October 1, 2013 … God’s Paradigms

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 274

Devotional Song: Go to this link -  Please take the time to meditate on this poignant song, sung by Laura Story, entitled God of Every Story, reminding us that we may not understand what’s going on; but if God is in our lives, He’s in ALL of our story … ALL of our life.

Highlight meditation passage – Exodus 3: 3 : [Wow! A burning bush; what’s that all about?] …  
3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 
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Highlight reading study of Exodus, Chapter 3: Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Isaiah 55: 8-9 [God very well may be changing our way of looking at life and the way we do things.] … [NLT] …  
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Reference Passage #2: Romans 8: 28 [Life itself, many times, is God’s paradigm for life itself.] … [NKJV] …  
28 All things work together for god for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.

My Journal for Today: A “paradigm” is a set of rules or a patter which governs how we do things; i.e., it may be “the model” we go by to get something done in a certain way. It’s not uncommon for us to get in a groove in life, thinking that there’s only one way of doing something, … THE paradigm. And then, someone comes along with another idea and challenges our paradigm; and what is our usual response? I’ll bet you’ve heard it: “That’s not the way WE do it!”

Moses had lived in the deserts of Midian for 40 years; and he had gotten into a groove of doing life a certain way; and then one day he looked up at the mountain and saw a bush burning which was not consumed; and when he went to check it out, God showed Moses a new way of looking at life which was radically confusing and frightening to him … a paradigm shift. And then God took Moses through a whole series of paradigm shifts and life-shaking events allowing this changed man to be God’s messenger to Pharaoh, followed by the paradigm buster of all when God used that staff God gave Moses up on that mountain to part the Red Sea and let the people walk to their freedom.

Have you ever had a life-shaking, paradigm-shifting event happen in your life which altered the way you look at life? I have; and it shook me to the core and changed me forever. It’s a long story, … too long for this blog; but I had a definite paradigm for life, calling myself “agnostic,” and not believing that there was a personal God. Then, one morning, God’s Spirit intervened in my life through the life story of a young man who had become paralyzed; and through the paradigm shift in his life, this young man found strength that he never knew he had, strength that could only come from God. Hearing that story broke me to the core of my being; and on that same morning God took me through a series of events which showed me just how personal God was; and from that moment on, He has been transforming my “paradigm” of life as one who faithfully follows the God, … showing me that His ideas are way bigger and way above any paradigm we humans can imagine (see Isaiah 55: 8-9 above).

The problem is that we can get so wrapped up in doing life a certain way or thinking that life must follow certain rules or patterns; and let’s face it, most of the time we want to be in control of the patterns, defining the paradigm ourselves. But my friend, as disciples of Christ, we must be willing to let God show us HIS way of doing things. Because, like Jesus’ disciples in the storm, if we see only a disruption in our life paradigm, maybe a storm, we may miss Jesus out there walking on the water, showing us a new way of looking at a storm.

The Apostle Paul had a real paradigm shift in his life, didn’t he? From the time God knocked this paradigm driven Christian hater off his horse on the road to Damascus, Saul, who became Paul, had a new paradigm for life; and that paradigm was His (and our) Messiah. And that’s why, when we read what Paul wrote in Romans 8: 28, we, as followers of Christ’s paradigm, are challenged to see ALL THINGS in life as God’s way of reshaping our paradigms to HIS.

So, no matter where we are or how deeply engrained in our life-leading personal paradigms, may we be open to the reality that God may have new ways for us to look at life, … HIS WAYS. So, … today let’s be open to God and if we see a bush burning up ahead of us or maybe a Man out there in the storm walking on the water, … let’s pay attention. And if you haven’t done so, go to the link above and listen to Laura Story singing her new song, God of Every Story. It will touch you and perhaps open you to a new way of looking at God and life … a new paradigm.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, God, you are the God of my story, … my Paradigm for living. … Amen  

Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online blog entitled Today God Is First [TGIF], authored by Os Hillman. If you GO TO THIS LINK  on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read Hillman’s TGIF blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.