embrace

In the Old Testament God is often called the Shepherd of Israel. In John 10, Jesus chooses to describe Himself as the True Shepherd, the close personal relationship between Himself and each of His followers; the absolute security we have in Him; His leadership and guidance; His constant company; his unfailing care and sacrificial love, actually giving His life that we might have life. Despite our awareness of this, in the main, we struggle to see or live an abundant life. The

Praying with confidence only comes from how close our relationship with the Lord is. If we are fearful or uncertain about this relationship, we will lack confidence. In my experience, I am certain that God longs to give me good things. Being in relationship with my Creator, there will be times I need to accept that the answers to my prayers, may not always be what I want. However, God has the long term plan and knows what will be best for me and my loved ones. Strengthened by

Perhaps we are not always pleased with our life circumstances, particularly when our caretaking chores become overwhelming and disagreeable. I find the model of Jesus’ words in John’s gospel an inspiration for the days when my resentments can outweigh a loving response. Receiving God’s word into my spirit helps to restore my goodness. It is my choice and call to lay down my own life in service to others and there are days, I struggle to do so. When becoming overburdened, this

I believe peace to be a truly valuable gift and yet it slips too easily in the mundane moments of life. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:22-23) they all go together for a life well-lived. However, how often is our focus on the gift of peace? When Jesus said these words in the Gospel of John, He was sharing that He would soon be returning to His Father, but His own un