Pastor Guy Shields
Gazing on the Beauty of the Lord
“One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.” —Psalm 27:4
One of the things we like to do when we go back to Florida to visit Geni’s family is to go to the beach. Our favorite spot is Bowman beach on Sanibel Island. (more…)
The Immeasurable Glory of God
This last Wednesday morning I was walking through the neighborhood behind the church. As I wound my way through the streets I came upon some trees planted along the sidewalk next to the street. Now, I have no idea what kind of trees these were. They were deciduous trees and the leaves were just beginning to turn. They were about six, or so, feet tall. Trees not unlike a lot of other trees around. But they caught my eye. They caught my eye because hidden within the leafy heads of these trees hung these “fruit”. They were about the size and color of a crab apple, but rather than being smooth the surface was bumpy with little nob-like lumps. I had never noticed these fruit before and when I saw them I stopped for a few moments to look them over. As I did so it struck me that here was another reminder, another witness, to the infinite and perfect glory of God. (more…)
Building on a Good Foundation
When I was working in construction, building houses, I had an interesting experience that illustrates the importance of a good foundation for building a house that is straight and true. Typically, when our crew built a house, we would put in the foundation ourselves. But on one project, (in fact it was the house of the lady with the perfume, see September 28), my boss decided to have another crew do the foundation instead. So, after the foundation was in, we arrived to frame the house. It was essentially L-shaped with the garage forming one leg that extended perpendicularly toward the street and the main living quarters forming the other leg parallel to and back off the street. (more…)
God is Wise & Good & Sovereign
Two things we must be convinced of in the face of life’s unexpected inconveniences: 1) God is good and wise, 2) EVERYTHING that comes to pass God ordains and He does so for His glory. I was reminded of this recently.
On Wednesday this week I was working in my study, and I had Mia, our sixteen-month-old yellow lab, with me. At one point during the morning I looked down from where I was working at my desk to see the power cable for my laptop chewed off and lying on the floor. Unbeknown to me, Mia had been busy. (more…)
As for God, His Way is Perfect
“As for God, His ways are perfect.”
This was Lila Trotman’s immediate response to the news of the drowning of her husband, Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators discipleship ministry. Dawson died June 18, 1956, in the process of rescuing a young girl who had fallen from a boat into the waters of Schroon Lake in upper New York State. (more…)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Sin is not first of all a matter of wrong actions, but of wrong affections. Conversely, righteousness is not first of all a matter of right actions, but of right affections. Certainly, both sin and righteousness involve actions but these are the fruit, not the root. We do what we love. It is our affections that give birth to our actions. Affections generate motivation, and motivations take shape in actions. That this is the nature of the case is confirmed by the fact that God defines righteousness as love to Himself. The most basic act of righteousness is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength. (more…)
Sunday, August 31, 2014
2 Chronicles 6 records King Solomon’s address to the congregation of Israel and his prayer to the Lord following the completion of the Temple in Jerusalem. After acknowledging God’s faithfulness to fulfill His Word to building the Temple, Solomon speaks of God’s promise that David would not fail to have a son sitting on the throne of Israel. Having reiterated the requirement that this son walk according to the Law of God, Solomon continues in verse 17:
“Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant David.”
Hearts Prepared to Seek God
Sunday, August 24, 2014
2 Chronicles 19-20 are a powerful and tremendously encouraging account of God’s providential working, as well as, of His loving-kindness to His people. In this account, King Jehoshaphat undertakes the task of bringing spiritual reform to the nation of Judah. He also finds himself and his people confronted by the joint-forces of Moab and Ammon. These foes are so formidable that when he heard that this great multitude was coming against him, Jehoshaphat was filled with fear. However, he responded to the situation with faith and immediately sought the Lord in prayer ending with this unforgettable statement:
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Sunday, August 17, 2014
“The most important thing about you is what you believe about God.”
So said A.W. Tozer, well-known Chicago-area pastor and author of the last century, in the first paragraph of his book The Knowledge of the Holy. And he was right. The most important thing about you is what you believe about God because what you believe about God shapes your whole view of life in this world. Your understanding of who God is and what He is like lays the foundation for your actions in and reactions to the situations and circumstances that unfold along your journey through this world. (more…)