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

The Victorious Life

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Mark Shields

Faithful people have reason to praise God. As written in Psalm 149, joy and enthusiasm characterize their praise. The Lord takes delight in His believers and provides victory (v. 4). The characteristic that is linked to a victorious life is humility because a humble person follows the will of God and God finds pleasure in those that carry out His purpose.

This Psalm is a military song of victory with God’s people fighting His battle. I found an interesting illustration about this Psalm in Family Times. Many times, the skill level between people is not all that different. The British Army officer named Duke of Wellington along with the coalition defeated the French army leader and Emperor named Napoleon Bonaparte. Why was one victorious at Waterloo when both had almost the exact backgrounds? They both had 4 brothers and three sisters, they both lost their father at a young age, they both studied at the same military school, they both became great military leaders. The difference maker is having God on your side. God is in control of the future and you want to be on His side.

God needs those that worship Him but also willing to stand up against injustice and evil. Little by little, we can gain victories over the things that cause crime, poverty, and bad health. The Israelites carried out God’s purpose in their day and we can carry out God’s purpose as we fight against the negatives in our world today. Each day with God can be amazing when we realize that He can bless us with more victories than all the grains of sand on earth.

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Posted in Psalm | Tagged Blessings, enthusiasm, Faithfulness, God, Humility, Joy, Praise, Purpose, victory | 9 Comments

Inspiration from Psalm 147-148

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Mark Shields

It is good to praise God because when our hope is in His unfailing love; we receive rewards like wonder, inspiration and security. In return, it is pleasing to God when give praise.

There is a relationship between God’s Word and things of nature. They both are His creation and they both teach us lessons that we can apply in everyday living.

After receiving these lessons from the study of Psalm 147-148 last week, there was a poem inspired. Please check it out at this link: Praise for Our Days.

Starting tomorrow, the journey will continue with a look at Psalm 149-150. Have a great week!

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Celebrate the Risen Christ on Easter Tomorrow

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Mark Shields

As we celebrate the risen Christ on Easter tomorrow, remember the type of love Jesus showed. As my Pastor talked about in his message on Palm Sunday, may we all follow the example of Jesus who showed us what the world can be like when there is love of God, love of our neighbor, and we serve the needs of each other. Enjoy today’s video: You Are I Am by Mercyme – Fisher of Men.

Have a Happy Easter my friends!

Posted in Holiday, Special Occasions, Thoughts From Sermon | Tagged Celebration, Christ, Easter, Jesus, Love, Neighbor | 8 Comments

It is Good to Praise God

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Mark Shields

It is good to praise God because when our hope is in His unfailing love; we receive rewards like wonder, inspiration and security. We in turn are rewarding Him because of our praise.

There is a relationship between the Word of God and things of nature. They both are His Creation and they both teach us lessons that we can apply to everyday living.

Here is a video that highlights this thought that God’s Word and His Creation are interrelated: Word of God Speak -MercyMe. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend.

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

Posted in Good Common Sense, Psalm | Tagged Creation, God, Inspiration, Knowledge, Lord, Love, Nature, Praise, Relationship, Rewards, Security, Understanding, Wisdom, Wonder, Word of God | 2 Comments

Let Us Praise Him

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mark Shields

As written in Psalm 148, different aspects of the heavens are to praise God like the angels, moon, and stars. Various parts of the earth like sea creatures, weather, mountains, trees, animals, birds, and of course people are to praise God so He is exalted and gives strength to all creation.

The nature and order of creation indicates what God is like. A few words to describe Him are powerful, majestic, resourceful, and dependable. After studying this psalm, what can we praise God for? When we look up at the bright white stars at night or look out over a meadow of green countryside or the blue waters of an ocean during sunset, we can praise Him. We can praise Him in music, we can praise Him in art, we can praise Him in conversation with a friend, or in everything we do.

In Psalm 147:16, the overall picture I get is a peaceful winter scene like below.

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The white snow covers the ground and makes it look clean and pure but underneath it is cold and without life. Then, God’s word can thaw out the coldness of winter we feel inside and the Holy Spirit like the wind blowing during days of warmth stirring up the rains of spring can help us understand that it is God who truly reigns. We are then stirred like flowers of a field for new growth like the picture below.

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In Psalm 148, the overall picture I get is this relationship between God’s Word and things of nature. They both are His creation that provide principles we can learn from and apply in how we live. These principles can be studied and be used in how we put priority in what we do, in planning for how to go forward, and in helping us be inspired to step ahead.