The Shepherd's Apprentice

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May 12

"Under hopeless circumstances
he hopefully believed"
Romans 4:18

I love this Weymouth translation.

And the question is: How do we find hopeful belief in hopeless circumstance?

The answer is: Don't wait til a hopeless time!

God invites us to develop a personal relationship that will transcend every momentary crisis. Therefore, let us each strive to draw nearer to him each day.

In Christ's Love,
a guy named "Hope"
(it's kind of like being Johnny Cash's
"boy named Sue")

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May 11

They that dwell under his shadow shall return;
they shall revive as the corn
and grow as the vine
Hosea 14:7

The context is the Exile. God's people have been conquered and kidnapped. Who can come home? "They that dwell under his shadow."

In what corners of your life are you not where you belong?

If you want to come home and experience richer blessings, "dwell under [God's] shadow." Or in other words, draw near to him.

And what will be the fruit? God wants to pour water on you in the same way that a gentle summer rain revives a parched field of corn. He wants to take you -- the severed branch -- and graft you onto the vine, so that you may grow and bear much fruit.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who needs to
quit being afraid of the shadows
(especially God's)

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May 10

Your gift will return to you in full measure,
pressed down, shaken together
to make room for more,
and running over.
Luke 6:38

God wants to give to you.

Bountifully.

Lavishly.

Extravagantly.

But there's a problem. We are often too full of ourselves that there's no room for Him, no room for better blessings.

Therefore, we must empty ourselves. And one of the ways we do this is by giving. And the amount that we give and empty ourselves is the amount that God can supply.
And then God gives more!

He fills us up. Then he presses the flour (the blessings) down. Then he shakes it, compacts it even tighter. Why? He's making room for more blessings. He pours, presses, shakes, and then pours some more. He desires to pour and pour and pour until we're running over.

But it starts with this: Emptying ourselves of ourselves. And we do that by giving generously and focusing on others (instead of ourselves).

In Christ's Love,
a guy who needs to be shaken

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