Author Archives: Steve Shields

How can I live the Christian Life?

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“It’s all grace” – Brennan Manning

True Christians have a number of things in common: an awareness of their own sin, an understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice, a choice of trust that Jesus’ death pays for their sin, and a heart that’s turned away from sinful pursuits.

Clipboard01There’s something else we have in common: A realization that we cannot live the Christian life. If you don’t realize that you cannot live the Christian life, you’re closing your eyes to reality. But don’t give up.

This podcast, presented by me at Curwensville Alliance on August 10, 2014, addresses the difficulty and explains how the gospel brings the answer. It’s all grace, you know.

If you’re interested in the sermon notes, contact me.

~Steve

 

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Is it luck, or something else?

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I feel like Glen Zorger this afternoon.

2014-08-08 14.49.48I bought a new laptop recently. It’s great. But today, I looked across the table from where I was working and saw a screw — a very small screw. It looked just like the ones in the bottom of my brand new laptop. Sure enough, the screw fit in the bottom. How lucky could I get? That screw could have fallen out anywhere: At Spanky’s this morning. At McDonald’s last night while I was at my Men’s Group. At the Chandler Group on Wednesday. On the porch. On the patio. In the car. On the road. In the grass. But it fell out right there. On the table where I work. Luck!

But the screw was a TORX T05. That means REALLY SMALL. Who has one of those in their desk? I do. I had one because my friend, Tom Milford, had to buy one one time and the thing was so cheap that he bought two and gave me one. I hadn’t seen it for years, but when cleaning out my desk just yesterday, I saw it. I thought, “I should toss this. When will I ever need it?” Well, you know the answer. It was today. Luck!

So I put the screw in and tighten it up and then noticed the other ten screws. Should I check them? Would Lenovo ship a laptop with all the case screws loose?

2014-08-08 15.08.33

Yeah — I better check them. Every one of them was loose. Some, ready to fall out, in spite of the fact that they had thread lock on them. So I tightened each one with my TORX T05 before they all had a chance to work loose and fall out. Luck!

Then I thought of Glen Zorger. He once remarked to me, “I don’t know why I worry about things. God takes care of me in every way.”

He does. Maybe it’s not luck. Maybe it’s providence. Maybe it’s divine oversight. Maybe it’s God paying attention to the most clueless of his sheep. Maybe it’s grace.

Glen went to be with the Lord last month. And it’s nice to be reminded that it’s not luck — it’s Jesus.

The Gentleness of God…

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A podcast from a service at Curwensville Alliance.

Occasionally, in the back of my mind, I detect this thought — an ungodly thought — that God doesn’t really love me. It’s a thought that says that I don’t measure up and because of my failures, God would like to smack me. Hard. Now. Twice.

Now, before you say, “Steve, I never have that thought; what’s wrong with you!?” think. Think about your own thought talk. When someone approaches you with a ministry opportunity, how do you respond? With confidence? Or with reluctance based in your own feelings of inadequacy? That’s what I’m talking about. Or what about those times you reflect on a conversation where you said the wrong thing and really hurt someone you were honestly trying to help? When you think about that, do you think to yourself, “I am such an idiot! I should just keep my mouth shut! How can God put up with my stupidity!?” That’s what I’m talking about.

I was thinking about where that voice comes from. It doesn’t come from the pastor I had while growing up. He preached grace with clarity. Maybe it comes from teachers or youth leaders? Maybe I picked it up in the dorm at the Christian college I attended? (Late night freshman chats in dorms can be very good or very bad.) Maybe I picked it up at home?

I doubt it.

It was my wife who suggested something like this:

It came from the Garden, Steve. It’s exactly what the serpent suggested to Eve. “Did God really say…”

Immediately, when Laurel suggested this, I new she was right. It’s the enemy of our souls that makes us wonder if God really said what he said. It’s the enemy who wants to convince us we are unloved.

This podcast is from a series on The Nature of Jesus. A series presented to help combat such lies when they come into your life. This message, in particular, is about Jesus’ gentleness — and how he cares for you. May God embroider the truth of his love on your heart as you listen.

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