October 6, 2013 … God’s Plans and Purposes

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 279

Devotional Song: Go to this link -  Please take the time to meditate on this poignant song, sung by Nichole Nordeman, entitled Finally Fee, … a reminder that to walk in true freedom we must seek, find, and receive the gifts, plans, and purposes which God has intended for each of His children.

Highlight meditation passage – 1st Corinthians 2: 12 : [In the context of Paul’s exhortation to seek and know God through His Spirit.] …  
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 
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Highlight reading study of 1st Corinthians, Chapter 2: Go to this link …
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Reference Passage #1: Matthew 7: 7 … [Seek God’s way and He will freely give it us.] … [NLT] …  
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 

Reference Passage #2: John 3: 27-28 … [John The Baptist knew his place in God’s plans and purposes.] … [NLT] …  
27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 

Reference Passage #3: Acts 1: 8 … [As Christians we have the power to freely witness Christ in this world. … [NLT] …  
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

My Journal for Today: Today, … I’m reminded by Os Hillman, my devotional blog author, that to be free from the bindings of my own sin and the ways of Satan, I must seek, find, and receive the free gift of sanctifying grace from God’s Spirit, … i.e., that which He freely gives to any believer who seek it and is willing to witness to His glorious gospel truth in the world.

 John The Baptist understood and witnessed that truth when his disciples asked him if John was The Messiah (see John 3: 27-28 above). He recognized God’s plans/purposes for His life; and he had surrendered to those plans so that he could witness freely for His Messiah, the One Whom John had recognized as he had baptized Jesus in the Jordan river and declared Him to be The Messiah.

Jesus called us all to be His witnesses as well, didn’t He? (see Acts 1: 8) And in this calling, He declared that He had left us with His resurrection power in the Person of the Holy Spirit, Who was to reside in the hearts of all believers. But once we have that Spirit and His power, we must seek and receive that power daily so that we can be free from our own sin nature, from which we must continually surrender to God’s Spirit to be free in Christ.

Nichole Nordeman sings about being Finally Free in the song to which I’ve linked you today for mediation. We’ve all got our own personal hurts, hang-ups, and habits from which we must seek to be released by God’s gift of grace, … free so that we can be His effective witnesses in this world. But as it says in Revelation 3: 20 (a passage I hope you know by now), Jesus is continually knocking on the door of our hearts; but we must be willing to open the door and let Him in so that He can give us the power we need to overcome our enemies (see another verse I hope you know in 1st Cor. 10: 13).

We have what it takes, fellow Christian, to walk in freedom from our selves and to follow the plans an purposes God provides for our lives; but … we must be willing to receive – through surrender – the power God has given un, in and through His Spirit, so that we can know our freedom and walk in it (see Paul’s exhortation in today’s highlight passage in bold above in 1st Cor. 2: 12).

My Prayer for Today … Yes, Lord, I’m free when I surrender to You, Holy Spirit. … 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.