Happy New Year: Entering The New Year With Hope In and Waiting On The Lord!

Read: Romans 5:2-5, Romans 15:13, Psalm 42:11, Hebrews 11:1; Hebrews 10:23, Psalm 130:5, Isaiah 43:19.

Let me be one of the first people to wish you a Happy New Year!!! 2018!

I wanted to thank you for the privilege of serving you in 2017! 

As we close out 2017 and look forward to all that God has in store in 2018, I wanted to share a brief encouragement with you. 

Throughout 2017 God has repeatedly reinforced the importance of Hope grounded in Him as well as the importance of waiting on Him! 

He is our strength and hope and His hope doesn't disappoint! 

"Hope that is grounded in Christ is like a candle burning brightly as it brings light to the darkest of places and the darkest of circumstances." -Randolph Koch

Never lose hope as He is on your side!

Furthermore, in regard to waiting on Him...In the New Year may you make it not just another a goal but may you make it a priority to wait on The Lord!

Include Him in all your goals, plans, dreams and priorities! Don't try to "get ahead" of The Lord! Wait on Him to move forward seeking Him with all that is within you! 

No matter what circumstances you face, may you be filled with great hope in Him and may you look forward in optimism because you know The One Who is your strength and holds your future in the palm of His hands!

As you enter the New Year, may you hold onto hope and may you experience joy, happiness, success, confidence, good health, prosperity and great faith! May you seek Him daily with everything that is within you! 

Let's also purpose to pray for one another in these areas and more and may we pray that God will continue to work in and through us for His Kingdom and Glory!

Please know that I'm here for your encouragement, prayer and more! 

Don't hesitate to let me know how I can be of encouragement to you in the New year and if you have resource or other ideas, please let me know as I aim to create new and meaningful content to serve and build up the Body of Christ. 

Please also remember me in prayer as God guides this ministry regarding what He wants to do through A Shepherd's Heart. Please pray for His wisdom, provision and direction. 

Have a wonderful 2018! Have a hope filled New Year! 

Warmest regards in Christ,
Your Brother and Servant,

Randolph Koch
 Founder and Servant-Shepherd of A Shepherd's Heart

Share this image/encouragement with someone today! Encourage them to Hold onto hope!

Merry Christmas From A Shepherd's Heart!

Hello and Merry Christmas!

I pray that your Christmas celebration is filled with the joy and hope found in Christ!

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and most of all for allowing me the privilege of serving you this year!

This Christmas I'm looking forward to the blessing of spending time with family and friends celebrating the Birth of Jesus!

As we all celebrate, I'm reminded of this great truth from Roy Lessin: 

God Sent Us A Saviour
If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Saviour.
-Roy Lessin

It's so encouraging to be reminded that God, in His wisdom and divine plan, knew exactly what we needed and loved us so much that He sent Jesus because we needed Him, The Savior! 

Jesus came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cruel cross for mankind, rose from the dead winning victory over death and now is seated in heaven!

May we never forget the deep truths of Christmas as well as the truths beyond the manger!

As you celebrate, here's a little Christmas gift from me to you, I wanted to share again a recording of the Luke account of The Birth of Jesus again from Luke 2:1-35: https://soundcloud.com/user-335546274/the-birth-of-jesus-luke-21-35

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Your Brother and Servant,

Randolph Koch

Please share this imaged with the above encouragement with others! 

Recapturing The Awe and Wonder of Christmas!

Read: Luke 2:1-38, Matthew 18:2-4

Christmas...

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year or so the songs say and for some it truly is while for others...it's a very hard time of year for various reasons.

Christmas for children can often be sort of a "magical" time filled with fun, awe, wonder and excitement. If you're an adult reading this right now, you may remember those times of life and maybe you've lost that sense of childlike faith, awe and wonder?

The truth is that kids don't tend to over-complicate things like adults do sometimes. 

They don't run everything through "adult filters" whereas we've let many things cloud our vision when it comes to celebrating things such as celebrating the birth of our Savior. Even knowing the truth regarding the true meaning of Christmas from God's Word, we can allow the things of life and even some of the trappings of the season to distract us and steal some of the joy we used to have. 

Christmas Gift Suggestions from The Giver of Good Gifts!

Read:  Galatians 5:22-26

Christmas is the season that is often called, "The Most Wonderful Time of The Year" when we celebrate the birth of Jesus and hopefully a little peace on earth and good will toward all mankind as well!

I really enjoy Christmas time! I enjoy going to Christmas concerts...watching Christmas movies...enjoying Christmas music...enjoying Christmas goodies...enjoying Christmas decorations and giving gifts (not that I'm always organized in advance and kind of a last minute shopper...yes I am one of "Those". Lol) and there's much more that I love about Christmas!

The problem though is that I find that we can get so caught up in the trappings of the season to the point that sometimes we focus on the gifts we can give or receive or maybe even the activities of the season and we forget The One Who is The True Gift Giver. 

As a follower of Christ we exchange gifts with one another because God first gave to us in the first place through Jesus' arrival that we celebrate during Christmas...The most important birthday ever!!

May we remember that God is The giver of good gifts! 

Hold Onto Hope!

Hello! 

Wanted to to share a 60 second video encouragement with you about hope...God's hope! 

Please play the above video or check it out here: https://youtu.be/kNb9S4K1BC4

Hold on to Hope!

Blessings in Christ,
Your brother and servant,

rlk

P.S. If this video was encouraging, please pass it along and if you'd enjoy more video encouragements, please let me know!

Cultivating An Attitude of Gratitude

Hello,

For those in the USA, I wanted to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

No matter where you call home, I'm thankful for the Lord and you! 

For all of us - no matter where we live, I pray that we truly cultivate an attitude of gratitude all year through and below are two brief encouragements related to having a mindset of thankfulness, gratitude and praise!

Also, check out this brief video prayer of thanksgiving unto the Lord via Instagram or Facebook:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbz4v5Dj3v
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartofAShepherd/videos/1781204878620045/

In Christ Alone,
Your Brother and Servant,

rlk
____________________________________________________

Gratitude Part 1: 

God is worthy of your praise, thanksgiving and devotion!...and His love endures for you endures forever! 

He is worthy of devoting your life to Him serving Him with a whole heart, mind, soul and spirit!

When you pray...praise and thank Him for all that He's done and all He continues to do in and through you! 

Praise Him through every season! Through the seasons of peace and the seasons of storms.

Don't wait for holidays or some other special occasion to praise and thank Him! Make it a habit and again as I've shared before...have an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude! 

When you take your first breath in the morning and open your eyes...breathe out thanksgiving to Him for life and a new day to serve Him! 

Never stop singing and speaking His praises! 

____________________________________________________

Gratitude Part 2:

God is worthy of your praise, thanksgiving and devotion!...and His love endures for you endures forever! 

 

He is worthy of devoting your life to Him serving Him with a whole heart, mind, soul and spirit!

 

When you pray...praise and thank Him for all that He's done and all He continues to do in and through you! 

 

Praise Him through every season! Through the seasons of peace and the seasons of storms.

 

Don't wait for holidays or some other special occasion to praise and thank Him! Make it a habit and again as I've shared before...have an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude! 

 

When you take your first breath in the morning and open your eyes...breathe out thanksgiving to Him for life and a new day to serve Him! 

 

Never stop singing and speaking His praises! 

____________________________________________________

Choosing To Live Significantly

Read: John 15:5, John 15:16, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Ephesians 2:6, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 3:12, Philippians 4:13

On some level, we all want to be significant. We want to feel valued which in and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as we don't pursue it or live it out in an unhealthy way.

With this, we can often struggle with feeling insignificant or unworthy, and more. You may struggle with feeling insignificant at times as well. You are not alone...the world is full of people searching for significance and struggling with the very same things.

Unfortunately, some confuse significance with fame or popularity which it is not. They identify their worth by what they do or accomplish. In addition, some want to seek fame …the next viral video or YouTube. Some feed on how many “likes” or followers they receive on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

Some will also try to bring you down and make you feel that you aren’t important, worthy or worth something…but as for you...hold onto God's truth and don't believe the lies spoken to you or that you speak to yourself!

Reformation Day

Happy Reformation Day! 

During the 16th century a period in Church History known as The Protestant Reformation took place which we remember and celebrate today as Reformation Day. 

Martin Luther and other reformers, were convicted that the church had departed from many of the core teachings of Christianity which should be grounded in the Word of God and this was the catalyst for their actions to work to try and correct this. 

They came to this reality because sadly, they saw that the core teachings of God's Word was at times in stark contrast to what they saw the church teaching in that period of time. 

Because of this, The Reformers worked to realign Christianity to The Word of God.

Through this period of time five key phrases which helped summarize their convictions about the core teachings of Christianity surfaced. These are also known as the Five Solas as they were latin phrases. 

The Five Solas are:

Sola Scriptura: “Scripture alone” - God's Word alone is our highest authority.

Sola Fide: “faith alone” - Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Sola Gratia: “grace alone” - We are saved by the grace of God alone.

Solus Christus: “Christ alone” - Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.  

Soli Deo Gloria: “to the glory of God alone” - We are to live for the glory of God alone.

It was with great cost, (some of The Reformers gave their lives during this time due the great opposition they faced) that we as follower's of Christ can enjoy studying God's Word and being instructed from God's Word in our Church meeting place as part of the body of Christ. 

I encourage you to study this important time within Church History and do your part to re-calibrate your faith daily to the core teachings of God's Word and live them out!

Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria!

May God do a reformation in us through His continued transforming work renewing us heart, mind and soul!

In Christ Alone,

rlk

 

#faith #hope #truth #wisdom #life #bible #scripture #Godsword #ReformationDay reform #reformation #Jesus #HolySpirit #Christian #Christianity #heart #mind #soul #strength 

Experiencing Joy Through The Gift of Friendship

This may surprise some who read this but, God's purpose isn't to make us happy as some try to say...in other words the idea that "God just wants you to be happy" isn't true plus...happiness is subjective. What makes one person happy isn't the same for the next person.

Now joy on the other hand isn't subjective as joy is a gift from God and a fruit of The Spirit. 

God does want us to experience joy and The Word of God reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (See Nehemiah 8:10)

Finding His Peace In Every Moment

Read: Philippians 4:7

Sometimes we buy into the idea that peace is only found in the absence of conflict but that isn't necessarily the case!

It may not make sense to us sometimes but if you're in Christ...As you abide in Christ you will be able to experience His peace all the more...even in the midst of troubling or tumultuous times!

His peace is supernatural and can be found and experienced in any moment including the storms of life.

You and I need to seek Him in those good or hard moments because no doubt...He will give you His steadfast peace, love and strength that will help sustain you through that time. 

The peace of God is truly beyond understanding...but it is available to us through His Holy Spirit.

May we seek and find His peace in every moment! 

I pray that we experience His peace through every season in Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

In Christ Alone,

rlk




#peace #rest #faith #hope #truth #wisdom #life #encourage #encouragement #inspire #inspiration  #Jesus #HolySpirit #Christian #Christianity #ChristFollower #bible #scripture #Godsword #heart #mind  #soul #strength #ashepherdsheart

Don't Just Say That You'll Pray...Actually Do It!

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Colossians 4:2-6

When you say you will pray for someone, do you say it as just a passing phrase or do you actually intend to pray for them?

I think we're all guilty sometimes of saying we'll "pray", (kind of like "how are you doing" but not really wanting the answer sometimes...just a passing phrase) and not following through with prayer and...we need to change this! 

The fact is that prayer is a fundamental tool God has gifted us with.

"When you say you will pray for someone, actually pray for them!"

We're to be people of prayer and commit to praying for one another.

So, let me encourage and challenge you to be a man or woman of your word and The Word...and make every effort to follow through and pray when you say you will do so.

I pray that God will help us take prayer all the more seriously.

Prayerfully,

rlk

#pray #prayer #faith #hope #truth #wisdom #life #encourage #integrity #encouragement #inspire #inspiration #inspirational #Jesus #HolySpirit #bible #scripture #Godsword #heart #mind #soul #strength #christian #Christianity #christfollower #ashepherdsheart

A Worthy Walk

Read: Proverbs 10:9 and Ephesians 4:1

As a follower of Christ...one who has been redeemed at a great and ultimate price, (thanks to the saving work of Jesus) you are called to live your life in a worthy manner. 

 
A life marked by traits such as integrity, honesty, love, grace, hospitality, unity, honor, forgiveness and much more.
 
Your life should also bear the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control with the help of The Holy Spirit. 

Your life should not be driven by hate, anger, racism, greed, holding grudges, self-centeredness, lying, stealing, character maligning and more.

In a world that is full of negativity as well as negative and destructive behavior...you and I need to shine His light all the more in the darkness!

Let's pray for each other that we will walk a worthy walk for His kingdom, glory as we are His ambassadors and need to point others to Christ Who is our only true hope!

Watch the brief video above (or via the links below) and then #1 walk a worthy walk and #2 pass this message on! 

https://www.facebook.com/HeartofAShepherd/videos/1657732627633938/

or here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6GmnNjx94/

In Christ Alone,

rlk