Together is Better

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Mark Shields

Many activities can’t be done alone. You ever tried to water ski alone? How about move furniture? How about playing tennis? The activity of building up our spiritual life also requires other people around us to inspire, energize, and learn from.

I remember a fall evening and hearing a sound in the sky. Looking up, above me are geese flying in a “V” formation. There are great lessons of teamwork to be learned from geese. They fly in the “V” formation as a way to help the whole group fly further. When the geese in the front gets tired, they fall back to the end and let others take over. They share a common direction and get to where they want to go more quickly and easily.

The main thought or lesson learned from reading Ecclesiastes 4 is that God’s way is the best form of leadership. There’s power, safety, and success in pulling together because people can support, encourage, and strengthen one another. They can tap into the faith, hope, and love of other believers so their talents or skills combine to strengthen the whole body of Christ.

Here’s a video that promotes how God’s way is best and together is better: How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin . 🙂
 


Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

 

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Win-Win Situation

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Mark Shields

Within Ecclesiastes 4 are thoughts of oppression and violence; the abuse of power and authority that persisted throughout societies during the time of its writing. It was believed that there was nothing that could be done to create peaceful societies because of the competitiveness inherent in man’s nature.

In many there is a natural competitive streak and this is often thought of as a positive trait among people in current times. It’s good to want to be the best. A competitive person is driven to be the best they can be so they work hard but within society, there needs to be a balance between the desire for personal gain and doing what is good for all; in other words, making sure society is fostering a win-win situation for all.

On the other hand, a society with no incentives for personal gain produces an apathetic attitude among its people which leads to a win-lose situation. Those in power stay in power and no matter how hard a person works, they are stuck at the bottom with no upward movement. There is a fatal flaw in a society that has no accountability among its leaders and they remain in power. The economy struggles and there is chaos and confusion.

The best form of leadership is God’s way. There’s power, safety, and success in pulling together because people can support, encourage, and strengthen one another. They can tap into the faith, hope, and love of other believers so their talents or skills combine to strengthen the whole body of Christ.

Photo Credit - dwellingintheworld.wordpress.com

Photo Credit – dwellingintheworld.wordpress.com

This day with God, pray for yourself, your spouse, your parents, your children. Pray for opportunities to help someone come to know Christ. Pray for a society of peace where leaders let it be known that God’s way is followed. Pray that God would use you to work for His glory.

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Simple Truths from God

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Mark Shields

The simplest things give the most happiness if we let God be in charge and praise Him. A farmer works hard to plant his crop and he worries about the lack of rain or too much rain or insects. But finally the crop is harvested and it’s ready for market. That’s when the fun begins and it’s time to reap the rewards.

The words we write are like the seeds a farmer plants. We worry that the words are meaningful and that others will take them in. Finally the words are published and that’s when there is a bountiful harvest. Let us plant our seeds and give credit by praising the ONE in charge: O Praise Him – David Crowder Band.



How does eternity affect your life? The work we do on earth has a time limit so we should budget our time and money wisely. Our work is recorded for eternity and our work in sharing about God brings eternal rewards.

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Thankful in all Circumstances

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Mark Shields

This Day with GodIn reflecting on the questions of Ecclesiastes 3, there is a danger in viewing life simply from the perspective of time because our life on earth is so short compared to eternity. We should be thankful in all circumstances and accept God’s timing. If He brings rain, appreciate the moisture. If it’s a sunny day, look up and feel the warmth. Decide to enjoy because each day brings its own unique blessings.

All of us have the capability of observing all that God has given and to use His resources to do our best in this life. The small things become big things when we value each small victory and use them as stepping stones to bigger things. We should evaluate each victory and loss to learn from them as we build for a brighter future. As we plan out each day, remember that most rewards in life are short term but our relationship with God last forever.

Adversity can enrich the world if lessons are learned. Nothing is worth as much as the soul. Let God be in charge. The simplest things give the most happiness. A farmer works hard to plant the crop, worries about lack of rain or too much rain or insects. Finally the crop is harvested and it’s ready for market. That’s when the fun begins and it’s time to reap the rewards.

This day with God, let us not get too uptight about things. Let it go and trust that everything will work out if we just do God’s will. Each day with Him will be amazing because we can sincerely believe that each obstacle will be overcome and enthusiastically act upon each task until completion; celebrating progress throughout each day by praising Him.

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Focused on God’s Presence

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Mark Shields

Our annual County Fair is held for about ten days the first part of October. The only time we have available to attend the fair is on a Saturday. During this time of the year, there’s always a big college football game that I’m interested in watching. I’ll usually end up going to the fair and checking the score on my smart phone while my daughter and her friends ride the rides.

Instead of enjoying the fair and focusing on the wonderful memories being created, I put way too much attention into the football score. I need to be focusing more on what is really meaningful and brings true joy in life.

My team usually loses anyway so I waste a lot of time following a losing team. Life is always about choices and if we choose the hope and peace that God has to offer, we end up on the winning team every time.

Life works best when attention is on God because there is a plan, there is organization, there is a path to follow, and corrections can be made if we get off that path. What is truly meaningful is letting God be a part of your day; gaining wisdom, being inspired to work hard, and enjoying the blessings. This video inspires these thoughts today: Heaven in the Real World – Steven Curtis Chapman.



This day with God, let us pray that we are focused on God’s presence, especially during times when He feels distant.

 

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