We Have Hope -

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The thoughts that are rolling around in my mind this evening:

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; -Philippians 1:6

When it comes to our salvation and the refining of our hearts, God holds it all in place. He leads, we follow; it is never out of His control. The reliance is on God, to bring us to where we need to be to become who we were meant to be in Him. Our salvation and our sanctification are in His able hands.

And able they are, because He is faithful and if He began this work in you, He will not leave you hanging; He will not lose interest, He will not lose heart. He will bring you to the end, through every trouble, doubt, and fear. Continue reading →

What An Encouragement! -

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These three posts that I’m about to share with you left me in awe… what an encouragement and what perfect timing for these to come along my path.

Heidi’s story is one of changed dreams and physical ailment. In a way, though her story differs from mine in many ways, I feel as though we’ve been walking down the same road. A road jaded by difficulty and pain, but one that leads to changed perspectives and a better understanding of our loving God.

You can read her story in three parts, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Blessings,
Rachel Allison

Unrestrained Praise! -

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Life has been hard lately, but I’m learning that even in the pain I can still praise God. Even in my darkest moments, I know that God is real and I know that He is worthy to be praised. I know that He is creator of all this beauty around me. The bitterness of my pain cannot take away that knowledge.

With all my heart I look forward to the time when this pain will subside and this trial is over. I long to praise God without the distraction of such deep pain and to look back on this trial with the understanding that comes with hindsight. I know that this is not forever and when it ends, I will praise Him more fully than I ever have. I look forward to that song of deliverance – that unrestrained praise.

Most of all, it just makes heaven sound that much greater, because then my praise will literally be all it should be. Untainted by my sinful flesh, untouched by this painful world.

Until then, I will train my eyes on the blessings of our amazing Creator. The beauty of His creation keeps my eyes trained on how awesome He truly is.

In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand… - Psalms 95:4-7

Are You Obsessed? {Guest Post}

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We have a guest blogger today on A Heart For My Shepherd! I’m happy to share with you the thoughts of Mafe (read more about her in the bio below)! I get so excited about young people with a heart for the Lord (I guess it reminds me I’m not alone here); Mafe writes with such a passion and has expressed such a deep desire to learn the truth – it is truly a joy to know her. (By the way, you can follow her writing at LiveSharp.org, where she is a contributing blogger). So without further ado, here is Mafe:

John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, ’My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and accomplish His work.’”

Luke 22:42 “saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’”

John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Our Lord says that His food is to do the Father’s will. Wow. Doing the Father’s will, that was what Jesus’ life was all about. He lived to accomplish God’s purpose. That was Christ’s ambition, to be pleasing to the Father and to obey what the Father wanted Him to do. Continue reading →

Bad Drivers and Sinful Sinners -

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You know what it’s like to drive behind an out-of-state driver? Those sharp turns they make as they realize they’ve nearly passed up the road their GPS told them about. Or the way that they speed up and slow down, looking for a street sign to point them in the right direction.

Being back in my home state for the weekend, if we make any driving mistakes, we figure people will see our out-of-state license plate and excuse our actions. They don’t have to know we’ve lived here most of our lives… right? haha

But seriously, why would an out-of-state driver know the roads over here? If they’ve truly never been here, it’s no surprise that they get lost.

Of course, as we were driving around yesterday, these thoughts seemed to correlate with some that had already been turning around in my head for a week or two. Just like we don’t expect out-of-state drivers to know our roads, we – as Christians – shouldn’t be surprised when we see an unsaved person sinning. Continue reading →

Light Affliction? -

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For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, -2 Corinthians 4:17

Those words have had a tendency to bug me throughout this illness. Light is the last word I would use to describe the pain that I’ve endured this past year and a half; this has been the hardest thing I have ever been through in my entire life.

But then again, isn’t it Paul that is saying this? His afflictions were far from light. In fact, just a few chapters later he talks about some of the things that he has endured throughout his life.

From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness- -2 Corinthians 11:24-27

So how does this work? How can a man who has continually suffered call this present suffering light? Continue reading →

Childhood Memories and Thoughts On Truth -

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You know those little kids that tell other little kids that Santa Clause isn’t real or that the Tooth Fairy is actually just their parents? Would it surprise you if I said I was one of those children? I was.

Honestly though! It was difficult for a child as extroverted as me to keep such knowledge to myself. If I knew, why shouldn’t they? They had been led astray in their thinking and it was my self-given duty to enlighten them. At least, that’s what I thought. Of course, I didn’t anticipate the flow of tears that followed my announcement.

This really wasn’t the worst of it, though. My most repeated offense was correcting the theology of my Jr. Church teacher. The poor lady was so patient; I’m sure she sighed inwardly whenever my hand went up during her lesson. I’d like to say I just had a passion for the truth, which I did, but mostly I was just a little girl who didn’t have a clue about not saying everything that came to mind.

I’m glad to say I’ve matured a bit since then. I’ve learned to respect people for their position and, if I can, encourage them where I know they’re right, rather than constantly pointing out areas of fault. But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my passion for truth. If it’s fitting, I’m always willing to express what I believe, not because I enjoy correcting people, but because truth is important and harmful if misunderstood. Continue reading →

My Soul Waits For The Lord -

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Sunshine is a wonderful help to the grieving soul. Perhaps that’s why I’m finding it hard to smile this morning as I watch the rain pour down and hear the thunder exploding outside.

I sit at my window and see the downpour. My eyes are drawn to our blossoming apple trees. The branches sway under the weight of the storm and the petals fall to the ground. It just stands there, waiting for the storm to pass and peppering the ground with its beautiful, delicate petals.

Perhaps I’m just being emotional, but life feels a lot like that tree right now. My heart that was once ever growing and blossoming with the beauty of faith in our everlasting God, is now standing still as these blossoms break apart under the weight of a storm that seems never-ending. People keep assuring me that this pain is just a season of my life that will eventually come to an end. I suppose I’m thinking of how quickly winter turned to spring this year and how fast spring will fade into summer. These seasons pass quickly, but mine has persisted for almost a year and a half. Continue reading →