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

Glean Food for the Soul

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Mark Shields

The harvest is ready and today we glean food for the soul. As you read Ruth 2, keep in mind about ways to be helpful to each other as neighbors helping neighbors. Striving to be accountable, thoughtful, and helpful to all in a personal way for the glory of the ONE who is merciful.

The immediate need for Naomi and Ruth was for food so Ruth went to glean a field which was a common way to help the poor. They were allowed to pick up the leftover grain behind the harvesters.

Boaz was the owner of the field in which they were harvesting. He was an encourager and was kind to Ruth. He explained to her that he had heard about what she had done for Naomi. He let her gather more grain than usual and told her to come back until all the grain was harvested.

Has anyone shown you special kindness?

I remember back in high school. My dad took a job and we moved to a town about two hours away. I’m reminded of a friend who took me in when I moved to this town. He introduced me to people and invited me to various activities.

I knew a few people because my parents had lived in the town growing up and I would visit my grandparents during the summers. I had known this friend from childhood because our parents were friends since they were in grade school. Our families would spend time together on weekends and even went on a few vacations together.

Thinking about today’s passage, there is no better friend we have than Jesus. When we become aware of how much God cares for us through His Son Jesus, we know we have someone that truly cares.

Lord, with You we have someone who cares. You love us and forgive us and this inspires us to forgive. We may go through extreme difficulty much like Naomi and Ruth but things will be alright. From the early morning through each night, You care and we know You will provide for our needs. Amen

Posted in Bible Study, Kindness | Tagged Bible Study, Caring, Encouragement, Friendship, Kindness, Neighbors, Photo, Prayer | 3 Comments

Carry Out the Mission to Fruition

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Mark Shields

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3

As brought out in “Pathway to Dreams”, nothing is more important than following God’s will. Ruth knew she was following God’s will and we know today that she was right on target. We each need to work towards a future that gives us better aim and makes us feel important. Following God’s Plan for Us is the road map to get us there.

Like the song Thy Will by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family says about our journey, some things don’t feel good and things don’t always make sense but if we follow God’s will, we are confident that He has a mission in our life. All we need to do is have the resolve to carry it out to fruition.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals, Purpose | Tagged Affirmation, Definite Purpose, Devotional, Holy Spirit, Misfortune, Music, Praise, Worship | 1 Comment

Pathway to Dreams

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Mark Shields

This day with God will be amazing because we are totally focused on the purpose of this journey with organization, documentation, and affirmation. New thoughts are given, ideas are brought out, and a pathway to dreams without a doubt.

Reading today in Ruth 1, famine had hit Bethlehem in Judah so a family with two boys moved to the region called Moab. They felt like outsiders because they worshiped the ONE true God and the he people of Moab worshiped idols.

After some time, the father died so this left the two sons to help their mother. They eventually married girls from Moab. Ten years later, the sons died so this left their mother named Naomi along with her daughter-in-laws to fend for themselves.

At this point, Naomi faced hardship. Many today face hardship as they easily fall into the trap of believing God turns against them as bitterness sets in with the affliction and misfortune that they’ve gone through along the journey of life.

Naomi heard that the famine was over in Judah so she decided to head back to her homeland. The Moab daughters-in-law followed her but along the way, Naomi told them to return to Moab. She said that they were still young and said they could find another husband and that they had their whole life before them.

One daughter-in-law named Orpah returned to Moab but Ruth decided to follow her mother-in-law. She made the unselfish choice to follow as a true loyal friend to Naomi. The question must be asked, “Are we making a commitment to our family of believers”? Are we making choices for ourselves or do we put God first in our life?

There is nothing more important than following God’s will. Ruth knew she was following God’s will and we know today that she was right on target. We each need to work towards a future that gives us an aim in life that makes us feel important and there’s nothing more important than following God’s will.

Father God, we believe that You’ve given each of us a purpose. Each of us has got what it takes to know the mission in our life and the resolve to carry it to fruition. Your plan for us gives us each the power of the Holy Sprint and when we mix this power with the principles taught by Christ, we each can be led on this pathway to dreams and a future beyond our imagination. Amen.

Posted in Bible Study, Purpose | Tagged Affirmation, Bible Study, Definite Purpose, Holy Spirit, Misfortune, Photo, Prayer, Worship | 4 Comments

Plentiful Harvest

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Mark Shields

This poem is inspired by the parable of the sower. Jesus speaks in parables so listeners focus in on, retain, and absorb the wonderful words of God.

Step Ahead

Plant the word in your heart
And follow the Son of Man
With thoughts or ideas
In following God’s plan.

Not in the hard soil
Eaten by a bird
But in prepared soil
So the Word is heard.

Not in rocky soil
Since it can’t take root
For it last a short time
And can’t grow fruit.

But in good soil
Where worries stop
And ideas develop 
To produce a good crop.

So share with others
Letting God do the rest
Since the Father 
Knows what is best!

Poem by Mark Shields – © 02-17-2022Inspired by “Plentiful Harvest”

Thought – Jesus speaks in parables so listeners focus in on, retain and absorb the wonderful words of God. In the parable of the sower, the seeds are God’s words & the soil is the heart. The heart rich with God’s principles is most productive and leads to a…

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Posted in Poems | Tagged Focus, Inspiration, Poetry, Prayer, Questions, Reflection | Leave a comment

Questions for Reflection for Study of the Book of Ruth

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Mark Shields

The journey through the book of 1 Samuel has come to a close and now the journey will go into the book of Ruth. The author of Ruth records a story of the common people of Israel caring for each other while the leader-aristocrats of the land are involved in wars, intrigue, and rivalries.

This book of the bible is a love story. A Gentile woman marries a Hebrew husband and their son became the grandfather of David. So their son becomes one of the ancestors of Christ. Before we begin the journey, here is a video that gives an overview of book of Ruth.

The reading plan below will be used to hold me accountable as I share about God’s Word. As I share about my study of the book of Ruth over the next few weeks, it’s important to have a plan. I’m thankful that Jesus is God’s plan for us and by accepting Christ as Savior; we have taken the steps necessary to make each day amazing!

Questions for Reflection

Ruth 1 – What is the historical setting? What is Naomi’s argument to her daughters-in-law? What is Naomi’s view of God and his dealing with people? How is God related to the affairs of your life? When have you felt full? Empty? Why?

Ruth 2 – What is the immediate need of Naomi and Ruth? How can they meet this need (see Lev. 19:9-10 and Deut. 24:19-21)? What kind of person is Boaz? Who has shown you special kindness? In what ways does Naomi share Boaz’s kindness to Ruth? How do you respond when you suddenly become aware of God’s caring for you?

Ruth 3 – What does Naomi now do for Ruth? How does Boaz respond to her identity? How do you respond to people who come to you with emotional and social needs? What is Ruth’s reputation (See 2:6, 11-12)?

Ruth 4 – What legal procedure does Boaz now follow? How do the people and elders relate God to the affairs of the marriage? How has God been active in your life so that what is ordinary becomes extraordinary? What is the importance of the genealogy at the end of the book?

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 or to a Facebook page I’ve set up at this link: This Day With God – A Spiritual Journey.

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. <https://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/>.

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.