Antidote to Despair

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Mark Shields

Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

Our soul is in a constant battle with negative thoughts and attitudes of this world but God has the antidote to despair by replacing the negative that penetrates our soul with righteousness.  

We know so far on our journey that Job is in a deep state of despair. He is going through anguish and misery because he had lost everything. His children, his livestock, and his property. Then, he is afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head (Job 3:7). 

Reading today in Job 9, God’s justice doesn’t bother Job but the fact that he can’t do anything about his situation does. Job sees God as the Creator of everything. The Father, maker of night and day, the stars and heavens, and the water of the sea.

The justice of God is to make wrongs right; everyone who believes in what the gospel clearly explains and accepts God’s Son as their Savior has a protective antidote to despair. Available to everyone is the opportunity to receive this antidote that renews the soul.

*One thought from my pastor’s sermon years ago was that the world puts pressure on us all to do more than we could possibly do; to carry loads we can’t carry alone. Christ makes our burdens light. If we spend more of our time on developing our soul, we will be prepared for everything right now and for all eternity. – Steve Ramsdell, 10-20-2013

So we know now that there is an answer to Job’s complaint in verses 32-33. As pointed out in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”.

This day we are thankful for the antidote to despair which is God’s Truth. It may take a while for many to see but accepting the Truth makes one righteous. We patiently wait for more and more to comprehend this Truth that God became flesh as Jesus Christ. Today we pray in Your name Jesus as our Mediator. Amen.

*”Sermons.” Sermons | FUMC Waco. N.p., n.d. Web.  <http://fumcwaco.org/resources/sermons/>.

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Poetry Friday 5-27-2022

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Mark Shields

The poem at my other blog “Step Ahead” offers inspiration for an attitude of concern for others and their needs. The poem is inspired by “Believe and Receive”. The photo is an amazing rainbow I saw one morning as I walked up to my office. It stretched from one end of the lake to the next.

The main thought of the poem is that Jesus gives us an example to follow when He fed the 4,000 because the attitude was concern for others and their needs. He demonstrates the bounty of never ending renewable power available to all who believe.

Let us worship with the song “I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe” and be thankful for our current provision and a future beyond our wildest dreams. 

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Key To Be Set Free

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Mark Shields

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death. –  Romans 8:2

A major thought from “Three Dimensional Thinking” is that we can study a certain field, learn from history, or from experience but we are limited as humans. Only God is able to think in three dimensions; His Spirit and Word can be trusted to guide our steps into the future.

We are caught many times into thinking inside the box rather than outside the box. Let us open up to a future of three dimensional thinking with Jesus who provides grace. As the song Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher, we have the key to be set free.

Index of devotionals

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Three Dimensional Thinking

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Mark Shields

Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

Brought out in Job 8, is that instructions from past generations help in the present generation. We may not always be able to find the clue for the present from the past but history does have a way of repeating itself. Experience helps and like the advice from an old cowboy, “I was born at night but not last night”, we should not always buy in to ideas that look good on paper but may be impractical or not proven.

Ideas from the world can be fragile like a spider’s web that is easily broken but we can always trust in the Word of God which has proven to be good advice over the years. We can study a certain field, learn from history, or from experience but we are limited as humans. Only God is able to think in three dimensions; His Spirit and Word can be trusted to guide our steps into the future.

Job’s friend in today’s passage is trapped in the one dimensional thinking of the past. A world view or way of thinking that puts up four walls like a prison to keep one locked up with no hope for freedom. But Jesus enlightens our thinking to accept the key of grace that allows us to escape the prison and be set free!

This day with You Lord, thanks for giving us the ability to escape the one dimensional thinking of long ago. We now have the three dimensional thinking that Christ brings to set us free. The key is grace that opens the prison door to our freedom. Today we have unlimited potential because we are guided by three dimensional thinking from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt. Amen.

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Questions for Reflection for Study of Job 8-14

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Mark Shields

We live in a busy world with busy schedules and being able to share some thoughts about this journey with others across this world through the Internet is truly a blessing. The below Questions for Reflection will stimulate thought and offer ideas for applying biblical principles at work, at home, and in all we do.

Job 8 – When does tradition become a prison? Can you always find the clue for the present in the past? To what extent are you consistent in what you think and say?

Job 9 – If the fact of God’s justice doesn’t bother Job, what does? How can the justice of God be an antidote to despair? What can you now say to Job’s classical complaint in verses 32-33 (Review 1 Timothy 2:5)?

Job 10 – What mystery agonizes Job? How do you respond when you can’t understand the reason for your suffering? How should we respond? What gives you hope to keep striving for the ultimate reward God has for you?

Job 11 – Why do you think Zophar has such a stake in God’s answer (v. 5) to Job? What is the meaning of understanding in the sense of verse 12? What are the effects of setting your heart aright (v. 13-19)? What is the difference between the hope of the righteous (v. 18) with the hope of the wicked (v. 20)?

Job 12-13 – What is the frustration of Job in 12:1-5? What are the issues? Have his friends really heard Job? What does Job think explains their lack of sympathy? What have you done when frustrated?

Job 14 – How does Job’s mood in verses 1-6 mold his thought about God? How would you answer Job’s question in verse 14? Have you ever felt like Job: How can you know that this life isn’t all and be able to stand up to the bludgeonings of life?

Feel free to respond with a short note or a comment about any of the questions above. Also, I welcome any other thoughts or ideas, favorite inspirational videos, photos, or favorite Bible verses. Just add them to the comments.

To store up thoughts that are good for the soul, listen to a sermon. Download the free app in the App Store or on Google Play. Look for First Waco.

Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts

Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God: A Daily Study Guide to the Entire Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. Print.

“Sermons.” Sermons | FUMC Waco. N.p., n.d. Web.  <http://fumcwaco.org/resources/sermons/>.

“Bible.” The Bible – The Word of God – ChristNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2017. <http://www.christianity.com/bible/>.

Nicholes, Lou. “Recent Commentaries.” Family-Times.net – Devotional Commentary Index. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.family-times.net/commentary/>.

“Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.biblegateway.com/>.

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