Living with Hope

Happy Wednesday Vineyard! 

On Sunday, Psalm 23 invited us to entrust ourselves to the Shepherd’s care and direction. We followed the prayer through places of rest, into the valley, and to a table where God’s welcome remained real even while enemies were present.

Calling the Lord our Shepherd is a confession of trust and surrender. We bring him our needs, and we become willing to follow his leading. Sometimes that means receiving help; sometimes it means having an honest conversation or releasing our insistence on a particular outcome.

Sometimes following the Shepherd means learning to love someone we find difficult.

That is where we are headed this Sunday in Romans 15:1–13. Jesus gathers us into a shared life, and Paul helps us consider what that requires: patience, encouragement from Scripture, worship, and a welcome shaped by Christ.

The care we receive from our Shepherd begins to shape the care we offer one another. It is possible to ask God for patience with our struggles while offering very little patience to someone else. I am well acquainted with this reality. We want room to grow, but we can become frustrated when another person needs that same room.

Paul calls believers to use their strength for their neighbor’s good. In the disagreements he addresses, the question goes beyond whether someone has the freedom to do something. He asks whether their actions help build another person up in the Lord.

That brings surrender into ordinary relationships. Following Jesus may mean listening before correcting, setting aside a preference, or refusing to reduce someone to the thing about them that bothers us.

When something troubles us, it can fill our whole field of vision. We replay the conversation, anticipate the consequences, and struggle to imagine anything beyond the problem.

This Sunday, Paul points us toward the endurance and encouragement Scripture gives. As we listen to God’s Word, we learn to recognize our lives within the larger story of his faithfulness.

Hagar’s encounter reminded us that God sees suffering. Moses taught us to seek his presence. Psalm 23 gave us words to pray in the valley. These passages are forming our understanding of the God we follow.

We are learning to follow the same Shepherd together, and honestly, that isn't always easy. This week, take one step: practice patience, receive encouragement from Scripture, or make room for another person. Through these ordinary acts, our shared life can begin to reflect the hope we have in Christ.

Father, thank you for your faithful care. Teach us to follow your leading in our relationships. Give us patience to listen, humility to be changed, and generosity to welcome others. Fill us with joy and peace as we trust you, and let hope grow among us through your Holy Spirit. Amen.