitate him (i.e., follow his ways) because he knew that he was simply following Christ’s ways.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] … 1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  
… Paul begs fellow Christians to live lives worthy of our calling as Christians.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica LaRose, uses a map-making illustration to show that we must overcome our “dragons” of fear to follow Christ. … The ODB author wrote: Legend has it that at the edges of medieval maps, marking the boundaries of the world the maps’ creators knew at the time, there’d be inscribed the words “Here be dragons”—often alongside vivid illustrations of the terrifying beasts supposedly lurking there. [see photo] 
There’s not much evidence medieval cartographers actually wrote these words, but I like to think they could have. Maybe because “here be dragons” sounds like something I might’ve written at the time—a grim warning that even if I didn’t know exactly what would happen if I ventured into the great unknown, it likely wouldn’t be good! 

We all have things or issues in our lives about which those ancient map makers were likely illustrating, … dragons or fears which hold us back from following Christ the way He calls us to (hopefully you know Luke 9:23). And this was what the Apostle Paul was trying to get Timothy, his protege, to realize in the highlight passage. Paul wanted Timothy to see what Zach Williams is singing in the linked song … that our fears are our dragons; and they are Satan’s lies which keep us from being stronger disciples of Christ.

700+ years before Christ came to dispel our fears, the Prophet Isaiah relayed God’s promise to God’s believers (see Is. 41:10) that He would ALWAYS be there to lift them (us) up when they (we) encounter fears. And Paul was so confident in his own discipleship of Christ that he told fellow believers that they should not fear in following Paul, … confidently knowing that he was always following Christ (see 1Cor. 11:1).

So, when we encounter those “dragons” out there, and fears arise, maybe even today, we need to take a heart of faith and move forward to honor God with the calling He has place on our lives … by slaying those dragons and moving ahead to follow Him [see Eph. 4:1].

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for being our “Overcomer” of fears … ALWAYS!
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to recognize the lies and ploys of Satan to deter us from our called path … to follow Christ. 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.</ span>

January 9, 2020 … Our Foundation

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 9 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from a worship group singing … Firm Foundation … poignantly singing of how Christ and His word becomes the firm foundation for everything in our lives.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 7:24 [NLT] ...   24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 
… Jesus shows how building a life on His teaching is like building a house on a firm foundation. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 7:24-27 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus teaches that if one listens and learns about Him, they will be building their lives on a firm foundation … THE ROCK!!
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Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shows fellow Christians that we are God’s workers and we must build our lives on the only real firm foundation - that of Jesus Christ.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 2:20 [NLT] … 20 Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 
… Building our lives on all that comes from a solid relationship with Christ and His word is the only way to build our lives with a solid foundation.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 2:4-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Peter quoting from the OT (see Isaiah 28:16), shows that building our lives on the foundation of God’s word is the only way to have a ROCK-solid life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam R Holz, a modern archeological mistake to illustrate the importance of having a firm foundation when building a towering building to protect against potential earthquake or weather damage. … The ODB author wrote: You’ve probably heard of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, but have you heard of the leaning tower of San Francisco? It’s called the Millennium Tower. Built in 2008, this fifty-eight-story skyscraper stands proudly—but slightly crookedly—in downtown San Francisco. 
The problem? Its engineers didn’t dig a deep enough foundation. So now they’re being forced to retrofit the foundation with repairs that may cost more than the entire tower did when it was originally built—a fix that some believe is necessary to keep it from collapsing during an earthquake. 

If you’ve taken in this ODB illustration and the linked song, as well as God’s word on this matter in the Scriptures above, I would hope you’ve gotten God’s clear - and repeated - picture that only when we build our lives on the strong foundation of the “Rock of Ages,” our Lord Jesus Christ and His word, will we be a able withstand the storms and earthquakes of life. And I’m sure all readers here have experienced some of those.

So, … you find me here, everyday, using God’s word to keep building on the foundation which came into my life to shore up my spiritual house in 1983.  Now, … all I can do with Christ as the cornerstone of my foundation is keep adding to the strength of my life structure by adding more solid foundational material from God’s word … just as I have today with the faith-building words you read above form the scriptures provided.

And I pray you have a firm life foundation in Christ and will keep adding to that foundation every day of your life.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for being the Cornerstone of our Spiritual foundation.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to add more solid Spirit-built foundational materials to our lives by being in God’s word daily. 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.</ span>

January 8, 2020 … Our Eternal Legacy

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 8 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Nicole C Mullen singing … My Redeemer Lives … poignantly singing of her testimony in song of the reality that we will live forever with our Redeemer … AND ON TO THIS LINK with Nichole Nordeman singing of the only legacy we Christians should choose to purse - our eternal relationship with Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Job 19:25-26 [NLT] ...   25  “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. 26  And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God  … Job’s declared faith in his eternal legacy as a believer int the One True God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 19:21-27 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… In helping Christians lead a more Christlike life, the author of Hebrews includes the possibility of encountering angels.
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Reference Passage : … Job 42:1-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Job finally surrenders to faith in his relationship (i.e., his legacy) in the One True God, yielding everything to God’s control.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 
… If we are to be disciples [i.e., followers] of Christ we must deny ourselves and live as He lived; and that MUST be our eternal legacy … Jesus and ONLY JESUS.

Reference Passage : … John 15:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… This should be the legacy pursuit of all Christians.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses the declarations of faith by Job to show what should be the legacy pursuit of all Christians. … The ODB author wrote: “I just want people to remember me a hundred years from now,” said screenwriter Rod Serling in 1975. Creator of the TV series The Twilight Zone, Serling wanted people to say of him, “He was a writer.” Most of us can identify with Serling’s desire to leave a legacy—something to give our lives a sense of meaning and permanence. 
The story of Job shows us a man struggling with meaning amid life’s fleeting days. In a moment, not just his possessions but those most precious to him, his children, were taken. Then his friends accused him of deserving this fate. Job cried out: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!” (Job 19:23–24). 

When you’ve heard the linked songs, with Nichole C Mullen singing “My Redeemer Lives,” which comes from Job’s declaration of faith in Job 19:25 and Nichole Nordeman, singing of our “Legacy” as Christians, did you ask yourself, as I did, what we consider is our legacy from living this life as Christians?

And I pray that we all have declared openly, in faith as did Job, that our only legacy must be how we are living our lives to honor JESUS as our ONLY legacy pursuit (see photo). And from that, as Job discovered in Job 42:1-6, we must know that our faith relationship with the Lord is the only legacy worth pursuing … no matter what happens in life.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for showing us our legacy to live to honor You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to surrender all to the legacy of faith we have in our relationship with Christ, our Redeemer. … 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.</ span>

January 7, 2020 … Giving Like Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 7 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Tim McGraw singing … Humble and Kind … poignantly singing how, as followers of Christ must do all we can to live as Jesus lived.

Note Attached:   "Love, Jesus!" 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 6:3-4 [NLT] ...   3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 
… Jesus teaches on how to give to the needy.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 6:1-4 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… In helping Christians lead a more Christlike life, the author of Hebrews includes the possibility of encountering angels.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 
… If we are to be disciples [i.e., followers] of Christ we must deny ourselves and live as He lived.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As disciples of Christ, we are to live and give with His attitude … as Tim McGraw sings, … always being humble and kind.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Sheridan Voysey, uses true stories of what could be angel encounters to illustrate the reality of angels among us. … The ODB author wrote: A clear, glass vase with bell-shaped lilies of the valley, pink tulips, and yellow daffodils greeted Kim at her front door. For seven months, an anonymous believer in Jesus sent Kim beautiful bouquets from a local flower shop. [see photo] Each monthly gift arrived with a note filled with scriptural encouragement and signed: “Love, Jesus.” 
Kim shared photos of these secret deliveries on Facebook. The flowers gave her opportunity to celebrate an individual’s kindness and to acknowledge the way God expressed His love to her through His people. As she trusted Him through her battle with a terminal disease, every colorful blossom and handwritten note affirmed God’s loving compassion for her. 

That’s a strong example to follow, isn’t it? Just as the challenge Tim McGraw brings in his song … to ALWAYS be “humble and kind.” But the ODB example and the song challenge is really only the living out of what Jesus challenged those who would follow Him (see Luke 9:23). It’s simply the living out of what the Apostle Paul challenged fellow Christians … i.e., to have the attitude of Christ (see Phil. 2:3-8, especially verse 5).

It’s simple - but very challenging - to live FOR Jesus by living LIKE Jesus. And I’m convicted that I can so much more - maybe even today - to live for my Lord rather than for myself. How about you? 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your walk among us to show us how we can live like You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to give and live for others as our Lord lived - and gave His life - for us. … 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.</ span>

January 6, 2020 … Angels Among Us

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 6 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Alabama singing … Angels Among Us … poignantly singing how we may encounter angels from God to guide us with His light of love.

Guardian Angel 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 13:2 [NLT] ...   2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 
… Who knows when we might encounter an angel sent to help us?
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 13:1-3 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… In helping Christians lead a more Christlike life, the author of Hebrews includes the possibility of encountering angels.
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Reference Passage : … Genesis, Chapter 18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Abraham encounters three angels from the Lord, bringing him promises from God.

Reference Passage : … Psalms 91:9-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s promise, thru the Psalmist, that the Lord will send His angels to watch over those make the Lord our shelter.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 1:14 [NLT] … 14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. 
… We Christians should know that God sends His angels to watch over us. [See photo]

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Sheridan Voysey, uses true stories of what could be angel encounters to illustrate the reality of angels among us. … The ODB author wrote: Louise suffers from muscular dystrophy. While trying to exit a train station one day, she found herself facing a large flight of stairs without an elevator or escalator. On the verge of tears, Louise saw a man suddenly appear, pick up her bag, and gently help her up the stairs. When she turned to thank him, he was gone. 
Michael was late for a meeting. Already stressed from a relationship breakdown, he started battling London’s traffic only to get a flat tire. As he stood helplessly in the rain, a man stepped out of the crowd, opened the boot (trunk), jacked up the car, and changed the wheel. When Michael turned to thank him, he was gone. 

I don’t know that I’ve ever encountered an angel as some mysterious helper in my life; but I certainly don’t discount the possibility that it could happen; because, … as the group Alabama sings in the linked song and the scriptures above document, ,,, God’s word is clear that The Lord watches over His beloved with angels. And as the verses in Hebrews declare, we might just encounter one or more of those heavenly ambassadors as God sends them to watch over us in our lives as we do our best to follow Jesus.

Maybe today! … Wouldn’t that be great? So, … best I treat some mysterious helper with hospitality; because he just might be my guardian angel.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your watch care of angels. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to treat any strangers with Christlike hospitality, not knowing if they might be an angel among us. … Amen

 logger 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.</ span>

January 5, 2020 … Shining His Light

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 5 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Jason Gray singing … Glow in the Dark … powerfully singing how we need to become Christ’s light of hope and grace shining into this ever-darkening world.

Glowing with His light in the darkness of this world 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 5:14 [NLT] ...   14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 
… Jesus desires that we, who are His disciples, become His shining lights in this world. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 5:14-16 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus declares that those who believe and follow Him will be bright lights in an ever-darkening world.
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Reference Passage : … John 8:12 [NLT] … 12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” 
… Jesus declares that His born-again disciples will shine His light in our lives to lead others to Him.

Reference Passage : … John 9:5 [NLT] … 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” 
… Jesus that His life, while on earth, was to shine the light of God into the world. Now that’s our job.

Reference Passage : … John 12:46 [NLT] … 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.  
… On His entry into Jerusalem just before His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus declares His mission to be the Light which draws His followers out of the darkness of sin into the light of salvation.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses the story of a young man who was determined EVERY DAY to do what Jason Gray sings in the linked song. … The ODB author wrote: Stephen told his parents that he needed to get to school early every day, but for some reason he never explained why it was so important. Yet they made sure he arrived at Northview High School by 7:15 each morning. 
On a wintry day during his junior year, Stephen was in a car accident that sadly took his life. Later, his mom and dad found out why he’d been going to school so early. Each morning he and some friends had gathered at the school entrance to greet other students with a smile, a wave, and a kind word. It made all students—even those who weren’t popular—feel welcomed and accepted. 
A believer in Jesus, Stephen wanted to share His joy with those who desperately needed it. His example lives on as a reminder that one of the best ways to shine the light of Christ’s love is by gestures of kindness and through a welcoming spirit. 

Really today, if you’ve taken in ODB story, the photo, the linked song, and meditated on the scriptures above, which are red-letter declarations from Christ Himself in God’s word, I think any/all reading with me here are as convicted as I am, as we move into the New Year, to do more to shine the light of Christ thru the way we live, just as Stephen, the boy in the ODB story, did.

So, what can we do, even today, to “glow in the dark” as Jason Gray sings? Perhaps just a smile would light up someone’s darkness. Or a kind word; … or maybe even doing all we can to help someone out who needs to come out of their own darkness and share the light of Christ’s love today. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your light which lights up my life.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to share some of Christ’s love light 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.</ span>

January 4, 2020 … In His Hands

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 4 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Brian Doerksen singing … Creation Calls … worshipfully and poignantly singing of the glory of God’s creation and what it says to us about our Lord’s greatness.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Job 38:4 [NLT] ...   4  “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much 
… God shows Job - and us - that He, God, controls the foundations of this world.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 38:4-11 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God shows Job that his inquiries as to why Job was stricken are foolish … that HE, God, is in control of EVERYTHING.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 19:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The heavens declare the greatness and glory of God.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 55:8-9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God teaches, thru Isaiah, that here are just some things which God has created or allowed to be created that will never completely understood this side of heaven.

Reference Passage : … Luke 12:1-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus teaches His followers about how God values ALL of His creation, so we need not fear anything.

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.
… God, thru Paul, promises that EVERYTHING which we Christians experiences is for our good; so, why would we fear anything.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses the glory of creation to show how we need not fear what transpires in this world because God is in total control of what He created. … The ODB author wrote: Scientists know our planet is precisely the right distance from the sun to benefit from its heat. A little closer and all the water would evaporate, as on Venus. Only a bit farther and everything would freeze like it does on Mars. Earth is also just the right size to generate the right amount of gravity. Less would make everything weightlessly sterile like our moon, while more gravity would trap poisonous gases that suffocate life as on Jupiter. 

Interesting that we know so much about how perfectly earth was created to sustain what we see on this planet (see linked song); but yet so many of us are fearful of what is going on in the world or there are so many who deny that there had to be Creator which cared about His creation to have all of His world under His watch care.

Yes, we humans desire to understand and explain everything under the sun; but when will we understand, as Job finally did (see highlight passage), that God is God and he is [or we are] not. That’s why Jesus, the God-man, declared that God knows every hair on our heads and certainly values us more the sparrows which fly about (see Luke 12 passage). And 700+ years before Christ came to show us the Creator in the flesh, Isaiah declared, for God, that there are just some things we will never completely understand this side of heaven (see Is. 55:8-9); so, … why be fearful?

So, I pray that, as we move in to the new year/decade, we just acknowledge that God created all, and controls His creation for His glory and our well being as His family (see Rom. 8:28); and therefore, … we need not fear for anything.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your glorious creation, in which I can see and worship You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to praise our God for what He has created … for our good and His 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.</ span>

January 3, 2020 … God Waits Patiently

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 3 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Travis Greene singing … You Waited … worshipfully singing of how our God is willing to wait on us to come to Him for His love, mercy, and amazing grace.

We wait on God ... but He waits on us too 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 30:18 [NLT] ...   18  So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. 
… God faithfully and patiently waits on us to come to Him for His grace.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 30:8-18 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God shows His faithfulness and His willingness to wait for His faithless people to come to Him for His help and mercy.
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Great is God’s faithfulness and His mercies are new every morning for the faithful who wait on Him.

Reference Passage : … Romans 9:22-24 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul teaches fellow Christians about God’s amazing and patient grace which He extends to those He has selected for glory - and that’s us, fellow Christian!!!

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 confirms His willingness to patiently knock continuously on the hearts of believers and His patient waiting for us to open the door on His amazing love and mercy and grace.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, uses a testimony of an artist who discovered how God was willing to wait on her coming to surrender to His amazing saving and sanctifying grace. … The ODB author wrote: When Denise Levertov was just twelve, long before she became a renowned poet, she had the gumption to mail a package of poetry to the great poet T. S. Eliot. She then waited for a reply. Surprisingly, Eliot sent two pages of handwritten encouragement. In the preface to her collection The Stream and the Sapphire, she explained how the poems “trace [her] own movement from agnosticism to Christian faith.” It’s powerful, then, to recognize how one of the later poems (“Annunciation”) narrates Mary’s surrender to God. Noting the Holy Spirit’s refusal to overwhelm Mary and His desire for Mary to freely receive the Christ child, these two words blaze at the poem’s center: “God waited.” 

Oh how I identify with this poet’s story and her discovery how God is willing to wait patiently for recalcitrant souls to come to Him. That was my story too, as I rejected God as an angry atheist for the first 39 years of my life. But He waited on me, … coming after me relentlessly, … and then, when I finally surrendered to Christ as my Lord, He has poured out His love and available mercies on me, giving me the enabling grace of His Spirit to lead me in life.

And every day, for those who’re willing to respond to His invitation (see Revelation 3:20), our Lord patently knocks at the door of our hearts and waits for us to open the door and let Him in, where/when He will pour out His amazing love/grace for us. I pray we open the door for Him to come in today.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your ever available, … amazing grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to open the door of our hearts today to let our Lord come in and dole out His love and grace into our lives. … 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.</ span>

January 2, 2020 … For Our Health

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 2 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from those in worship singing … Sweeter Than Honey … worshipfully singing of how God’s word is more valuable than gold and sweeter than the honeycomb from Psalm 19.

 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 24:14 [NLT] ...   14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. 
… God, thru Solomon, exhorts us to partake of God’s wisdom as we would partake of the sweetness and health benefits of honey.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 24:13-14 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Solomon, desiring health for his son, encourages the boy to partake of God’s wisdom the way he would partake of honey.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 19:7-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… As the linked song sings … God’s word is more desirable than gold and sweeter than the honeycomb, and producing health for the soul.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, desiring that we be healthy, encourages us to seek wisdom from the Lord to give us spiritual as well as physical health.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 4:10-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, speaking as a Heavenly Father to His children, shows them that following His instructions (i.e., His word) is the way to wisdom and well being in life.

Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul knew that others would thrive in Christlikeness if they followed Paul’s wisdom and ways because he, Paul, was following Christ’s wisdom and His ways, … which is the only way to glory.

  My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, uses a very sweet word picture to illustrate how our pursuit of God’s sweet wisdom produces good health in this life. … The ODB author wrote: People the world over spent an estimated $98.2 billion on chocolate in 2016. The number is staggering, yet at the same time not all that surprising. Chocolate, after all, tastes delicious [see photo] and we enjoy consuming it. So the world rejoiced collectively when the sweet treat was found to have significant health benefits as well. Chocolate contains flavonoids that help safeguard the body against aging and heart disease. Never has a prescription for health been so well received or heeded (in moderation, of course!). 

Common, dear ones, how many, … besides me, … were glad to learn that chocolate (see photo) has some definite heart health benefits? Well, when Solomon wrote many of God’s Proverbs (see above), they were meant to get his son to pursue Godly wisdom the way he might pursue the sweetness of honey; … because Godly wisdom, from pursuing God’s truth (i.e., His word), will produce spiritual heath, and quite possibly physical health, in our lives.

That’s what God wanted us to see from King David. singing about God’s word being more valuable than gold and sweeter than the honeycomb (see Ps 19]; and the Apostle Paul trying to get others to follow him the way he was following Christ’s words and ways (see 1Cor. 11:1-2).

So, I pray today that all reading here will do all we can in this new year to pursue the sweetness and vitality of God’s truth from His word; … and that we might receive the spiritual (and yes, even the physical) benefits it affords. That’s why you find me here every morning, trying to sap and share as much of God’s sweetness from His word as I can.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for Your word which drips like honeycomb with your sweet wisdom.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to partake of the honeycomb of Your wisdom 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.</ span>

January 1, 2020 … Praying Again

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 1 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jaci Velasquez singing … On My Knees … poignantly singing of how we need to be in prayer always, and especially when we feel down.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Timothy 2:1 [ESV] ...   1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, … 
… Paul shows the priority all Christians should make to pray for each other.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Timothy 2:1-7 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul, in mentoring Timothy and to all the flock Timothy was pastoring in Ephesus, exhorts all Christians to pray ALWAYS.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 116:1-2 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Knowing God will listen to His prayers, David sings of his desire to go to the Lord in prayer as long as he lives.

Reference Passage : … John 15:7 [ESV] … 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 
… Jesus tells His disciples (and us) how our prayer has power … when we abide in Him and His word.

Reference Passage : … 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 [ESV] … 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 
… Paul showed the priority we need to have to pray “without ceasing,” thankfully bringing our requests to God.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.. 
… We need to be humbly taking our anxieties to God in prayer because our Lord so cares for us. My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, uses a story of a friend who had prayed for him with a powerful outcome in his past. … The ODB author wrote: That text message from an old friend came with a photo of a note she’d kept in her Bible: “Pray for James. Cover mind, thoughts, words.” Beside my name she’d recorded three separate years. 
 I looked at the years and caught my breath. I wrote back and asked what month she began to pray. She responded, “Sometime around July.” 
That was the month I was preparing to leave home for extended study abroad. I would be facing an unfamiliar culture and language and have my faith challenged like never before. As I looked at the note, I realized I’d received the precious gift of generous prayer.  

Hey, … fellow Christian, … is God’s Spirit prompting you to pray for someone on this first day of 2020? If so, … as we might be led by this first ODB entry of the year … and the song by Jaci Velasquez … and the powerful exhortations about prayer in the Scriptures above, … let’s just stop right here and pray for that person. I am; … join me!

And then, come back here tomorrow … and join me for the rest of this year daily … as we dig into God’s word together … and pray for each other.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for always praying for me and for being there to hear our prayers.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to pray for each other as Your Spirit leads us to bring our needs and cares to you daily. … 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.</ span>

December 31, 2019 … New Year’s Planting

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 365 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing … The Field of Souls … poignantly singing of how we as Christians are called to work the fields of this world, planing God’s leads of truth from HIs word and praying for a bountiful harvest of souls and service.

 "City Blossoms" ... Inner City Garden Project

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 8:11 [ESV] ...   11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 
… Jesus explains that the seeds we plant in the “field of souls” are seeds of truth from God’s word. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 8:4-8, 11-15 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus explains how we plant God’s seed of truth from His word by living our lives as Christ, praying that the seeds will land on fertile soil and produce much fruit.
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Reference Passage : … John 15:1-5 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The only way we can bear much fruit for God’s kingdom is to abide in Christ and receive and share His essence from His word with others.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 5:22-23 [ESV] … 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 
… Praying that we all do all we can in 2020 to be more fruitful in/for Christ.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, uses a poignant and productive illustration of planing gardens in our inner cities to show others how to live more productive and fruitful lives. … The ODB author wrote: “Kids should be able to throw a seed anywhere they want [in the garden] and see what pops up,” suggests Rebecca Lemos-Otero, founder of City Blossoms. While this is not a model for careful gardening, it reflects the reality that each seed has the potential to burst forth with life. Since 2004, City Blossoms has created gardens for schools and neighborhoods in low-income areas. [see photo] The kids are learning about nutrition and gaining job skills through gardening. Rebecca says, “Having a lively green space in an urban area . . . creates a way for kids to be outside doing something productive and beautiful.” 

Well, I don’t think it takes a Ph.D. in worldly living to see what the ODB entry is trying to say to us on this last day of the year. As Christians, Jesus charged us to abide in Him [see John 15] so that we can live fruitful lives. And as we move into 2020, I charge all readers to take a personal inventory, using the “fruit of the Spirit” listed in Gal. 5:22-23, which are the character qualities of Christlikeness.

Let’s ask ourselves if these fruit are growing in us … “love, joy, peace, etc.” … and whether we are abiding in our relationship with Christ intimately enough to be planting seeds of those fruit by sharing God’s truth (i.e., from His word) with others. So, as we move into the New Year, let’s plant those seeds in the “field of souls” (as the Brooklyn Tab sings) and watch them grow in God’s fertile kingdom soil for His glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for planting Your seeds in me which will prayerfully grow to share with others.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to sow the seeds of God’s truth in the fertile soil of God’s kingdom to see them become fruitful in the New Year. … 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.</ span>

December 30, 2019 … Relying on God’s Strength

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 364 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing his song… His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how our God provides His strength to cover our inherent weaknesses.

Fresh water outside Jerusalem (see post) 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 22:11 [ESV] ...   11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.
… We can do all we can to shore up our weaknesses; but there will always be weaknesses from which we need God’s protection.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 22:8-11 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God warns God’s leaders to look to the Lord to cover their human weaknesses, which would always be there when they were trying to protect Jerusalem.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, exhorts believers to trust the Lord especially when we know we are weak and vulnerable.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ESV] … 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
… Jesus assures us, thru Paul, that He is always there with His empowering grace to cover our human weaknesses.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
… Are we willing to humble ourselves enough to bring our anxieties to God?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, illustrates how God’s empowering grace is available to us when we humble ourselves to surrender our weaknesses to the Lord. … The ODB author wrote: There’s a natural spring that rises on the east side of the city of Jerusalem. [See Photo] In ancient times it was the city’s only water supply and was located outside the walls. Thus it was the point of Jerusalem’s greatest vulnerability. The exposed spring meant that the city, otherwise impenetrable, could be forced to surrender if an attacker were to divert or dam the spring. 
King Hezekiah addressed this weakness by driving a tunnel through 1,750 feet of solid rock from the spring into the city where it flowed into the “Lower Pool” (see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:2–4). 

We all have our personal and inherent weaknesses, don’t we? As humans, as Hezekiah in the references above, we do all we can to cover our weaknesses; but as the linked songs and God’s word declares (in 2Cor. 12:9), God’s strength is there for us when we’re humbly willing to come to Him for His empowering grace.

As we move into 2020, I pray we’re humble enough and willing to take our cares to a caring God (see 1Peter 5:6-7) and receive His empowering grace to carry us onward for His glory.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for always being there for us with your enabling/empowering grace.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to take our weaknesses and concerns to the Lord whenever our weaknesses let us know that we need God’s strength. … 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.</ span>

December 29, 2019 … Laundromat Love

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 363 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing … Find Us Faithful … powerfully singing of how our Lord calls us to faithful service in our lives, helping others thru our works to see the love and grace of God.

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Highlight Verse[s]: James 2:24 [ESV] ...    24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 
… James, Jesus’ brother, couldn’t imagine one having saving faith in Christ without expressing that faith with works that reflect the character of the Savior.
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Highlight Passage [context]: James 2:14-26 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru James, shows that our good works for the glory of God are expressions of our faith in Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:14-16 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus preached that kingdom believers would shine God’s light of faith by the works that reflect His love and grace.

Reference Passage : … Luke 4:18-19 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ expressed mission in life should be our mission as well … to reach out in God’s Name and for His glory with works which proclaim God’s love and grace in this life.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 2:8-10 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorted to Christians that we are saved BY grace THRU faith UNTO good works.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, uses a practical - real life - ministry which expresses the love/grace of God to others by washing the clothes of those who can’t afford a laundromat. … The ODB author wrote: A small church in Southern California recognized an opportunity to express God’s love in a practical way. Believers in Jesus gathered at a local laundromat to give back to their community by washing clothes for those in financial need. [see photo] They cleaned and folded clothes together, and sometimes provided a hot meal or bags of groceries for recipients. 

I think the photo/logo attached aptly expresses the mission and expression of God’s love and grace thru that ministry, doesn’t it? And that’s what Jesus called us to do as disciples of Christ, … didn’t He; … to carry out His mission in life (see Luke 4:18-19) and to reach out to help others, shining God’s light of love in this ever darkening world (see Matt. 5:14-16)

That’s what Jesus’ brother, James, was so adamant about in the highlight passage; … that those who truly have the saving grace of Christ in our lives, will show that faith by our works, thereby glorifying God in the process. And the Apostle Paul, expressed much the same in teaching that we are saved BY God’s grace, THRU our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, which ultimately leads to our expressing that faith UNTO good works in HIs name (see Eph. 2:8-10).

So, what will we be DOING today … and into the New Year … to express God’s purpose in our lives by SHOWING others the love of God as did those folks [again see photo] expressing their “laundromat love.”

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving us the opportunity to show Your love for others by the way we live out that love in our lives.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to faithfully fulfill Christ’s mission of love/grace by the way we help others 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.</ span>

December 28, 2019 … Forgotten? … Never!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 362 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Avalon singing … Orphans of God … powerfully singing of how our God never forgets ALL of His children, as there are no orphans in the family of God.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 49:15 [ESV] ...   15  “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 
… Isaiah relays God’s promise to never forget His people, no matter what the circumstances may be. ==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 49:8-16 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Isaiah promise God’s people (that’s you/me too!) that He will never forget them. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Solomon, exhorts believers to trust the Lord even when He may seem distant from us.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20 [ESV] … 20 … And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 
… After Christ’s “Great Commission,” His promise to be with His born-again disciples ALWAYS!

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:38-39 [ESV] … 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
… Paul expresses the confidence we can have as true believers that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love.

Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [ESV] … 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
… Jesus assures Paul (and us) that His grace is ALWAYS sufficient for us to deal with the challenges of life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Sheridan Voysey, uses a story of a dedicated school bus driver to show how we can be misguided in our attempts to motivate others toward good works. … The ODB author wrote: Egged on by my children to prove I’d endured years mastering the basics of piano, I sat down and started playing the C Major scale. Having played very little piano in nearly two decades, I was surprised I remembered! Feeling brave, I proceeded to play seven different scales by heart one right after the other. I was shocked! Years of practicing had imprinted the notes and technique so deeply in my fingers’ “memory” that they instantly knew what to do.   
There are some things that can never be forgotten. But God’s love for His children is far more deeply imprinted than any of our fading memories—in fact, God CAN’T forget them. [See photo]

And as the group Avalon sings in the linked song, there are no forgotten orphans in the family of God. So, … if any reader here knows that you are graphed into God’s family as a born-again believer, take heart! … No matter what our circumstances (see 2Cor. 12:9), God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient, since our Lord is always there for us, … never forgetting us (see Matt. 28:20)!!

And if you feel forgotten today, or doubting your salvation, email me (at billb13@bellsouth.net ). We can settle those issues … FOREVER!!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for always having us in the palm of Your hand.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to remember that God NEVER abandons a child of God. … 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.</ span>