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

Unstoppable Life

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Mark Shields

The next message of the series called “Unstoppable” at First United Methodist Church Waco was presented today. It is titled “Unstoppable Life” and can be watched at this link.

1. LIFE REQUIRES KINGDOM LIVING.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:9b-10 (KJV)

2. LIFE REQUIRES SURRENDER AND REDEMPTION.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44 (NIV)

3. LIFE REQUIRES AUTHENTIC TRANSFORMATION.

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘If you are thirsty, come to Me! If you believe in Me, come and drink!’ For the scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” – John 7:37-38 (NLT)

4. LIFE REQUIRES A LIFE GIVER.

“I live by the power of the living Father Who sent Me; in the same way, those who partake of Me will live because of Me.” I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever….” – John 6:57-58a (NLT)

5. LIFE REQUIRES GOD LIVING IN US.

This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us,….” – 1 John 4:10-12a (NLT)

6. THE JESUS LIFE IS THE UNSTOPPABLE LIFE.

“You have shown me the way of life, and You will give me wonderful joy in Your presence.” – Acts 2:28 (NLT)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christianity, first united methodist, first united methodist church, God, religion, rivers of living water | 2 Comments

Traits to Emulate

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Mark Shields

I’ve been studying recently about personality traits and many characters in the Bible demonstrated traits we can try to emulate. From a person named Esther in the Bible, we learn about openness and its benefits. Being open and letting people know who you are creates trust. She told the king about her Jewish background and rather than being destroyed, her openness helped her people receive protection (Esther 7-8).

Depiction of the separation of Abraham and Lot by Wenceslaus Hollar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Throughout the Bible, we notice how God uses those who are humble. How can we begin to demonstrate humility toward God? One way is by being comfortable in our own skin; by having a calm soul and feeling that we have a purpose in life. Abraham demonstrates these qualities when he was willing to work out problems head on without deception. He humbly sought unity and peace with Lot (Genesis 13).

We can also learn about personality traits to emulate from the stories of others and personal experiences. To read some of these examples, take a few minutes to read the post at my other blog titled People We Enjoy Being Around.

Private Traits and Attributes are Predictable from Digital Records of Human Behavior (3quarksdaily.com)
Female role models (npegildert.wordpress.com)
Being Pleasant (mdshields.wordpress.com)

Posted in Pleasing Personality | Tagged Bible, Esther, God, Humility, Leadership, Peace, Personality, Purpose, religion, Religion and Spirituality, Social Sciences, theology, Trust, Unity | 2 Comments

Rhymes for These Times – Inspired by 1 Chronicles 21

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Mark Shields

The study of 1 Chronicles 21 has inspired two poems. The first is titled “Faith Connection” at this link. It is about how faith connects us to the source of everything good where God is. The second is titled “Atonement” at this link. Our healer today for sin is Christ; the acceptable atonement.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Atonement, Christ, Christianity, David, Faith, faith connection, God, healer, Poems, religion, Sin, two poems | Leave a comment

Acceptable Atonement

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Mark Shields

Reflecting on yesterday’s post and reading of 1 Chronicles 21:14-30, David was near death. A plague was sweeping through the land but David was willing to die for his people and God shows mercy. Our healer today for sin is Christ; the acceptable atonement. May this video give a lift for your day: The Hurt and the Healer – MercyMe? God Bless! 🙂

There are things we can learn from history that will help in making decisions. The problems we go through in life are not stop signs; they are guidelines and it is during tough times that God provides sure signs of a brighter future.

Sure Signs (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Questions for Reflection – 1 Chronicles 20-23 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Reflections… a Scripture verse and inspiration for daily living [3/8]… late posting (riverrunchurch.wordpress.com)
The Tax Collector and his unusual prayer for mercy. (jessicahof.wordpress.com)
Thoughts on “A better atonement: the last scapegoat” (themysteryofchrist.wordpress.com)

Posted in 1 Chronicles | Tagged Atonement, Christ, Christianity, David, Decisions, Future, God, Guidelines, healer, Healing, Jesus, Mercy, reflection 1, religion, Religion and Spirituality, Sacrifice, scripture verse, theology | 1 Comment

Sure Signs

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Mark Shields

David was proud of the number of his people and began to trust his own powers rather than the unlimited powers of God. As recorded in 1 Chronicles 21:14-30, God was not happy; sending an angel to make the numbers smaller with a plague on Israel that killed 70 thousand fighting men. As the angel was destroying Israel, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity and told the angel to stop.

David’s prayer to the Lord gives a glimpse of the shepherd’s heart. He was willing to give his own life for his sheep; willing to die in place of them. David was required to build an altar to the Lord and sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he called on the Lord who then shows David that he is forgiven by sending fire from heaven. Fire sent from heaven is a sign of God’s acceptance. In Hebrews there is the mention that Christ was made sin and it pleased the Lord that through him God might be to us, not a consuming fire, but a reconciled Father.

After reflecting upon today’s passage and knowing that going the way of God is best, the question that comes to mind is what areas of my life do I need to be humble and trust God? There is definitely a lesson to be learned in how David handled the situation. He had discipline and did what God told him to do. Because David honored God and humbled himself, the angel sent to destroy Jerusalem was told to stop.

It’s fine to celebrate success if you give God the credit. Nothing happens by accident and things are so complex that no one person should take credit for accomplishments. All solutions to any problems have an answer. The answer for Christians is Christ.

This day with God, I’m praying for those that lead me and for God’s help in leading others. That I do not seek greatness as the world defines greatness but how God defines it. That I know the path, follow it, and praise Him for every step taken on that path.