It’s ironic that the more we long for Jesus—to know him intimately and love him fully—the more we are deeply satisfied. Most things in life don’t work that way. If you cultivate a craving for chocolate you’re likely to keep eating it and gain weight or get sick to your stomach!

Craving becomes a big problem if you’re longing is for acceptance or self-worth and you keep striving to achieve it. You can never accomplish enough. Never be attractive enough. Never keep people happy with you. Many addictions and much unhappiness come out of craving for things other than Jesus.

Is the Lord your Portion?

Many times the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my portion.” For instance, he prays, “Whom have I in heaven but you, Lord, and earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26-26).

In other words, “Lord Jesus, I wouldn’t even want to be in heaven if you weren’t there and this earth has nothing that satisfies me except you. My own strength and abilities often fail, but with you living in my heart I have all the power I need and more joy than I can contain.”

What if this prayer were really true of you and I? What would it be like to be the kind of person who continually thirsted for Jesus and found delight in him? Imagine if the way you do your work, relate to people, spend your free time, and even the things you think about were an expression of your love for Jesus. I’m not talking about perfection, but growing towards it, by God’s grace, little-by-little.

You Can Find More Joy in Jesus!

To live by the words “The Lord is my portion” requires abandoning other pursuits and desires, including good ones. It also requires soul training. Longing for Jesus is the only way to participate in and naturally share with others “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19).

A wonderful way to cultivate this devotion to the Lord is to pray the Psalms. We can “take heart” from the Psalmist, praying his prayers to absorb his whole-hearted love for God.

More Soul Shepherding

If you live in Orange County, CA we invite you to join us at Thirst! We’ll help you to delight in Jesus as your portion.

Learn how you can “Pray the Psalms with Jesus.”

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

What are you missing out on?

By Bill Gaultiere © 2011

I was restless and discouraged so I turned to some words by Ray Ortlund, my spiritual father. O how they blessed my soul! I believe they’ll give you a lift too. But first, let me explain.

Every day has much of the mundane it. If we’re not careful the chores and maintenance of life can suck us into a void of meaninglessness.

Every day also brings forth desires for things that would make us feel good and worries about what might make us feel bad. If we’re not careful our emotions lead us into unhealthy and unholy behaviors.

And every day presents more to do than time to do it. If we’re not careful our to do list makes us hurried and harried.

If we’re not careful we lose focus on what we say matters most to us: serving Christ.

Secret Cynics

If we’re not careful. Read this as: If we’re not care-full. If we’re not full of God’s care then we lose heart and become cynical — perhaps secretly so — about the Christian life.

We talk with many spiritual cynics who have lost heart. It’s a common condition for pastors, ministry leaders, and other committed Christ-followers. We “know” more about God and life with him then we’re living. We can explain for others the Christian life, even some of its mysteries, but we’re not experiencing intimacy with Jesus or becoming more like him.

Christian cynics give up on the possibility that there life could actually look like what’s found in the pages of the New Testament. They reduce Christianity to a set of doctrines or to ministering to other people. Or they just give up and go through the motions. In any case they don’t believe that God has a life of intimacy, adventure, and joy for them.

Take Heart!

Sometimes we all lose heart. All our biblical heroes and the masters of devotion to Christ who followed them experienced this. Ray Ortlund went through periods of spiritual dryness and being cold hearted to God and he told me about it and how he dealt with it.

To re-kindle a fire in his heart for loving and serving God Ray would get close to someone else’s heart that was hot for God. David in the Psalms. Paul in the New Testament. Augustine from the early church. Thomas Kelly, Frank Laubach, or another spiritual writer from the past. Or he’d get together with a fellow disciple of Christ for conversation and prayer. He even took heart from me!

More often I took heart from Ray. He passed into glory in 2007, but I still take heart from him. Like this morning I spent a couple of hours recalling his example and words and thanking God for him. This became a prayer, that is really his prayer through me. It’s a prayer to return to again and again.

Take heart from Ray with me!

Lord, Make My Life a Miracle Today!

Lord Jesus Christ, make my life a miracle today! Make my life supernatural! You’re the original miracle and I live and move and have my being in you. In my own strength I can’t do what needs to be done or love those who need to be loved so I look to you acting with me in grace and I seek to do all that I do today as your apprentice in your kingdom.

Lord, you are the completely balanced Person: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, whole and sufficient in yourself. Holy and happy. Glorious and gracious. Abba, I adore you. Jesus, I embrace you. Holy Spirit, I rely on you.

Thank you Lord God that you are a rewarder of those who seek you. You are my reward — knowing you and serving you is the blessing of my life. No matter what troubles may come upon me I have fullness of life in you and your kingdom. Truly, you are my joy and my delight. I love you! I want to live in your presence always.

Jesus, take me safely to the Silence which is the source of sound. In the battles, temptations, and trials of this day you are my refuge and my fortress. Heal my hurts. Calm down my worry and slow down my hurry. Lift up my head to your heavens all around me. Impress your thoughts on my mind and heart and guide my steps in your easy yoke. It’s your Word that gives me life so I’m listening now and throughout this day for your still, small voice…

Today as I do all that I do, Jesus be the Center of my soul. Deliver me from dark powers so that I am free to be who you made me to be. Integrate all my fragmented parts so that my identity is in being the disciple you love. Focus all my distracted intentions on you in my midst so that I appreciate my opportunity to be with you and to rely on you in all that I do. I want my life with you to be the center of my life.

O Spirit of God, you raised Christ from the dead and you live in me, you breathe in me, you cry out from within me: “Abba Father! Jesus is Lord!” Empower me now. Shine your light and your love in and through me so that in all I do today for me and those I meet the name of Jesus is sweet and the Father is honored. Yes, I want to serve you with enthusiasm, to be a blessing to you and the people around me.

Jesus, I want to be all and only for you today and for eternity!

(Inspired by Ray Ortlund’s ministry to me. See his book, Lord, Make My Life a Miracle!)

More Soul Shepherding

Over the years I enjoyed many lunches and prayer times with Ray. “Be Devoted to Christ like Ray Ortlund” will help you to pull up a chair and join the conversation.

“You Can Live in Jesus’ Easy Yoke” is my new book that will help you to overcome daily stress and live in God’s grace. All revenue from sales of this book supports pastors and ministry leaders receiving therapy or spiritual mentoring.

Soul Shepherding helps secret cynics learn to enjoy intimacy with Jesus and share his love with genuine enthusiasm. You can support a pastor receiving Soul Shepherding with your tax-deductible donation.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

What wonderful life transformation begins to take place in us when we pray from our heart: “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2).

Worries fade. Irritations dissipate. Busyness ceases. Spirits are lifted. Time becomes holy.

We are right where we need to be when our hearts cry out to God: “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

Let David’s Prayer Live in You

Do you know this prayer of David? Have you spent some time letting it live in you until your heart is warmed and devotion to the Lord starts to burn within you?

The primitive Christians knew this prayer. The Apostles stressed the importance of Psalm 16 as prophesying of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. They prayed this Psalm to help them engage with the risen Christ, participating in the eternal life he wanted to live through them in the now.

Connect with Father, Son, and Spirit

Joy! Joy! Joy! When we connect with the Son of God in Psalm 16 we also connect with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Following Jesus into the Trinitarian community is the most wonderful blessing!

Let’s do it now. I’d like to share with you “My All in All: Abba, Jesus, Parakletos,” one of my favorite Trinitarian prayers. It is based on Psalm 16:2:

My All in All: Abba, Jesus, Parakletos

Abba… Apart from you and your arms of love I have no good thing

Jesus… Apart from you and your cross I have no good thing

Parakletos… Apart from you and your breath of life I have no good thing

Breath Prayer

To help you resolve to love the Lord with your whole heart you can try “My All in All” as a Breath Prayer. This is a way to use your body to help you slow down your praying, think deeply, and engage your heart (will) with God’s Word.

You might spend a minute meditating on each line, slowly breathing in and out the prayer:

Breathe into your soul each precious name of the Lord…

Exhale (let go of) everything else…

~

Breathe in, “Abba…”

Breathe out, “Apart from you and your arms of love I have no good thing…”

~

Breathe in, “Jesus…”

Breathe out, “Apart from you and your cross I have no good thing…”

~

Breathe in, “Parakletos…”

Breathe out, “Apart from you and your breath of life I have no good thing…”

Here is purpose, peace, power!

Practice God’s Presence

You might write this Trinitarian Prayer down on a little piece of paper to carry it in your pocket and memorize it so you can pray it for moments throughout your day or while you lay in bed and drift off to sleep.

What a blessing it is to train our souls in a prayer of devotion to the Lord like this. Saturate your mind in the Trinitarian presence. Let God fill your body and engage your heart. Appreciating the delightful sufficiency of God’s presence with you changes how you participate in the events of your day, how you respond to stress, and how you care for the people around you.

O to live with wholehearted devotion to the Lord! O to love and honor him in all that we do. It makes everything in life beautiful!

More Soul Shepherding

In the “Spiritual Formation” section of Soul Shepherding we have more Trinitarian prayers and more encouragement for living with devotion to the Lord.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ SoulShepherding.org

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

“Serve the Lord with fear,” says the second Psalm (verse 11).  Some people wrongly think that to fear the Lord means to cower because he’s mean.

Certainly, to fear the Lord is to reverence our Creator and Judge. It’s to tremble before him as the One with the power of life and death. It’s to fall down before him rubbing our eyes because his glory is brighter than the sun!

The Messiah in Psalm 2

Psalm 2 is a Messianic Psalm that hints of God’s Trinitarian nature. What a glorious thing to meet the Father, Son, and Spirit as One Lord!

In this Psalm we see that the fear of the Lord is best understood as the opportunity to: “Kiss the Son!” (verse 12). Oh, if only we’d see how precious the Lord is! We would take great care not to offend him in any way. We’d delight in him with affection always. This is a healthy, mature fear of the Lord. Truly, “Perfect love removes all fear” (1 John 4:18).

My prayer inspired by Psalm 2 will help you to appreciate how precious Jesus is:

Kiss the Son of God

O Jesus, I see you smile at me! I see your arms open to me! In my excitement I run to you. I throw myself into your arms.  I kiss your cheeks again and again. I burrow my head in your chest.

Jesus! Jesus! Sweet Jesus! Your name is honey on my lips. Your Spirit is water to my thirsty soul. Your word is the bread of heaven for me to live on.

Jesus, you are most dear to me. You are the One I delight in. You capture my interest like no one or nothing else. To be near you in your kingdom is heaven on earth. How could I be so privileged and honored as to be welcomed into your arms of love?

All my worries are put to rest when I simply speak your name: Jesus! All my hurts are comforted when I embrace you. All my ambitions mean nothing next to you. Temptations have no appeal when I look into your lovely face. When I fail and when I succeed all that matters is your grace.

When people criticize me I remember your cross, O Christ.  When they praise me I remember to give glory to you. Whether they support me or disappoint me I give thanks for your faithful love.

Jesus, you alone are my Refuge, my Safe Place, my Hiding Place. You are my Secret Soul Mate, my One Essential Friend – I love to carry on conversation with you all day long!

I am the most blessed person on earth to kiss the Son of God!

Making Jesus the desire of your heart always puts all of your life in proper perspective and is the answer to all of your problems. Probably you won’t hear many Christian psychologists say that, but I have found it to be true for myself and the people I help.

More Soul Shepherding

I have written many other Psalms Prayers that you can use to cultivate greater devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. A favorite is Jesus is Enough for Me.

“SoulShepherding is for you and your ministry” ~Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D.

Some people say, “You are what you eat.” I think it’s more true to say, “You are what you read.”

What do you spend your time reading? The Sports section? Novels? Fashion magazines? News or stock reports? These are okay. Certainly they are much better than gossipy or trashy options that are available. In fact, you could even read these things with Jesus!

But sadly a lot of Christians find more joy (or relaxation) in entertainment reading than they do in reading the Bible. It’s much easier to read the Bible with Jesus than anything else!

And second to the Bible there are many inspiring and helpful Christian books we can read. My favorites are the time-tested and Spirit-anointed classics of Christian devotion. God uses these books to renew our souls and bring us great delight in drawing closer to him and serving him.

For instance, in William Law’s masterpiece from 1728, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, he writes:

If you will stop here and ask yourself why you are not so devoted as the primitive Christians, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability but purely because you never thoroughly intended it… If [devotion to Christ] generally existed among Christians it would change the whole face of the world (Westminster John Knox Press:1955, p. 22).

O, my friend, I hope these words stir a longing in your heart: Yes, I want Jesus to be my First Love as he was for the Apostles! I want God to use me to bring his kingdom into the world all around me!

William Law shows us how to use our ordinary, everyday life to please God. This life is available for you and me today!

My Top 5 Classics of Christian Devotion introduces you to the five books that God has most used to help me become more like Jesus. “You are what you read!” So pick up one of these books and “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

In Reading the Classics of Christian Devotion I explain my passion for reading the old spiritual books and why they are so helpful for us. And I provide a longer list of the books God has used to form me more into the image of Christ.

Soul Shepherding helps pastors and all kinds of ministry leaders grow in a deeper intimacy with Jesus Christ in order that they may be more fruitful in their ministry to others. And one pastor may reach thousands of people! Sometimes these ministry leaders need counseling to work through personal or relational issues inhibiting their growth in Christ. Other times they need spiritual mentoring. Often they can’t afford to pay much or anything toward the care they need. We are thankful for the donors who subsidize this ministry!

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

We think our heart is our feelings. So we contrast our head and heart to differentiate thinking and feeling.

But in the Biblical understanding our heart is our will, our capacity for choice, the center of our being that is our orientation for life. Our heart is our spirit that animates our personality; it is the source of our initiative and vitality. (In Psalm 51 “heart”, “will,” and “spirit” are used to refer to essentially the same aspect of our person.)

If emotions are the center of our being and the orientation of our life, rather than our will centered on God, then we’re in trouble! Of course, this is exactly the insecure, impulsive, and sin-ruined position that so many of us find ourselves in. Don’t misunderstand me: the capacity to have emotions is a gift from God and it’s always good to be aware of our emotions, but when they run our lives they ruin our lives.

Being dominated by emotion is why compulsive behavior is rampant among us. It’s why angry conflicts in our relationships escalate. It’s why we race down the roads of life. It’s why we spend money they don’t have. It’s why we hide in fear. It’s why we drop our heads in discouragement and isolate in shame. It’s why we don’t love the person near us.

O to live with a heart made new! Centered on God. Authentic. Free to respond to God’s loving initiative.

In the Bible David is called “a man after God’s own heart” because he chose God. He kept bringing his heart to God. He didn’t act out his emotions, instead he entrusted them to God. It was to God that he cried, trembled, complained, raged, and confessed his sin. It was for God that he waited and waited. It was for God alone that he yearned. And when David was missing God’s blessings and he couldn’t feel his love still David chose to love and worship his Lord – just because he is good and beautiful.

You and I can grow to have a heart for God like David – if we pray the way he prayed. Praying the Psalms gets us started on being honest with God and grounded in him. One way to pray a Psalm (or any Scripture passage) is to paraphrase or apply it in fresh, personal words. I did this with Psalm 51, one of David’s most important heart prayers – the prayer in which he confessed his sin to the Lord and cried out for his mercy.

This is a prayer that we need ready at hand for when we stumble into sin:

Mercy! Have mercy on me, O God Almighty!

I appeal to your unconditional love that never fails;

Forgive my sin because of your enormous compassion.

Wash away all my badness and make me clean.

~

All my sins are against you, my Lord -

Again I didn’t trust you, I turned away and did wrong.

You alone are holy and you alone can cleanse me;

Please let me rejoice in you again!

~

Form my heart to be devoted to you alone, O God,

And revive my spirit to be steadfast in loving you.

Remind me continually that I’m in your presence;

O that your Holy Spirit would thrive in me forever!

Restore my soul with the joy of your mercy

And strengthen my will to seek you continually.

~

My divided and distracted will is all that I have to give you;

So I come with my broken heart, humble and convicted.

O God, because of your mercy you will not reject me;

Your smile and your embrace means everything to me!

~

My reformed heart gives praise to you for all to hear -

O Lord, this is the offering that brings you delight!

(Psalm 51:1-2, 4, 7-8, 10-12, 17-19, paraphrased).

Here are some more of my Psalm Prayers that can help you to develop a heart for God like David had.

Lectio Divina is an ancient way to meditate on a Bible text. It’s delightful – try it!

The ministry of Soul Shepherding is to help pastors and leaders to cultivate a heart for God. This may include counseling, spiritual direction, training, or retreats.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

Longing for God is the breath of our souls!  It is yearning for God with our heart that opens our souls to breathe in the Spirit of Christ and live for him alone.

There’s nothing more important to our lives than longing for Jesus Christ.  And the beauty of it is that when we seek God we discover that he was already seeking us! That’s the Gospel!  As soon as we focus our heart’s intention on Christ we enter into his presence and step onto the path of life with him.

I’ll never forget the first time I read A.W. Tozer’s little book that has such an enormous heart for God: The Pursuit of God. As a young adult Tozer awakened me to my deep yearning for more of God.  He taught me to cultivate longing for God:

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God.  The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate.  The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire.  Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.  Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.  He waits to be wanted (p. 17).

What helps you to cultivate longing for God? What stokes the fires of your love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Praying Scripture is probably the most important thing I do. There are many ways to do this. You might try one of my favorites:

Hungry Heart Scripture Meditations

Breath Prayers from the Bible

Lectio Divina Scripture Passages

Electric Passages from the Bible to Memorize

Praying the Psalms

In our Soul Shepherding ministry God’s Word is our foundation and our source of life in Christ that we share with pastors, ministry leaders, and all kinds of spiritual pilgrims.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

]]> http://www.soulshepherding.org/2010/09/yearning-for-god/feed/ 0 http://www.soulshepherding.org/2010/08/drink-from-a-deep-well-of-devotion/ http://www.soulshepherding.org/2010/08/drink-from-a-deep-well-of-devotion/#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:50:45 +0000 Bill Gaultiere http://www.soulshepherding.org/?p=2223 By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

What refreshment awaits you! What joy! All we have to do is to pause and appreciate Christ in our midst as we do whatever we’re doing – like right now!

Psalm 73 is a great help along these lines. This prayer of Asaph is a deep well that offers us Living Water for our thirsty souls. His heart for God is infectious. By praying his words we can grow in our devotion to the Lord. And when we submit our whole selves to God heaven opens up to us! Whole-hearted dedication to love God in all things is the key to the [...]

Continue reading Drink from a Deep Well of Devotion

By Bill Gaultiere © 2010

What refreshment awaits you! What joy! All we have to do is to pause and appreciate Christ in our midst as we do whatever we’re doing – like right now!

Psalm 73 is a great help along these lines. This prayer of Asaph is a deep well that offers us Living Water for our thirsty souls. His heart for God is infectious. By praying his words we can grow in our devotion to the Lord. And when we submit our whole selves to God heaven opens up to us! Whole-hearted dedication to love God in all things is the key to the treasure chest of God’s promises.

So come with me. Let’s converse with Jesus and ask him to help us draw water from the well, even as the Samaritan woman did in John 4. Let’s use Asaph’s prayer to connect us with the Messiah who fulfilled all the Psalms, our Savior and Life-Giver:

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny…

When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

~

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

~

Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

(Psalm 73:1-3, 17, 21-28).

This condensed version of Psalm 73 is a good size to memorize. Tucked away in your heart it’s easy to pull out anytime to use as a “pocket lighter” to warm your heart for prayer (like Martin Luther taught).

Try Smile with Jesus in your Heart. It’s a Breath Prayer inspired by Psalm 73.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org

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Answered prayer. Success. Victory. We all want to be blessed, to achieve great things, and to overcome our challenges. But when we reach for these desires we can never quite grasp them. The pursuit of happiness never makes anyone happy.

That’s why years ago my spiritual father, Ray Ortlund, encouraged me to “Be all and only for Jesus!” He wanted the best for me. And so he liked to pray Psalm 20 for me. Recently, Psalm 20 inspired me to write a “Benediction of Devotion.”

I’d like to share this short prayer of blessing with you. It’s meant so much to me and to those I’ve given it to. Pray it for yourself. Pray it for others. It’s a prayer about the one thing that matters most in life: devotion to Christ.

Ultimately, it’s a prayer that satisfies all our desires and solves all our problems. Because that’s what happens when we see the goodness and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst and set our heart’s affection on him alone. Even in the stresses and pains of life – especially then – Jesus’ yoke is easy! Being closely connected to him in all that we do truly is delightful! (Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 43:4).

I invite you to receive this benediction and then share it with others:

Benediction of Devotion

May the Lord remember your devotion to Christ

And accept all your prayers at his altar

May Jesus be the desire of your heart

And make all your plans succeed

We will shout for joy when you are victorious

And we will raise our banners in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord!

(Inspired by Psalm 20:3-5).

David was a man after God’s own heart and he shows this in Psalm 27. Join me and “take heart” from David to pray One Thing.

To help you grow spiritually I have more articles on ”Devotion to the Lord.”

Through spiritual mentoring, classes, and retreats the ministry of Soul Shepherding helps pastors and ministry leaders to be devoted to Christ. Investing in the spirituality of pastors pays huge dividends for the Kingdom of God. Your donation to Soul Shepherding makes a big difference!

One day I got up before sunrise to walk and pray in the quiet.  I prayed Psalm 119:103 over and over:

“How sweet are your words to my taste, [O Lord Jesus,] sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103).

The Holy Spirit brought to my mind paraphrases of some of the sweet words of Jesus. I tasted them and found them delicious! I meditated on them and received nourishment for my soul. I prayed them and was strengthened to love my neighbor as the Lord loves me.

Taste and See

I invite you to take a moment now to taste the honey sweet words of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Then you might pass the honey to a friend!

• “Learn to live off of every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

• “I turned water into wine – taste, drink and be satisfied!” (John 2:9).

• “Discover the food I live on: I always do the will of my Father and finish his work” (John 4:34).

• “The Father has given me heavens’ food – it never spoils!  Work for this food by putting your trust in me” (John 6:27).

• “I am the Bread of Life – come to me and you will never go hungry” (John 6:35).

• “I am the Living Bread – eat and enjoy my abundant life forever” (John 6:51).

• “Put your confidence in me; rely on my Spirit; let the streams of my Living Waters flow into you and through you” (John 7:38-39).

• “Abide in me like a branch in the grapevine and you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).

• “Here is my body for you to eat:  Take Bread.  Bless it.  Break it.  Give it” (Matthew 26:26).

• “Come to my banquet” (Luke 14:17).

• “I’m knocking.  Open your heart and I will come in and eat with you” (Revelation 3:20).

More Soul Shepherding

Using the ancient practice of Lectio Divina will help you learn to meditate on Bible passages and hear God’s personal message for you. This is one of the spiritual disciplines that Kristi and I share in groups, classes, and retreats with pastors, pastor’s wives, and others who want to grow spiritually.

Bill Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org