This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey | Share The Word

Celebrate the Victory

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Mark Shields

Baylor 30 Texas 10 – Last game at Floyd Casey Stadium

Have you ever noticed how enthusiastic the crowd is at a sporting event? Some people paint their face or dress up in weird outfits. The picture was taken after a Baylor beat Texas in the final regular season football game in 2013. It was a freezing day but the fans stayed in the cold until the final play because they wanted to celebrate the victory. When we celebrate before the Lord, we should be even more enthusiastic because the Lord is leading us to the victory of all victories.

Reading today in 2 Samuel 6, the ark of God was being transported to Jerusalem or the city of David. Uzzah was in front to help guide the oxen but as they came to an uneven place along the path, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the arc. No one was allowed to touch the arc so Uzzah was killed on the spot because the Lord’s anger burned against him (v. 7).

Uzzah had shown disrespect to God by touching the ark and his life served as a warning to others that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Let us be mindful of the mistakes of others as warnings in our own live so we learn the lessons needed to live a long and happy life.

The ark was taken to a new location because David was afraid. After some time, the person who took care of the ark was blessed so this gave David the courage to then transport the arc to the city of David hoping for the same blessings. They would take their time as they took a few steps ahead and then would offer sacrifices. They were extremely careful and took their time but step by step finally got the ark of the Lord to the city of David.

Much like in a parade, David expressed his zeal along the route by leaping and dancing as the arc was transported (v. 15). On the other hand, the daughter of Saul named Michal had been watching the parade from her window and objected to David’s zeal because she thought it was excessive and undignified. We note that David’s celebration was acceptable before the Lord but Michal had no children to the day of her death (v. 23).

This day with You Lord, we gain experience each day knowing there is a right way and a wrong way to live out our life. Help us today to take in the lessons from Your Word. To learn from our experiences and the experiences of others. Help us to listen to the Holy Spirit guiding our steps so that when we get to where You are leading, we can celebrate the victory in Jesus name … amen.

Posted in Bible Study, Wisdom | Tagged Bible Study, Celebration, enthusiasm, Lessons, Prayer, victory, Wisdom | 2 Comments

Poetry Friday 12-02-2022

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Mark Shields

A poem posted at my other blog Step Ahead is inspired by the post with the same title at this link. The takeaway in today’s passage is that when facing difficulty, don’t get discouraged but remain optimistic. The Bible tells us who wins so place your bet on Jesus, be inspired by how Jesus suffered and ultimately became victorious, don’t get angry, don’t blame others for current difficulties, or worry but have hope and claim a bright future.

After college, I traveled for three weeks in Europe with a high school buddy and took this photo of the Swiss Alps. Our Creator produced a masterpiece when He made the Swiss Alps. Thinking about this photo, I’m reminded of the song Greatness of Our God by Newsboys. Some of the lyrics go like the following:

In awesome wonder,
He reigns forever.
No one can stop Him;
His power is endless
And He lives within us.

Posted in Photos, Poems | Tagged Back to the Future, Creation, Journey, Music, Optimism, Poetry, Praise, Swiss Alps, travel, Worship | Leave a comment

Renew Your Strength

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Mark Shields

Those who hope in the Lord
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31

Applying our faith from lessons learned as highlighted in the post “Strength for the Challenge” provides us with food for the soul and what we need to take on the challenges we face.

David’s greatness came from the fact that he relied on God’s power and did as God instructed. David understood that God controls the future and could give the proper direction as he provided leadership for the good of his people.

Let us give praise to God for His strength with the song Great are You Lord by One Sonic Society. Give glory to God with an attitude of praise throughout this day.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals, Strength | Tagged Boldness, Courage, Devotional, Faith, Greatness, Hope, Praise, Strength, Worship | 1 Comment

Strength for the Challenge

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Mark Shields

This day with God, we can wake up to the fact that there is an amazing life available now and for eternity. We may have concerns, doubts or worries but we can be assured that we will receive strength for the challenge. Because of this confidence, we can live out this day with boldness and courage.

Today in 2 Samuel 5, we are rekindling and renewing our strength with nourishment from God’s Word. We read today that the tribes of Israel anointed David as king of Israel. They were his own flesh and blood and David had led them on their military campaigns in the past. We read today that Jerusalem was like a fortress. It was a stronghold for the Jebusites but David eventually conquered it.

David’s greatness came from the fact that he relied on God’s power and did as God instructed. David understood that God controlled the future and could give the proper direction. As David applied his faith in God, he provided leadership for the good of his people.

What do you call a pencil that has two erasers? Pointless.¹ So is faith without works but today we are building up our faith so that it is meaningful by receiving a lesson from God’s Word. The lesson today is that our strength comes from God and we should apply our faith by following the lessons learned.

This day with You God, our faith is rekindled and renewed with more strength to take on the challenges before us. You believe in us so we pray that we receive this confidence and apply our faith to accomplish more than we could ever imagine in Jesus name … Amen.

*Jokes for days. (2021). Funny Editor – Jokes for Days. https://www.funnyeditor.com

Posted in Bible Study, Strength | Tagged Bible Study, Boldness, Courage, Faith, Greatness, Prayer, Strength | 2 Comments

Lead and Achieve

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Mark Shields

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

The Lord is our leader and if we follow His lead, we will achieve things that are meaningful and that make an impact upon society. These thoughts were brought out in “Show Me Your Way”. A thought from this post is that leaders who are consistent in the way they handle wrongs done to others establish peace within societies because people know what is expected. Then there is justice, fairness, consideration, and cooperation.

As the song Take The Lead by Jimmy Levy says, anything can be achieved if we follow the lead of God.