God’s Devotion: Holy Spirit: Redirected: Sincerity of Heart: a heart directed needs only its feet redirected Acts 10; 11; 16:6-10; Psalm 20; James 3; 4… So we need not fear of making the wrong read, the wrong move, doing the wrong thing. Remember: God delights in us and is pleased to give us the kingdom. – He is not looking for perfect rightness, but right-heartedness – sincerity of heart (that is) continually submitted to Him.
1. God loves, leads, and guides (John 16:13-15; Ps 23; 25:5; 43:3: 86:11: 143:10; Isa 26:7) “when the Spirit of truth, comes,
2. God can and does direct, redirect and redeem (Prov 15:33; 16:1,9; 19:21; Jer 10:23; Gen 15;16; 21) “to man belongs…, …
3. God makes“… (2Sam 16:12; Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:11)
4. God is close to and rewards a sincere heart (Psalm 20; James 4; Heb 10:22-23)
“…give you the desires of your heart and make all your places succeed.”
“How do I know what God’s will is in my life?” and “...What if I make a mistake or I’m wrong, I don’t want to miss what God has for me.” Well, I can’t, we can’t, answer all those questions definitively, but we can at least see the way God tends to speak to, lead, and use His people.
Romans 8:28-30 is actually telling us that God is a redeeming God - taking whatever is handed to Him (seemingly, good or bad) and turning it into good for His children. Now, that is not to say we can just careen through life doing anything we want and it will go well (Gal 5:6:1-10). It says “....
What is it to love God? According to Jesus it’s to trust Him enough to obey. The life of the child of God will have the general trajectory of obedience. (Jo 14:15-24; 15:10; 1Jo 2:3; 5:3), so that even we go a way that God has not intended, He will respond to my responding to His love and loving commands, with my loving and trusting obedience to Him. This is ; these are not perfect hearts, but hearts positioned to be perfectly used - sincere hearts are rewarded by God by His Spirit’s guiding…
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 16:1 To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue.
Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man's heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Eph 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Psalm 139; Psalm 91; Gen 16:13; Dan 4:35; Isa 10:15; 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jer 18:6; Rom 14:4
Woven together - 139:3-16 Fearfully and wonderfully made
1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, a God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
Grace apportioned as He has seen fit…
We have been woven together, by God, each and every thread, and this, on purpose - purposely and purposefully. Whenever we begin to pick out one thing, pull out one thread, we are telling God that what He has done, what He has ordained, is wrong, and what He would do with us is wrong, and He was mistaken about what He has me made to be and to do – is wrong. When we do this, we risk no longer being able to be used in that area – as that thing we have discounted or picked at or put away is no longer at our, or God’s, disposal.
1 Cor 12:7, 11, 18
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, a and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by c one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Eph 4:7-8
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.8 This is why it a says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
Heb 2:4
This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
2 Tim 2:20
20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Tempered by:
Matthew 5:3 “blessed are the poor in spirit…”
Romans 12:3-8 “…do not think more highly of yourself and you should…”
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your a faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, b do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Philippians 2:3-5 “…think of others as being better than yourself, …have the same attitude as Jesus, …a servant…”
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus
1 Peter 5:6;James 4:10 “…Humble yourselves under God‘s mighty hand… humble yourself… and he will exalt you.”
5 “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
