November 24, 2022 … Hopeful Longings of Love …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 328

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from anonymous praise chorus singing … We Gather Together … poignantly singing an old thanksgiving hymn extolling the hope we have in Christ when we gather together as believers.  

A Loving Family Thanksgiving gathering ... 

 

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Highlight Passage: … Proverbs 13:12  [ESV] …  

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.   

… Solomon shows that our hopeful longings are realized in dreams fulfilled.                                                                  

Highlight Passage (Context): … Proverbs 13:12-19 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God, thru Solomon, compares the hopeful living of the wise with the selfish longings of the fool.                                     

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 133:1  [NLT] …  

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!.  

…  King David sung of the blessing God provides for those who come together and live in harmony.   

Reference Passage: … Matthew 18:20 [NLT] …  

20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”   

…  God’s promise - thru Jesus - to be anywhere two or more gather together as His followers. 

Reference Passage: … John 15:12 [NLT] …  

12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  

…  Jesus, coming together with HIs Disciples in the upper room the night before His death on the Cross, commands His disciples (and us) to love one another as He loves us.  

Reference Passage: … Hebrews 10:24-25  [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

…  God’s Spirit, thru the Author of Hebrews, exhorts Christians to come together to encourage one another and build up their (our) faith.  

Reference Passage: …1John 4:20-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

… God's Spirit, thru the Apostle John, shows that if we claim to love God we will show His love to one another.              

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Amy Boucher Eye … AT THIS LINK …   told of moving to England and missing the longings of family love on Thanksgiving Day (see photo), which was just another Thursday in November for her new British friends.                  

Thanksgiving Day here in the USA, which BTW is today, is a time when loved ones can come together to express their (our) thankfulness for our love for one another. And on this day, those of us who’re Christians can - and many will - gather to express our gratefulness of the love of God, … Who sacrificed His Son to save those who would believe on Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

And I’m stopping here - on this Thanksgiving day here in the USA - reveling in the linked song which expresses my gratefulness for our God’s saving love and acknowledging His commands for all who love Him …  to love one another, … symbolized when we come together today to share our thankfulness on this special day here in America.  And even if you live somewhere where this day in not set aside to celebrate our hopeful thanksgiving, I pray you have family and friends for whom you will now thank God for their .. AND HIS …  love.                                                      

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … as my family gathers today in thankful shared time, we will gratefully be sharing Your love for us on this special day.    

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to recognized Your love for us, Lord, as we share our love with one another 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.

November 23, 2022… IF I’d Only Known! …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 327

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from the group King and Country plus Dolly Parton singing … God Only Knows … poignantly and powerfully singing of God is the only One Who knows our future.  

Following God's road into the future ... 

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Highlight Passage: … Ecclesiastes 10:14  [ESV] …  

14 No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.   

… Solomon shows that God only knows what lies in the future.                                                                  

Highlight Passage (Context): … Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God, thru Solomon, shows that fools base their (or our) assumptions on our own understanding; but ONLY GOD knows what lies ahead.                                                                  

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 3:5-6, 19:21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

… God, thru Solomon, shows that we must trust God for our future and avoid relying on our own perceptions and understanding because - in the end - God’s purpose will prevail.    

Reference Passage: … Isaiah 55:8  [NLT] …  

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.  “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 

…  God shows, thru Isaiah, that God’s ways are way beyond our ways to understand our future. 

Reference Passage: … Jeremiah 29:11  [NLT] …  

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

…  God shows, thru Jeremiah, that God has plans for His chosen people way beyond what we could imagine. 

Reference Passage: …John 16:13 [NLT] …  

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.  

…  Jesus teaches His disciples (and us) that God will provide His Spirit to shows us the way to go in life.                

Reference Passage: …1John 3:20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.   </i> 

…  God’s Spirit, thru John, shows believers that our feelings often get in the way  of following God’s will and His ways because HE, The LORD, knows everything.             

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Winn Collier … AT THIS LINK …   illustrates man’s inability to know the future by showing how few knew what would happen in the future when bitcoin digital currency came into being. And who knows what such investments will bring for those who gamble their financial future on bitcoin.                

<b>“If I’d only known”</b>is one of the must tragic lines we hear from humanity; because, as we hear in the linked song and read in the truth of the Scriptures above, ONLY GOD KNOWS our future.  And so, we need to recognize that we must do all we can to trust in God and follow His will and His ways. to seek out our road to the future (see Photo).   

And every day, I’m here trying to plug my human capabilities into God’s plans for my future by trying to see His will and His ways thru His word of truth … IN THE BIBLE.  And I’m grateful for those of you who come along with me as we seek to follow our Lord into the future by using His “GPS,” … i.e., His word.                                                    

My THANKFULNESS:<... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … again today I seek to follow Your will and Your ways into the future You have for me ahead.      

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to seek our future by following Your ways, Lord, thru Your word.    …  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.

November 22, 2022 …Real-Deal Faith …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 326

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Danny Gokey singing … Stand In Faith … powerfully singing of how we Christians stand and live by our Faith in Christ. 

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Highlight Passage: … James 2:26  [ESV] …  

26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.   

… God’s reality, expressed by James, is that real faith only lives in our actions. .                                                                   

Highlight Passage (Context): … James 2:14-26 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… James, Jesus’ brother, shows that real faith is evidenced in Christlike action.                            

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Reference Passage: …John 14:21 [NLT] …  

21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

…  Jesus teaches His disciples (and us) that only those who completely surrender in faith to follow The Messiah, are the ones who truly love the Lord.   

Reference Passage: … Romans 1:17 [NLT] …  

17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”  

…  Paul quotes Scripture (see Habakkuk 2:4), showing that it is real faith who shows itself in righteous living.      

    

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 living the Christians live demands that we die to self and live for Christ who died for us.  

Reference Passage: … Galatians 5:22-23  [NLT] …  

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  

…  Paul shows fellow Christians that Christian living by faith in Christ shows itself in Christlike, … fruitful, … living.        

Reference Passage: …Ephesians 2:10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.    

…  Paul expresses truth that we, who are born-again, thru our faith in Christ, to live now through our good works to express our faith in The Lord.             

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Anne Cetas … AT THIS LINK …   illustrates real-deal Christian faith by telling about a young couple, John and Barb, who, on the way to church, saw a barn which had destroyed by a tornado the night before.  And the faith of this young couple led them to go back home, change their clothes, to come back and help the barn owners clear out the damage of the destroyed barn.                 

And that, my fellow Christian readers, is faith in action.  And it challenges those of us, who claim to be disciples of Christ, to look for opportunities to show off our love for Christ by living out our faith thru Christlike living.  So, by taking in the linked song and the Scriptures above, … what can we do to live out our love for the Lord by using our Spirit-empowered faith thru fruitful, Christlike, living today?                                                   

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … calling me to show my love for You, Lord, by living like You - and for You -  today.     

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to to live our our faith in You, Lord, by living for You 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  can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

November 21, 2022 … Rooted In God’s Truth …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 325

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from the group,The Gettys, singing … Speak O Lord … poignantly and powerfully singing of how we must seek to know God thru His truth, thru and thru !! 

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Highlight Passage: … John 2:22  [ESV] …  

22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.  

… So much of what Jesus did, which His disciples could not understand, became clear after His resurrection.                                                                   

Highlight Passage (Context): … John 2:13-22 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus’ disciples could not understand Jesus’ actions in clearing God’s Temple of thieves until they remembered the incident AFTER the Resurrection.                                                                 

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Reference Passage: … Psalm 86:11a [NLT] …  

11 Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth!  …    

…  King David’s heart was to know God completely by knowing and following  His truth.  

Reference Passage: … Psalm 119:160 [NLT] …  

160 The very essences of Your words is truth; … all Your just regulations will stand forever. <

…  King David sang of the endurance of God’s word and knowing The Lord thru His truth.   

Reference Passage: … John 1:14 [NLT] …  

14 So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 

…  God’s Spirit, thru John, reveals that God’s word became flesh in The Christ that we might know Him thru His word and follow Him.   

    

Reference Passage: … John 17:17  [NLT] …  

17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.   

…  Jesus prayed that His chosen would be sanctified thru Go’s word.      

Reference Passage: … 2Timothy 2:15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.   <

…  Paul shows Timothy (and us) that we, as Christians, must be able to present ourselves to God as disciples who can share God’s word of truth.            

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread< author, Mart DeHaan… AT THIS LINK …   writes of how author, Richard Hays, in his book, Reading Backwards, explains that some who read a book backwards, as well as forwards, many times get more from the writing that those who only read from the front to the back.              

And that principle speaks well of our reading and following God’s truth, doesn’t it?   And I pray we all realize that God’s word and His truth needs to be consumed from back-to-front as well as from front-to-back in order for us to fully grasp the essence of how we are to surrender and follow God’s truth to know our Lord completely.  

So, I’m challenged, as I pray you are today, to get to know our Lord, as He prayed we would (see John 17:17) before He died, …  to make it possible to know Him completely thru His word.  That’s why I’m here - as I am daily - seeking Him out thru His truth - both forwards and backwards - to know Him more intimately and follow Him more closely.                                                  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for  giving me the truth of Your word to know You more deeply today.    

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to know You, Lord, … thru Your word … so that we can follow You more closely in serving You more dearly as You lead us homeward.     …  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.

November 20, 2022 … Rational Faith …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 324 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from the group New Wine Worship singing … Faith and Faithfulness … poignantly and powerfully singing of how we share our faith in all the challenges of life with faithfulness. 

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Highlight Passage: … 1Peter 3:14-15  [ESV] …  

14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.   

… Peter challenges fellow Christians under persecution to share their (and our) faith no matter what we might face from the world.                                                                 

Highlight Passage (Context): … 1Peter 3:13-18 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Peter shows persecuted Christians how they (we) must share their (our) faith in the face of challenges in this world.                                                                                                                   

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

… God, thru Solomon, calls on His own (that’s us!) to trust in Him to lead us no matter what we face in life.  

Reference Passage: …  Matthew 28:18-20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… Jesus commissions His disciples (that’s us!) to take His gospel to the world knowing that He will be with us no matter what we face.     

Reference Passage: … Mark 16:15 [NLT] … 

15 And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.  

…  After the resurrection, Jesus appears to His fearful disciples and charges them to trust Him to take His gospel to the world.  

    

Reference Passage: … Romans 1:16 [NLT] …  

<i> 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. </i> 

…  Paul shows his confidence in sharing The Gospel with ANYONE … ANYWHERE!      

Reference Passage: … 2Timothy 2:1:7-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

…  Paul shows Timothy (and us) that we, as the Lord’s disciples, should never be ashamed or fearful to share God’s good news with others.          

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder… AT THIS LINK …    ells of C.S. Lewis, in 1941, establishing a “Socratic Club” at Oxford University to promote debate and discussion between atheists and Christians, … feeling that Christian faith ought to be able to stand up to reasonable debate.            

And if my readers have taken in and meditated on the Scriptures above, we, who declare our faith in God’s declared “Good News” (i.e., The Gospel), must be willing - and with the enabling grace of God’s Spirit - to faithfully stand up to those who will challenge our faith.  And they will!!

So, are you ready to join me to willingly and faithfully stand up to a world who will come to challenge our faith today?                                                 

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for  giving me the truth of Your word to stand up to the world today.    

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to use the strength of Your word, Lord, to stand up to those who will come against Your truth 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.

November 19, 2022 … God Knows …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2021 - Day 323 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Andrew Ripp singing … God Knows … poignantly and powerfully singing of how our God, thru His love for us, knows everything about us.   

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Highlight Passage: … Psalm 139:1  [ESV] …  

1 O LORD, You have examined m heart and know EVERYTHING about me.   

… David sings of God’s omniscient and intimate knowledge about him.                                                                

Highlight Passage (Context): … Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… King David sings of the intimate relationship he - and any believer - has with Yahweh, Who 

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Reference Passage: …  Jeremiah 12:3 [NLT] …  

3 But as for me, LORD, You know my heart.  You see me and test my thoughts.  

…  God, thru Jeremiah, shows the Lord’s ability to know all who follow Him faithfully.    

Reference Passage: …  Matthew 10:29-30 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …

… Jesus teaches His followers that NOTHING happens in this world without God, our heavenly Father, knowing about it.     

Reference Passage: … John 10:14-15 [NLT] …  

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 

…  Jesus declares that He is our Good Shepherd and He knows His flock (i.e., born-again believers) and His flock knows Him  

    

Reference Passage: … 1Corinthians 8:3 [NLT] …  

3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.  

…  Paul teaches fellow Christians that those who love God are known by Him.    

Reference Passage: … 1John 3:19-20 [NLT] …  

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.  

…  God’s Spirit, thru the Apostle John, shows that we can have confidence that GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING about all who know Him as Lord and Savior.          

                                                                              

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Kimya Loder… AT THIS LINK …   tells of how the author’s mother always seemed to KNOW - without fail - when something was wrong with the author as a child, … often declaring, ..  “What’s the matter? … And, before you tell me it’s nothing, remember I’m your mother. I gave birth to you, and I know you better than you know yourself.”           

And reading that, I would think that the ODB author and I had the same mother; because my mom could also read my thoughts and feelings like that.  How about you and your mom?  

But even if our parents were not as aware as this; certainly, if my readers have taken in the linked song and meditated on the Scriptures above, … as Christians, … we surely must be aware that our Lord knows us deeply and intimately … and PERFECTLY.   As King David sung in Psalm 139, our God knows us completely and everything about us.  So as David prayed in verses 23-24, we need to pray that God will examine our hearts and lead us in His way, … the way everlasting.                                                

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for  knowing all about me and leading me to follow You.  

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to surrender to follow our all-knowing God.    …  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.