September 23, 2021 … Freedom Forever!! …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 266 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from The Bethel Singers singing … Freedom … powerfully singing of the freedom offered to anyone who surrenders to receive God’s saving grace. 

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Highlight Passage:  Malachi 4:2 [NLT] …  

2 “But for you who fear my name, the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 

…  We should leap for joy in being set free from the captivity of our sin by our faith in Messiah.    

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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Malachi 4:1-3 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… The Prophet Malachi prophesies what it will be like when mankind is set free from their captivity to sin.  

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Reference Passage: … Psalms 13:5, 35:9 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… King David sings with joy at the Lord having rescued him from death, … just as we should praise the Lord for having saved us.  

Reference Passage: … Luke 10:20b [NLT] … 

20 But … rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”  

… Jesus commands His disciples to rejoice in the freedom from our salvation.      

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

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  

…  Paull exhorts fellow Christians to rejoice (ALWAYS) in the joy of our salvations.  

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 1:8-9 [NLT] … 

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 

…  Peter shows fellow believers that we must ALWAYS be thankful for the joy of our salvation. 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Lisa M Samra, AT THIS LINK … telling of a cattle farmer who was moved to surrender for salvation from the message of today’s highlight passage (see Malachi 4:2) … with the image of calves frolicking in the freedom which comes from The Messiah setting mankind free from our sin, … the farmer being moved remembering how joyful his cattle were when they were set free from riding long distances in a cramped cattle truck (see photo).  

Fellow Christian, … do you remember the freedom which came from your past captivity to sin … when you truly were saved by God’s blood and your belief in what Jesus did to save you?   I do; … and I’ll praise God FOREVER for pursuing me with His saving grace and setting me free from my past captivity to my selfish sin nature.

So, if like the cattle farmer, you are - as I am - joyful today in remembering God saving us, … join me with a resounding "HALLELUJAH!" as you read this; and let’s go out and share that joy of freedom with someone today.          

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for setting me free from myself to languish in the joy of my salvation. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to share the joy of freedom we feel today in You, Lord, setting us free from our self-imposed captivity.  … Amen 

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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.

September 22, 2021 … Don’t Worry - He Knows! …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 265 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from The Maranatha Singers singing … He Knows My Name … poignantly singing of how our God knows EVERYTHING about us and has a plan for our lives. 

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Highlight Passage:  Romans 8:27 [NLT] …  

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 

…  God’s Spirit is working in the hearts of all believers to remake us into HIs image. …              

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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Romans 8:26-30 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul, helping other Christians realize that God knows EVERYTHING about His own and is working to remake our hearts into His image. 

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 139:23-24 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… This should be the prayer of any believer each day of our lives.  

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

… We need to trust the Lord ALWAYS and lean not on our own ways in life.

Reference Passage: … Proverbs 21:2 [NLT] … 

2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. 

… We see life our way; but God sees and KNOWS our hearts and the way we should go.   

Reference Passage: … Jeremiah 17:9-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… We can NEVER trust our own - human hearts - we must ONLY trust God to know and lead us to HIs purposes in life.      

Reference Passage: … Acts 15:8 [NLT] … 

8 God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts ANYONE by giving believers HIs Holy Spirit to guide our lives.  </i>

…  God knows the hearts of all mankind, and gives His Spirit to those who surrender to His Lordship.    

My Devotional Journal:Today's Our Daily Bread author, Anne Cetas, AT THIS LINK … shows that even so-called “smart” devices, like Alexa or Siri, can misunderstand and get it wrong at times; and that’s the way it is with us, trusting our own hearts/minds too much in life. 

And the reality is … we cannot trust our own mind/hearts to get it right all the time.  We can only trust the One Who truly knows our hearts and will ALWAYS lead us THE WAY to go … HIS WAY.  And I pray that it the direction we seek today … to trust and follow Him … letting our Lord lead us … and seeking ONLY to follow Him …  as the song and God’s word lead us above.         

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for helping me to choose to follow Your truth today. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to choose Your truth, Lord … today and ALWAYS!!   … Amen 

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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.

September 21, 2021 … Choosing The Truth …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 264 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Matthew West singing … Truth Be Told … poignantly singing of how seldom truth is really told in our public discourse. 

We get to choose !! 

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Highlight Passage:  Exodus 23:7a [NLT] …  

7 “Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. … 

… God commands us NEVER to bear false witness …              

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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Exodus 23:1-9 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God, thru Moses, lays out His command to ALWAYS tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  

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Reference Passage: … Exodus 20:16 [NLT] …  

16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor…. “   

… God’s 9th Commandment … 

Reference Passage: … Proverbs 12:22 [NLT] … 

22  The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.  

… Solomon shows how much God hates sharing untruth.      

Reference Passage: … John 8:32, 44 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… Jesus exposes Satan, who is the author of all lies … and that seeing truth will set us free from our selfish ways. 

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 4:25, 29 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …   

… Paul exhorts fellow Christians (and that’s us too) to ALWAYS tell the truth.

Reference Passage: … 1John 3:18 [NLT] … 

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 

…  We are commanded by God’s word to show our love thru the truth of our actions.   

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Winn Collier, AT THIS LINK … tells of how a viral video of a baseball fan misrepresented what actually happened at a Cubs baseball game, causing the fan to be hated when, in fact, he had actually done a service to a small fan.  The story illustrates what can happen when we don’t share the WHOLE truth, … especially in these days when social media can so easily spread untruth in our wold.  

 

And I hope that all reading here with will take in Matthew West’s pertinent song, and we all have meditated on the truth from God’s word in the Scriptures above, … commanding us all to ALWAYS choose truth over any misrepresentation of the truth (see photo).  Because, as Jesus spoke THE TRUTH, … we get to choose the truth over a lie, and God’s truth will ALWAYS set us free (see John 8:32).         

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for helping me to choose to follow Your truth today. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to choose Your truth, Lord … today and ALWAYS!!   … Amen 

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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.

September 20, 2021 … Pursuing His Grace …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 263

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Clay Crosse, Bob Carlisle, and Bebe Winans singing … I Will Follow Christ … powerfully singing of how we must do all we can as Christians to follow the Lord. 

Zacchaeus pursuing Christ ... 

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Highlight Passage:  Luke 19:9-10 [NLT] …  

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” 

… Jesus responds to Zacchaeus’ pursuit by calling on the tax-collector to invite Him into his life by His saving grace.                  

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Highlight Passage [Context]: … Luke 19:1-10 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Luke relates the story of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus, whose pursuit of Jesus paid off in salvation from The Master and service to the Lord. 

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Reference Passage: … Matthew 9:9-13 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus calls on Matthew, a tax-collector, to follow Him and explains why He, Jesus, came to save sinners. 

Reference Passage: … Mark 2:15-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus showed that He was all about kindness and compassion to sinners.       

Reference Passage: … 1John 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.   

… If we’re willing to confess our sins and repent, Jesus is ALWAYS there to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins.  

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 is ALWAYS there to come into the lives of Saints who’re willing to open the door of our lives to the Lord with confession and repentance.    

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Poh Fang Chia, AT THIS LINK  … writes of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus, who become a leader in the early church of Caesarea after being the short man up a tree, doing all he could to pursue forgiveness from Jesus.    

  

And I pray all reading here know that Jesus is there to forgive and cleanse any surrendered believer who’s willing to repent and receive the Lord’s sanctifying grace.  So, … as is sung in the linked song and related in the Scriptures above, … if we’re willing to pursue the Lord’s forgiveness with a contrite heart, Jesus will ALWAYS be willing to cleanse us and give us His saving - or sanctifying -  grace …. just as He did with Zacchaeus.       

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your sanctifying grace again today, … just like You did yesterday.   

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to thankfully come to receive Your sanctifying grace again today.  … Amen 

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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.

September 19, 2021 … Unbroken Faith …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 262 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how God promises His strength to lift us up when our strength is gone. 

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Highlight Passage:  Jeremiah 1:8 [NLT] …  

8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken! 

… God promises, thru Jeremiah, to ALWAYS be with His people, no matter what their [our] circumstances may be.                  

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …Jeremiah 1:4-10 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God’s promise to His people thru Jeremiah that He would be with them always … Also quoted by God in Hebrews 13:5.  

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Reference Passage: … Deuteronomy 31:6 [NLT] … 

6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

… God’s promise, thru Moses, to His people that He would never leave them, nor forsake them.       

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 remembered promise - thru Isaiah - that God will lift up His people when they become discouraged or weakened.  

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 12:9-10 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK … 

… Paul remembers Jesus’ promise to always be there to give us His strength when we are weak.   

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Mike Wittmer, AT THIS LINK   … uses the story of Louis Zamparini, told in the movie, Unbroken,  [see photo] where Louis and several fellow soldiers were captured and tortured by the Japanese and were finally set free at the end of WW2, where Zamparini ultimately became a Christian and realized, in recovery from post-war alcoholism, where the strength had come for him to hold on and have strength in the face of his human weakness.   

And certainly the Scriptures above, as well as Steven Curtis Chapman’s linked song, give witness to the empowering grace we get from God’s strength to cover our human weakness when we don’t feel strong enough to go on.  … So, I pray that all reading with me believe and recognize the power of our God, the Author of our faith, Who will be with us today - AND EVERY DAY - when we need His strength to lift us up when we feel down and out.     

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your strength to deal with the pain and weakness I’m experiencing right now.  

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to remember that our Lord’s strength is there to lift us up when we feel weakened.  … Amen 

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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.

September 18, 2021 … Sweet Aroma of Christ …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 261 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Joy Willliams singing … Do They See Jesus In Me … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, desire that others see Christlikeness in the way we live our lives. 

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Highlight Passage:  2Corinthians 2:15 [NLT] … 

15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 

… Paul teaches that others sense the Christlikeness in our lives.                  

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …2Corinthians 2:14-17 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  Paul exhorting fellow Christians to live lives which have an aroma of Christlikeness.   

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Reference Passage: … John 13:34-35 [NLT] … 

 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

… When we love one another, as Christ loved us, we show, by our love, that we are disciples of Christ.      

Reference Passage: … Ephesians 5:1-2 [NLT] … 

1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 

… When we live lives of love, as did Christ, we become a pleasing aroma to God. 

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

… As Christians, Paul exhorts us to have the same attitude as Christ.  

Reference Passage: … 1Peter 2:21 [NLT] … 

21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.

… Peter exhorts fellow Christians to follow in Christ’s footsteps and walk as He walked.  

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, David H Roper, AT THIS LINK  … told of the father of two of his close friends, who, everywhere the man went, would exude the love of Christ, showing Christ-like compassion and concern for others.  

And today’s ODB entry, linked above, and most certainly the Scriptures above, exhort us, as disciples of Christ, to do all we can, as Joy Williams sings, to live lives which exhibit and exude the love of Christ to others.  Because when we do, we become an aroma of Christlikeness which is sensed as the love of God to others.  

And I pray that we’re all being that sweet aroma in the nostrils of God today.   

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for making me a sweet aroma to You when/if I live my life so that others sense You in me. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to do all we can to be Your sweet aroma as other sense You in the way we live and show Your love to others. … Amen 

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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.

September 17, 2021 … Making A New Way …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 260 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a song and lyrics from Don Moen singing … God Will Make A Way … poignantly singing of how our God makes a way in the wilderness of life when there simply seems no way thru. 

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Highlight Passage:  Isiah 43:18 [NLT] …  

18 I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

… God repeats His promise thru Isaiah to make a way to the promised land thru the wilderness they were in at the time.                 

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …Isaiah 43:18-21 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  God promises His people, thru Isaiah, that He, the Lord, will one day make a new way thru the wilderness of their lives.   

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 23:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… David writes of God being our Good Shepherd, leading us thru even the valley of the shadow of death.  

Reference Passage: … John 14:6 [NLT] … 

6 Jesus told [His disciples], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 

… Jesus tells His disciples [and us] that following His way is the only way to go.      

Reference Passage: … 2Corinthians 5:17 [NLT] … 

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 

… Paul shows fellow Christians that our faith in Christ makes all things new in our lives. 

Reference Passage: … Galatians 2:20 [NLT] … 

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

… Paul shows fellow Christians that dying to self opens up a whole new life to follow Christ. 

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Patricia Raybon, AT THIS LINK   … related a story of a WW2 English Vicar who cleverly moved a fence to accommodate the burial of an American Soldier showing that there was a way to conceal the burial even when there didn’t seem to be a way. 

And often that’s the way it is with God, isn’t it?  We may have trouble seeing a way to go in life; but as Don Moen sings in the linked song, our Lord can - and often does - make a way - a new way - even when there seems to be no way.  And I pray to day that EVERYDAY we seek to follow HIS WAY thru the wilderness of this life, just as God promised and did so for those who believed in and now follow Him in faith.

Yes, dear one, our God will make a way where there seems to be no way.  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for giving me Your “GPS” - i.e., your word - to follow today to lead me to find Your way thru the wilderness. 

My Prayer Today: : Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, …  to seek out and follow Your way today - and tomorrow. … Amen 

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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.