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

Stream of Grace

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Mark Shields

We can learn from each other, from the Word, and from sermons about patience and God’s grace. Grace is God’s gift. This kind gift from God is always available. Let us be patient with others and with God’s timing because grace is like a flowing stream of water that keeps coming and coming.¹

Today, we are reading in 2 Samuel 3. The trend of winning was on the side of David because he was following the guidance of God and had character traits that leaded to success. A quality of David we can learn today is how he let God be the one to judge and punish. He demonstrates a personality that respects authority, has patience, and there is a pleasing open-mindedness about him.

Noted in today’s passage is David’s willingness to work on an agreement for peace with his enemy named Abner. When his own military leader named Joab murdered Abner, David mourned for the loss and his response was to not accept any responsibility for the murder.

There is one common thread that binds all Christians; the power of Christ in what to believe and how to live. This day with God, let us float down the stream of grace in one direction in order to be brought together by His the winning plan.

This day with You Lord, we need to forgive others so we can be forgiven. We are thankful for Your winning plan of grace that is available to everyone. We accept, appreciate, and affirm all and leave the judging up to You. Today Lord, we unify around Your winning plan and hope to execute this plan for Your glory. Amen.

Photo – Guadalupe River near Gruene Texas

¹Thought from sermon of Rev. Steve Ramsdell

Posted in Acceptance, Bible Study | Tagged Acceptance, Bible Study, Character, Grace, Peace, Prayer, Sermon, Success | 2 Comments

The Big Picture

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Mark Shields

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
   He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
   The purposes of his heart through all generations. – Ps 33:10-12

A thought from “Direction from the Father” is that going to the right person and doing the right thing leads to success. This day with God, use the greatest power by asking help from God in Jesus name. Trust, be patient, and listen; God can see the big picture and give an answer to difficult problems.

Be lifted today by the song Good, Good Father by Chris Tomlin and know you are never alone. You are loved and if searching for answers, the Father provides solutions.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Accurate Thinking, Devotionals | Tagged Decisions, Devotional, Difficulty, Faith, Guidance, Holy Spirit, Praise, Success, Worship | 2 Comments

Direction from the Father

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Mark Shields

Leading up to the passage today, Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed in war. Jonathan was David’s best friend and David is in a time of grief. Also, the nation was in turmoil without a king and there was a split between Judah and Israel. When we have set backs, that’s when we can count on the guidance from the Lord. Reading today in 2 Samuel 2, we learn about the principle of guidance from David in verses 1-2. Going to God for help and doing the right thing leads to success.

In reading 1 Samuel 31:8-13, we know that men from Jabesh Gilead courageously went into enemy territory to get the bodies of Saul and his sons to bury them. We learn about David’s character from his response to them as David sends messengers to tell them how thankful he was for their brave deed. These character traits of David also led to success.

Reading further in today’s passage, the son of Saul’s army named Abner had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and made him king of Israel. David was made king of the tribe of Judah. A war broke out between the two sides and noted is the success of David’s men in winning the war. Abner eventually stopped running and wanted peace.

We can take the lessons learned in today’s passage and apply in our own life. We can use the same guidance and power that David used by asking help from God in Jesus name. There may be issues at work or health problems that make us feel that we are constantly fighting battles but through prayer, we are guided towards answers to major problems. We can have faith that the guidance and power is available. We can trust, be patient, and listen knowing God can see the big picture. Through prayer, we will be given answers to our questions so we are guided along the path of success.

This day with You Lord, we have faith that you are at work to make things all right. Help us follow the way of Jesus knowing the Spirit gives us guidance in our decisions as we take on difficult problems head on. Today, we are trusting You, are patient, and listening for guidance. In Jesus name … Amen.

Posted in Accurate Thinking, Bible Study | Tagged Bible Study, Decisions, Difficulty, Faith, Guidance, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Success | 2 Comments

Poetry Friday 11-18-2022

Posted on November 18, 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. Jesus let nature take its course and in so doing fulfilled God’s Plan For Us.

This day with God will be amazing because He thinks you are AWESOME! Use the skills you have, be happy with who you are, and let Him work out the rest. As the song Your Nature by Kari Jobe points out, God’s nature is to bring joy, hope, and light into your life.

Posted in Poems | Tagged Accomplishment, Aim, Experience, Lessons, Music, Poetry, Praise, Purpose, Wisdom, Worship | 1 Comment

Bring Good from the Good Stored Up in the Heart

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Mark Shields

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. – Luke 6:45

A major lesson from “Done Wrong” is that the Bible gives some good ideas in how to handle relationships. Rather than jumping to conclusions about others and blurting out words that destroy relationships, it’s important to use the right words at the right time. A good strategy is to pray first, ask for God’s help, and then say what needs to be said. Like the song Words by Hawk Nelson says, words can start a fire in the heart or put it out.