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

Leading With Servant Authority

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Mark Shields

As written in Luke 20:1-18, there is a conflict of authority between the religious leaders and Jesus. Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was angry when he saw people buying and selling within the Temple. The Pharisees reaction to Jesus’ reform was to question where His authority came from.

Jesus avoided the trap the Pharisees had set by putting them on the defensive when answering their question with another question about the baptism of John. He asked if the baptism was from heaven or from men (Luke 20:4). The Pharisees knew that no matter what answer they gave, they were in trouble. Jesus also uses the advantage of knowing that the people believed John the Baptist was a prophet who the Pharisees did not follow.

So if the Pharisees answered from heaven, Jesus will catch them because they did not follow him but if they responded with from men, then the people would stone them because they believed John was a prophet. The Pharisees were trapped and did not answer the question of Jesus at all.

Just like the Pharisees, the world rejects the authority of God; rejecting His Word, pays little attention to His impending punishment, and does not accept the gift of His Son. He owns everything; the place where we live, our car, our job, and even our own life but the world has little time for Him although He continues to show patience and tolerance to all.

This day with God, let us recognize the authority of Jesus and share with others this gift of God’s love. Let them know that God thinks they are AWESOME! Let them know of their value, how important they are, and the joy of knowing the bright future of freedom God offers for those who follow the authority of Jesus.

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Posted in Bible Study, Common Sense | Tagged Bible Study, Freedom, Jesus, Palm Sunday | 1 Comment

Blessings Multiplied

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Mark Shields

Jacob’s dream of a stairway to Heaven gave him hope and optimism for a blessed future. It gave him momentum to apply his faith and do what is right. If faced with difficulty, may this poem provide a turning point to receiving blessings multiplied into the future! Enjoy your weekend my friends!

Step Ahead

The world tells us everything is limited
But with God, everything is unlimited
And the blessings are multiplied.

With God, there is hope and cheerfulness
Which builds momentum and endurance
To a blessed future as our faith is applied.

Dream like Jacob of a stairway to Heaven
And this day with God, give all the praise to Him;
Count on Him for our needs to be supplied.

Be blessed with the joy of an amazing future
And mark this day as the turning point
To an amazing future with God as your guide.

Poem By Mark Shields – © 09-17-2015
Inspired by Study of Genesis 28
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Video – Multiplied – Needtobreathe

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Posted in Devotionals, Optimism, Poems | Tagged Blessings, Cheerfulness, Dream, Endurance, Faith, Future, God, God’s Word, Guidance, Hope, Jacob’s Ladder, Joy, Life, Optimism, Praise, Unlimited | Leave a comment

He Lives in Our Heart

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Mark Shields

Where would we be without God? Because of our Savior, God lives in our heart. We have poise to face the challenges of life. Just like in the post “The Coming King”, Jesus demonstrates the poise needed to fulfill His purpose.

In what ways does a definite purpose give you courage to face opposition and fulfill the purpose God has for you? With God’s purpose for you in your life, you know what the will of God is and you are ready to take on a little resistance to accomplish the mission. Take inspiration from this video as you fulfill the purpose God has for you today: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8qGa5rIOB28” target=”_blank”>Me Without You – TobyMac.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. – Mark 1:35

Like Jesus did as written in the scripture above, pray about your purpose today.

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Posted in Devotionals, Purpose, Video | Tagged Challenges, Courage, Cross, Inspiration, Jesus, Mission, Poise, Praising, Prayer, Purpose, Savior, spirituality | Leave a comment

The Coming King

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Mark Shields

We read in Luke 19:29-48 that Jesus told two of his disciples to get a colt for him to ride into Jerusalem. This fulfills what was written in Zechariah 9:9 about the coming King. They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and then put Jesus on the colt (v. 35). He rode the colt and when they came near the part of the road that goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully praising God and shouting:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Only a king would be greeted this way and it became clear that the people believed Jesus was the Savior that God had promised. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd wanted Jesus to rebuke them because of the political situation. The Roman Empire felt threatened by this word “king” because most of the people didn’t understand what kind of king Jesus would be. They expected a great political and military leader who would free them from the tyrannical Roman Empire. They didn’t understand that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom within the hearts of people who put their faith and trust in God.

We now know that Jesus would be accused of blasphemy and hung on the cross to fulfill the purpose God had for Him. His knowledge of this purpose gave Him tremendous courage in the face of opposition. This attribute of Jesus should teach us that when we have a definite purpose, the direction we go in life remains steadfast from day to day and we stay the course.

This day with God will be amazing because He has given insight into our purpose in a preferred future and gives us plans to make a difference in the world in which we live. Father God, we pray that with your help today, that the pieces to a successful day in which we play our part for Your purpose falls into place. That we will get so much more done than we ever thought because of Your guidance and direction throughout this day. Amen!

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Posted in Bible Study, Purpose | Tagged Courage, Cross, Jesus, Praising, Purpose, Savior, spirituality | 2 Comments

Step Out To Do What Produces The Best Return On His Resources

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Mark Shields

God has given tremendous resources and He expects us to be good stewards of these resources. In the post Be Courageous and Build Kingdom Wealth, I wrote some thoughts from the study of The Parable of the Ten Minas. God wants us to have faith in Him to multiply what He gives us.

Knowing that we always have a home with God, we can take courage and step out and do what would produce the best return on his resources. He is with us like a mountain to protect us and is rock solid over time to get us through the storms of life. I hope today’s video will inspire these traits in us today: We Won’t Be Shaken – Building 429.