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

Being a Good Example

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Mark Shields

Paul’s main mission in life was to complete the task the Lord gave him. The picture we get in Acts 20:13-38 is the picture of complete service for Jesus Christ. He faced danger, hardship, and many other trials yet stayed steadfast towards setting up churches and spreading the Good News to as many people as he could.

Paul points out the dangers that local churches would face from those who would be false teachers. The wolves Paul was talking about are those who put more emphasis on the teachings and traditions of men rather than on the Word of God (v. 29).

Though Paul is a good example to follow, he was not perfect. Our perfect example to follow is Jesus Christ. When we put Jesus back to where He belongs as head of our churches, then our country, other nations, and the world will get back together too.

Paul was determined to get back to Jerusalem and many biblical scholars believe this was his own determination and not the will of God. Many believe that God wanted him to move on to Rome and perhaps Spain.

Being a good example for others to follow requires that we know God’s way and His way is laid out in His Word. It is the Way of not only having knowledge of His Word but also the Way of applying our faith; living a disciplined life and being compassionate towards others.

This day with You Lord, fill in us with the thought that there is freedom in knowing and obeying Your Way because You care for us more than we care for ourselves. You understand our needs more than we do. This day, we praise You and pray for direction as we try to be a good example for others to follow. Amen.

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Posted in Bible Study, Discipline | Tagged Christ, Church, Compassion, Discipline, Faith, Good News, Life, Mission, Praise, Prayer | Leave a comment

Meet Resistance Head On with Patience and Persistence

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Mark Shields

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – James 1:2-4

During the missionary journeys of Paul, he went through physical and mental strain yet carried out God’s will. Paul spoke all night at one stop along the way as explained in the post “Joy Even in Trials”.

There were plots out to kill Paul, yet he had confidence that God would protect him. He took every opportunity to share about the Lord even when it caused personal inconvenience.

As the scripture above states, let us take this inspiration and count it all joy when we fall into various trials; knowing that God is making us into the person He wants us to be. Enjoy today’s inspirational video Keep Making Me – Sidewalk Prophets.

Index of devotionals

Posted in Devotionals, Going Extra Mile | Tagged Confidence, Encouragement, Gospel, Inspiration, Joy, Miracle, Patience, Persistence, Protection | Leave a comment

Joy Even in Trials

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Mark Shields

From Ephesus, Paul set out for Macedonia as explained in Acts 20:1-12 and ultimately to Greece. Along the way, he spoke to people about the ways of Christ and other words of encouragement. Then he stayed in Greece for three months. This is when Paul wrote Romans.

All this time, there were plots out to kill Paul and he knew about the plots so he decided to go back through Macedonia and over to Troas. At Troas, the believers came together in an upstairs room and listened to Paul speak deep into the night. It was so deep into the night that one man named Eutychus who was sitting near the window went to sleep and fell to his apparent death from the third story (v. 9). Paul went down, put his arms around Eutychus, and assured everyone that Eutychus was alive.

Sure enough, Eutychus did survive and was taken home the next morning after Paul spent the night breaking bread, eating, and sharing with the believers about the gospel message. Imagine the physical strain of Paul’s ministry. There was a plot out to kill him, yet he would travel through the area and speak about the gospel message sometimes all night long.

Through it all, God was there to protect and give Paul the energy needed to carry out the mission. We should remember this personal inconvenience that Paul had to go through. Salvation is free but discipleship will be inconvenient at times.

As we go through the challenges that life throws our way, there are days when we get tired, confused, or kind of down but if we keep going and make some progress for that day, we can wake up the next day feeling revived with the momentum needed to get back up to full speed.

Lord, this day with You, some of us may not feel very good. Some of us may feel lonely or inferior or just physically worn out. All these things make us realize our complete dependence on You. Just like Paul faced in life, we will face resistance but we will grow in You with persistence. In You, there are great possibilities and if we stay the course and focus on these possibilities, we can be assured of overcoming the obstacles we face. Today, we can smile at the inconveniences, say thank for a brighter future ahead knowing that You are with us. Amen.

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Posted in Bible Study, Going Extra Mile | Tagged Encouragement, Gospel, Joy, Miracle, Persistence, Protection | Leave a comment

The Week Ahead

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Mark Shields

This week, we will be sharing some thoughts from the study of Acts 20.

Here are some questions for reflection to be used in the study of Acts 20:1-12:
Where does Paul go? What do they talk about? Imagine the physical strain of Paul’s ministry?

Questions for reflection in the study of Acts 20:13-38:
Picture the service for Jesus Christ that Paul gives us. What does Paul’s service involve in terms of his motivation, trials, and relationships with people? Ask yourself this question, am I giving a good example for others to follow? To what dangers is the local church exposed?

Believe that God has a great plan for you. It all starts with receiving a plan from God through faithful, consistent, and powerful prayer. Here is a video/poem to inspire this day and throughout the week: This Day with God.

Index of Devotionals

Posted in Bible Study | Tagged Bible Study, Christianity, Plans, Prayer, Quiet Time | Leave a comment

Future is Bright

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Mark Shields

This upcoming weekend, take some time to dream about your potential for greatness because the future is bright for those who have accepted Christ. Use this poem to remind you about the promises given to us from God.

Step Ahead