His Holy Name {Challenge 11, Shepherd}

Challenge Word 11: Shepherd
God’s Attribute: The Lord is my Shepherd. He is my Jehovah-rohi or YHWH-Ra’ah. He protects, provides, leads, and cares for us. He gathers us into His arms and comforts us. Isaiah 40:11 says “He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.”

How does this affect my daily life? Most of you have probably heard that sheep are not the smartest animals on the block. But Mary Foxwell Loeks describes them as “willful creatures, often straying, searching for something better, somewhere else.” Wow, that sounds a lot like us, and the Bible does refer to us as sheep over and over again. Sheep need a shepherd to guide them. If they do not have a shepherd, they will go astray. We too need a shepherd to guide us. If we do not put our trust in Him, our Good Shepherd, then our willfulness, our selfishness, our fear, and our drive to be 'the best we can be' can cause us to make bad decisions and choices.

For those of us that keep our eyes on Him, we should be growing more like Him; therefore, we want His will and not our own. By following Him, we are not led astray. Mary Foxwell Loeks continues saying “The Good Shepherd is indeed gentle and patient, a loving provider of care and nourishment. He is also strong and able and will push or pull hard when love for His sheep dictates the He do so.”

Kay Arthur said “Even though we do dumb things, even though we are not perfect, even though we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2), we can succeed because the Lord is our Shepherd. God designed us as we are so that we would see our need of Him. In Him, we find all that we need. Thus we can say with total confidence and conviction, ‘The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.’ (Psalm 23:1).”

For my page this week, I really wanted to focus on the scripture again. There were so many great ones to use, and I wanted to choose verses other than Psalm 23. Here is what I created for todays name: Papers: Basic Grey Wisteria
Alpha: Lil' Davis Designs chipboard 's', Dymo labeler
Stamps: Just Rite dater
Stamp Ink: VersaFine vintage sepia
Embellishments: hemp from Hobby Lobby, misc. ribbon, Basicy Grey buttons, Fancy Pants flower

Do you know His voice? Do you trust Him and follow Him? Do you respond to His call? I hope you will pray about that this week and seek Him for everything.

Remember to use the Keyword HHN09 when posting in online galleries, and to chat about the challenge, join us in this thread here on Splitcoaststampers! I pray that you will listen for His voice and follow Him daily. Blessings, and I will see you for our next study on June 7th! In Him,