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

Giving Back to God

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Mark Shields

In the previous post titled “Pass It On”, it was explained that David’s reign was in its twilight and he was thankful for all that God had given him. He had accumulated many resources for Israel and personal treasure. His priority at this point in his life was to prepare Israel for the future and to give back to God by using these resources to build the Temple. He wanted more of God and less of himself much like what this video makes clear: Empty Me – Jeremy Camp.

This day with God, we have a chance to give of our time, talents, and treasure. Giving demonstrates our love for God. It allows us to express our gratitude for what God has blessed us with and is never regretted.

Pass It On (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
God’s grace is sufficient unto all (bummyla.wordpress.com)
Sinning against someone. (apolloslloyd.wordpress.com)

Posted in 1 Chronicles | Tagged Christ, Christianity, David, Giving, God, Israel, Jeremy Camp, Lord, personal treasure, Priorities, religion, Resources, spirituality, Temple, Treasure | 2 Comments

Pass It On

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Mark Shields

Reading in 1 Chronicles 29, David was up in age and as his reign draws to a close it is evident that his top priorities in life were God first, family second, and being king third. He gave willingly as a cheerful giver to the building of the Temple. As his son Solomon was being prepared to take over as king, David made sure all his resources of gold, silver, and bronze were put into the building of the House of God. He led the way by giving his personal treasures to this good work and drew others with him to give of their time and treasure to the magnificent temple.

The temple would be made of gold and silver; a magnificent structure but the riches of Christ exceed the brilliance of the temple. As Christians, we are told that we are the temple of God and that the Holy Spirit lives in us. We may not abound with affluence in the worldly definition but there is a way to gain spiritual riches beyond measure; giving our time, skills, and resources into the building up of new followers of Christ.

What can we give of our time, skills, and resources? I began to think and pray about this a few years ago. An idea for me came in praying about how I might contribute to God’s purposes. This blog was started because over the years, I had studied God’s Word but struggled at taking in and keeping its concepts so that I could begin to apply them in my life. Over the years, I’ve worked at coming up with a personal Bible study system that puts an emphasis on documentation of insights as one reads God’s Word. This system is a tool in application of God’s Word and I hope to pass this on to others. It is kind of a Spiritual road map that hopefully will be used by others to make their journey more interesting, effective, and efficient.

This day with God, consider your place in the ongoing history of the people of God. Thank Him for helping you make a significant contribution to His purposes.

Do You Not Know That Your Body Is a Temple of the Holy Spirit? (hiking2christ.org)
Questions for Reflection – 1 Chronicles 24-27 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)

Posted in 1 Chronicles | Tagged Bible, Christ, David, followers of christ, God, God’s Word, Holy Spirit, HolySpirit, Journey, personal bible study, personal treasures, Priorities, Purpose, Riches, Solomon, spiritual riches, spiritual road, Temple, temple of the holy spirit, Treasure | 4 Comments

Unstoppable Easter

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Mark Shields

The Easter message at First United Methodist Church Waco today is titled “Unstoppable Easter” and can be watched at this link. Below is an outline of today’s message.

1. EASTER BRINGS GOD’S KINGDOM TO EARTH.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near.’ ” – Matthew 4:17 (NIV)

2. EASTER BRINGS A KINGDOM MESSAGE.

“…I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other
towns also, because that is why I was sent.” – Luke 4:43 (NIV)

3. EASTER BRINGS A KINGDOM FAITH.

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you
are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’ ” – Matthew 28: 5 (NIV)

4. EASTER BRINGS A KINGDOM TRUTH.

“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said….” – Matthew 28:6a, b (NIV)

5. EASTER BRINGS A KINGDOM EXPERIENCE.

“…Come and see the place where He lay.” – Matthew 28:6c(NIV)

6. EASTER BRINGS A KINGDOM ASSIGNMENT.

“Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead
and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him…’ ”
Matthew 28:7a-c (NIV)

Passover + Easter = Eternal Life (clydestyle.org)
Keep the Fire (vanriggins.wordpress.com)

Posted in Sermon Outline | Tagged Easter, Galilee, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, Matthew | Leave a comment

Courage to Carry Out His Purpose

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Mark Shields

This has been a hope filled day with all the wonderful posts this Good Friday and I thank God for blessing me with more than deserved. Reading the posts today made me think about the tremendous courage it took for Christ to carry out His purpose.

I remember doing a topic study years ago about courage and found many examples of courage in the Bible. A few, I would like to share.

In Luke 9:11-28, the servant did not maximize his master’s gains because he was afraid to take a risk and make the money multiply. The lesson I learned is to have faith to step out and do what would produce the best return.

In Acts 4:1-12, Peter is proclaiming Christ as the savior to the same group that had crucified Him. What courage it took to speak about this in front of this audience.

As we see in Acts 25:23-26:32, God is the source of Paul’s courage. Within these scriptures, I see someone with the courage to admit that he once persecuted Christians and the courage to talk about controversial issues even when placed in a very difficult situation.

When Paul faced opposition in Corinth, God gave him assurance of safety. He spoke to Paul in a vision telling him to keep on teaching the gospel and not be afraid because he would be protected (Acts 18:1-11).

The Word says that God stood near Paul and told him to take courage. There is a peace in knowing that God is with you. Paul had that peace and trusted God to help him in time of need (Acts 22:30-23:11).

Like looking up at a scoreboard and seeing that your team is winning, we can see a clear picture of victory found in the Bible and know that Jesus is the most valuable player. To read more about my thoughts on courage, take a few minutes to read this post titled No Fear of Failure.

Lenten Reflection Day 38 Good Friday (makingroomforgod.wordpress.com)
A Little Reflection On Christ’s Passion (catholicjules.net)
Say “No” to Man’s “Yes” This Good Friday (justinleetalbert.wordpress.com)
Prayer For Courage and Determination (donkeywhispererfarm2010.wordpress.com)
Confident Christianity (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
True Courage is Believing Beyond Yourself (daneburgess.wordpress.com)
Peace through courage (m2wa2.wordpress.com)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Christ, Christian, Christianity, controversial issues, Corinth, Courage, examples of courage, Faith, fear of failure, God, Good Friday, Inspiration, Jesus, Paul, Peter, Purpose, religion, time of need | 2 Comments

Ready for the Path

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Mark Shields

Providing for a family and giving them the resources needed is important but so is building memories. Time flies and before you know it a child is grown so it’s important to take advantage of those special times that build lasting memories.

In the post yesterday, I wrote some thoughts after studying 1 Chronicles 28. David would not build the temple but his child named Solomon would be prepared and have the resources to carry out the work to completion. As a father with a daughter, I understand that I can’t do everything I would like. There’s not enough time but I can prepare her to carry out what I put in place. I can provide the resources and give lessons so she is ready for the path. Here’s a video that was written about the time spent with a daughter: Cinderella – Steven Curtis Chapman.