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

Nothing Can Satisfy Like Jesus

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Mark Shields

English: child Jesus with the virgin Mary, with the Holy Spirit (represented as a dove) and God the Father, with child john the Baptist and saint Elizabeth on the right (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As explained in yesterday’s post, David endures many hardships but he had a desire to carry out God’s plan. David teaches us to seek God’s will, to have the desire to carry out the plan, and to believe He will work it out. God’s ultimate plan was that He would send Jesus; a descendant of David to rule the kingdom and the Holy Spirit will live in whoever believes in Him.

Nothing can satisfy like Jesus because His presence is heaven to us. His presence is the treasure of our heart and soul. Our days on earth are difficult at times but the hope Jesus provides gives the inspiration and desire to fulfill all that God has for us. Go to Him often in prayer aspiring for the unseen and eternal in order to make His wisdom known to those that do not know Him.

Heaven is not far away because God’s Spirit lives in our hearts. Hold this in your thoughts and never let it fade so hard times can be overcome. Let our thoughts of heaven produce pictures of paradise as we desire to fulfill God’s will.

This day with God, let us be inspired by the prayer of Jesus found in Matthew 26:39: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

The Christian Worldview: It’s all about Jesus (bloodonthealtar.wordpress.com)
Call Off the Dogs! Psalm 22:19-28 (ckisler.wordpress.com)
The Mission of Jesus (dginman.wordpress.com)
Desiring To Pray Like Jesus Prayed (dianasymons.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged child jesus, christian worldview, Christianity, Evangelism, God, Holy Spirit, hope jesus, Jesus, prayer of jesus | 4 Comments

Matching Our Desires with God’s Desires

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Mark Shields

At the point of writing Psalm 132, David has gone through many hardships but has done great things for the Lord. Now he desires to build a house in which the ark may be placed since it was for many years in a secluded field near a city about ten miles outside Jerusalem called Kiriath- Jearim. David had a plan to build a house were the Spirit of God could live but God had another plan; living not in a building but in our hearts.

Our desires must match God’s desires. When we wake up each day, it is good to set aside a time to plan out our day with Him. His Spirit desires to live in our hearts but the question is do we desire to let Him in and follow His directions. Do we believe that God’s promises are being fulfilled now and will be in the future? Like David, we can desire to fulfill a purpose God has for us by praying about it and following. We are in control of being faithful but let God be in control of being successful.

With Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in us as this video affirms: Your Presence is Heaven – Israel & New Breed. Have a blessed day with God! 🙂

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matthew 7:8

Questions for Reflection for Studying Psalm 132-136 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
1 Chronicles 13. The covenant box is moved from Kiriath Jearim. David’s desire to remove the Ark (bummyla.wordpress.com)
Spiritual Gifts and the Body (joequatronejr.wordpress.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged blessed day, Christianity, David, God, Holy Spirit, Jerusalem, Jesus, Kiriath-Jearim, Lord, Psalm 132, purpose god, spirit of god | 8 Comments

Questions for Reflection for Studying Psalm 132-138

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Mark Shields

I recently finished questions for reflection from Psalm 128-131. To review where I’ve been over the last few weeks along with a synopsis of the answers, I wrote a post at this link: answers as we step ahead.

The next part of the travel will take me to Psalm 132-138. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting about the journey and will use the questions below to help focus on each passage.

Photo Credit : consultinggrad.com

Psalm 132
Passage Lookup
What has David done? Explain his desire (See 2 Sam. 7). How is God’s chosen dwelling different from David’s conception (V. 11-12)? What is one area in life where I need to stop thinking my way and start thinking God’s way?

Psalm 133-134
Passage Lookup
What are the results of unity? How does its influence spread? What effect does unity have on Christianity? What attitude and actions are apparent? What desire does the psalmist have in this psalm?

Psalm 135
Passage Lookup
Why is the psalmist praising God? What memories of past victories are evoked? In what ways is God different from Idols?

Psalm 136
Passage Lookup
How does God demonstrate his understanding and power in the physical universe? What can you learn from the way God deals with people? What is God saying in this psalm to those who may doubt his love as the Israelites did at times?

Psalm 137
Passage Lookup
What methods of psychological warfare were the captors using? When others do not take you or your faith seriously, how do you react? What difficulty in life has caused the greatest growth in you?

Psalm 138
Passage Lookup
What motivates the kings to praise God? How can we have confidence about the future?

The above reading plan will be used as I share over the next few posts. It’s important to have a plan. I’m thankful that Jesus is God’s plan for us and by accepting Him as Savior; we have taken the steps necessary to make this day with Him amazing! At this link: God’s Plan for Us, is a post about accepting God’s plan or reaffirming our “YES” for Christ.

Feel free to respond with a short note or a comment about any of the questions above. Also, I welcome any other thoughts or ideas, favorite inspirational videos, photos, or favorite Bible verses. Just add them to the comments or to a Facebook page I’ve set up at this link: This Day With God.

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Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts
Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God. Downer Grove Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1978
First United Methodist Waco Podcast
Christ Notes
Family Times

Questions for Reflection – Psalm 128 – 131 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Psalms of Ascent – What do they teach us about our Lord? (2cherish2commend.wordpress.com)

Posted in Psalm | Tagged Chapters and verses of the Bible, Christ, Christianity, David, God, Jesus, Psalm, psalm 133, psalm 136 | 4 Comments

The Model Fatherhood

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Mark Shields

Happy Father’s Day!

Christmas of 1967

The picture above was taken Christmas morning 1967. That’s my Dad setting up the race track Santa gave me and that’s me wearing my new football jersey. My sister Tracy is on the right side of the picture holding her new baby doll.

The message today at the church I attend is from Rev. Brandon Frenzel. There is a Pastor’s Podcast at this link: Father’s Day Message. Below is the outline of the message.

Our Father in Heaven:

I. Is relational

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. – Exodus 29:45

II. Can be trusted

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. – Deut. 31:6

III. Is giving; does not withhold

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32

IV. Loves extravagantly

The Lord your God is with you,
     The Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
     In His love He will no longer rebuke you
     But will rejoice over you with singing. – Zeph. 3:17

The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord you God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. – Deut. 1:30-31

Posted in Sermon Outline | Tagged dad, Egypt, Father, Fathers Day, God, God the Father, Israelites | 1 Comment

Drawing People to the Power of God

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Mark Shields

As explained in yesterday’s post, we can be the type of person that connects the power of God to others. What gets in our way at times is that we take ourselves too seriously. Children remind us to just be ourselves. They just say whatever they think without being concerned about what others may think. I once heard a funny story of a 3-year old child who started their prayer like this, “Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name.” 🙂

It’s important to be comfortable in our own skin, to have a calm soul, and to feel we have a purpose in life. People were drawn to Jesus during His ministry on earth. Today, with the chance to study His life and with the help through the Holy Spirit, our personality can be shaped into the person we need to be so people are drawn to God.

We each have a skill to offer. This thought is underscored in the book, “The Richest Man in Town” by V.J. Smith. It’s about a simple man that ran a cash register at Wal-Mart. His name was Marty Martinson and this is how his obituary read:

Aaron “Marty” Martinson
1926-2004

Marty left an indelible mark on the many people who passed through his line at Wal-Mart. No one was a stranger in his line, merely a friend in waiting. His life, guided by his positive attitude, was an inspiration to many people. Sad with loss of a husband, father, and friend, people take comfort in knowing that Heaven has found a new greeter.

To inspire our day towards this thought of drawing people to the power of God, here’s a video: Free To Be Me – Francesca Battistelli.

This day with God, pray that His power would cause a revival in the nation so that a sacrificial humble personality is more honorable than a worldly, prideful, materialistic, and entitled one which many societies seem to promote. Pray to be free to be the wonderful person you are.