Philosopher

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Mark Shields

This poem was written to inspire your thoughts today. I read a book a few years back called “Man in the Mirror” and one statement made in this book was that each day is a battle for our thought life. We have to work at being a thinker. Gordon MacDonald in his book, “Ordering Your Private World”, says that we need to train our minds to be alert and alive, taking on fresh amounts of information every day, regularly producing new discoveries and conclusions. He says that thinkers see old things in new ways; they analyze hypotheses, separating out the true from the false.

Mark Shields's avatarStep Ahead

The mind is trained
To be alert … alive;
Constantly gathering
Knowledge to thrive.

Seeing what was old
In a totally new way;
Passionately living
Each and every day.

Always questioning,
Keeping up to date;
Gathering info
To evaluate.

Each day is a battle
For how to think
And it takes some work
To stay in sync.

Taking in fresh amounts
Of daily information
And new discoveries
With grand elation.

Poem by Mark Shields – © 11-30-2017
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Gain Wisdom

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Mark Shields

For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6 

The main point of the post “The Way to Righteousness” is that what is most important is not following some law or restriction but just accepting God’s grace and doing things that make a lot of sense. Everyone needs God’s grace. Once received, one can gain wisdom to live the way life is meant to be lived.

The best way is God’s Way and we can enroll in God’s school of wisdom. The Bible is the text book to the course. Here’s a video to inspire us today as we follow the best way and apply the wisdom gained in our life: The Way by Jeremy Camp.

 
 

 

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The Way to Righteousness

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Mark Shields

Scripture Reading: Romans 9:25-33

Today’s lesson is that trying to pursue righteousness by works resulted in Israel stumbling and falling. Instead, we should pursue righteousness by clearing the path to victory with the freedom found in Christ. The results are much more productive.

Our main responsibility is to trust God and receive righteousness through our faith. We depend on Him to fulfill our responsibility and accomplish His purpose. We receive the righteous reward through the grace of God or His unmerited favor.

It is ironic that the Jews pursued the way of righteousness but could not obtain it through works. On the other hand, the Gentiles did not pursue righteousness through works but were able to obtain it by faith. Our main mission in life is to go after the right thing in the right way. We exist for God’s purposes and He has provided the path.

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This day with You God, we praise You for You are faithful, righteous, just, and gracious. You have given us in Christ someone who has set the path to follow and will go along with us on this journey through life. Our growing faith will never be taken away or depleted. The Gospel message sets us free and will never let us down. We are uplifted today by Your grace and Your wisdom given to us so we can live the way life is meant to be lived. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

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Guided By Truth

Posted on November 28, 2017 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

Like Paul as written about in the post “Truthfulness with Facts”, be concerned about the truthfulness of what you say. Talking about something unseen like faith has its challenges but with Christ we have a model to explain the intangible qualities of our faith with integrity.

The things of this world are built like a house of cards. They may work for a while but suddenly fall apart. On the other hand, the things of God are built on the foundation of truth. We can rest assured that the promises God has given in the Bible will be fulfilled.

By accepting Christ as the Son of God, we have the distinct benefit of a promise. Receive inspiration from the song Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United and set out today fulfilling your purpose and your destiny with enthusiasm. 
 

 

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Truthfulness with Facts

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Mark Shields

Scripture Reading: Romans 9:1-24

Paul is concerned about the truthfulness of what he says and with the help of the Holy Spirit, he establishes his truthfulness through facts. The fact that God keeps His promises. The fact that Jesus’ life fulfills the predictions and prophecies about the Messiah.

What is stated in the Bible has come about. Even in the areas of science dealing with the stars, with the study of the ocean, and how the earth is shaped. These areas of learning were not known by humanity at the time the words of this passage were written but they have since been proven to be true.

Like Paul, we should be concerned about the truthfulness of what we say. He used historical facts to explain why God does what He does. Examples included the destiny of Abraham’s offspring, the insight given to Moses, and allowing others to fulfill great purposes as recorded in the Bible. Talking about something unseen like faith has its challenges but with Christ, we have a model to explain the intangible qualities of our faith with integrity.

We exist for God’s purposes. By accepting Christ as the Son of God, we have the distinct benefit of a promise. The assurance of being called a child of God and an heir of the kingdom. This day, let us respond to the Father by fulfilling our purpose and our destiny with enthusiasm.

This day with You Lord, help us to be fully engaged in the purpose You have in our life. We pray for the opportunity to share with others about Christ. The Good News is that there is something better ahead and the purpose You have for us keeps us going Your Way. We know that You have designed our life for eternity and our purpose is simply to follow Your will and please You. With the principles You give us in the Bible like integrity, courage, and purpose we can be a transformer rather than a conformer. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

 

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