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

It’s Right in Front of You

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Mark Shields

The second of a four part series on “Stories for the Road” was brought to us last Sunday at my church. To catch up on the series or if you think it might be of some help for someone you know, click on or forward this Link of the podcast. Check out the story of the black Vietnam granite in the background of the podcast.

English: Road in the UAE. Français : Une route aux Émirats arabes unis. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

GOD WILL GUIDE YOU

“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and to go the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 (NCV)

“The Lord is my shepherd … He leads me to calm water… He leads me on paths that are right for the good of His name.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NCV)

Direction is determined by the road we choose. The Spirit of God was set loose on Pentecost Sunday which was last Sunday and it guides us on the right path.

GOD WILL SPEAK TO YOU

“The Lord came and stood there and called as He had before, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’ Samuel said, ‘Speak, Lord. I am Your servant and I am listening.’ ” 1 Samuel 3:10 (NCV)

“For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16 (NLT)

At Pentecost, God started to be with us and speak to us. How do we apply what He is saying?

LIFE EVENTS ARE CONNECTED

“The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.” Proverbs 27:12 (NCV)

We pay attention to signs on the road, the stop sign and yield sign. Why don’t we pay attention to the signs in life that tell us we are going the wrong way? Life events are connected; they are tied together. What happened a long time ago is sometimes connected to the present. It’s important to stop and change course. Pray the prayer below.

“LORD, HELP ME TO SEE TROUBLE COMING LONG BEFORE IT GETS HERE, AND GIVE ME THE WISDOM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO AND THE COURAGE TO DO IT.”

THE ROAD BECOMES CLEAR WHEN WE APPLY THE PATH PRINCIPLE

ACTION – What step should I take?

SACRIFICE – Make a phone call or ask for help or do something different

EMBARRASSMENT – Others may criticize for your admission of going the wrong way

RELIEF – You will be glad that you made the choice to change and go down God’s road

What lesson in the sermon did you learn? For me, the lesson is to realize that what happened a long time ago is sometimes connected to the present. The important thing to do is let God handle our yesterdays and our tomorrows so we can concentrate on today.

Here’s a video that emphasizes the need to pay attention to the signs along our journey: Stop The World – Matthew West. My hope is that it will provide a lift for your day.

The Straight and Narrow Path (nodroppedstitches.wordpress.com)
The Real Miracle of Pentecost (livingontilt.wordpress.com)

Posted in Sermon Outline | Tagged God, HolySpirit, Jesus, Lord, Pentecost, Pentecost Sunday, Podcast, Sermon, Signs, Sunday, Vietnam Memorial | 2 Comments

Shelter From Storms

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Mark Shields

In a previous post Roadblocks We Face, I mentioned that God can provide shelter from the storms we face. Sometimes when we feel down, a song can lift our spirits. Here’s one for today: Shelter Me – Bruce Carroll, Billy Sprague and Bob Bennett.

A teardrop on earth calls on God for shelter from storms. Problems can best be overcome with prayer and by following His will.

Roadblocks We Face (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Lose the fear… (lifesearchforchrist.wordpress.com)
Sheltered in God (janetsketchley.wordpress.com)

Posted in Ezra | Tagged Bob Bennett, Bruce Carroll, God, God Provides Shelter, God’s Will, Prayer | 10 Comments

How They Spent Their Dash

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Mark Shields

Between the dates of a grave marker, a dash separates the birth date and death date. At a funeral, the dates are always mentioned but it’s the dash between the dates that really matters. The loved ones of those lost in the line of duty know what that dash means. It’s not fame, money, or even being a hero but how they lived. This Memorial Day, remember those who died for our freedom and how they spent their dash.

Step Ahead

Memorial Day is observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. It originated after the Civil War and honors all Americans who have died in all wars. As a marker, it typically marks the start of summer vacation season while Labor Day marks its end. It’s the end of school for many. Some have graduated and some are starting their career. It’s a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future. It’s a time to remember the lessons of the past for each day that goes by gives us another day of recorded history we can model after or learn from or share with others.

I received an email a while back from a friend and in this email was a story of a lady who had started a long time ago to plant one daffodil at a time in a field. Now…

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Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Roadblocks We Face

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Mark Shields

English: The Rebuilding of the Temple Is Begun (Ezr. 1:1-11) Русский: Восстановление Храма (Ездры 1:1-11) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the enemies of the returned exiles heard about the rebuilding of the temple, they asked if they could help but their past idol worship was known. The Israelites had absolute confidence in God but didn’t trust their enemies so they told them that they alone would rebuild the temple. This didn’t set too well and an adversarial relationship developed.

We face adversaries in life who don’t want us to succeed. In Ezra 4, the adversaries to those rebuilding Jerusalem wrote a false letter to the king and the good work of rebuilding the Temple was brought to a halt. The good news is that the King of heaven knows everyone’s motives and can shelter us from the storms.

This Day with God can be amazing even during storms of life because a teardrop on earth calls on God for shelter from our storms. The thought from today’s lesson is that difficulties can best be overcome with prayer and by following His will. Spend some time in prayer today and make it a part of your prayer to lift up your leaders and everyone in authority; ask God to give them integrity and wisdom.

Questions for Reflection – Ezra 4-6 (thisdaywithgod.wordpress.com)
Getting Back to Basics (jonahzsong.wordpress.com)
Grace has been shown from the Lord our God (leadmeintheeverlastingway.com)

Posted in Ezra | Tagged Adversaries, Book of Ezra, Christianity, confidence in god, Difficulties, Ezra, God, Integrity, Israelite, Jerusalem, Leaders, Motives, politics, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, Shelter, Storms, Temple, Wisdom | 6 Comments

Questions for Reflection – Ezra 4-6

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Mark Shields

English: Sunrise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The first activity of the Israelites after returning from exile was to build the altar of God. We can learn from their example of putting God first. Small things become big things when we go to God and plan to move forward together. An amazing day starts with God, moves into working with God, and ends with a celebration of thankfulness to God. That’s the reason for the reading plan below.

Ezra 4
Passage Lookup

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard about the rebuilding of the temple, they asked if they could help. Are the Israelites willing to cooperate with the adversaries in fulfilling a command from God? How do the adversaries respond to Israel’s refusal to cooperate? What is the “crowning blow” which frustrates the rebuilding of the city?

Ezra 5
Passage Lookup

How long has the building of the temple been stopped (Darius’ reign begins in 521 B.C.)? To what extent are you willing to invest your time and energies to help Christian friends keep the will of God foremost in their undertakings? To what extent do you rely on God’s timing to fulfill commands he has given?How

Ezra 6
Passage Lookup

What does King Darius add to the Cyrus decree that validates the Israelites and their work on the temple of God? What follows the completion of the house of God? What is the source of the Israelites’ joy? To what extent are you joyful? Why? What is its source?

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Things are not easy but God can help us overcome difficulties and the lessons given in His Word along with prayer, and following His will provide the road map for our journey. Encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ because together confidence is increased for every obstacle to be overcome.

Come along with me or check up on my posts next week as I write about my travels through the book of Ezra. I’m praying for understanding as I read and reflect on each block of reading above and share ideas on how we can integrate our faith with our lifestyle. To help us learn how to do the right thing by staying in the light and understanding that God is present in His Word nourishing our thoughts so they grow into food for our souls.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Your friend in Christ,

Mark

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