are the most clueless-they-know-what’s-best, the most content with themselves, others, circumstances, the least leaning on their own understanding, the most Jesus-dependent/humble – asking and thanking about everything, the most curious and expectant about what Jesus does NEXT in them, others, circumstances, and are the most self-enjoying and others-enjoying, and thereby the most fruitful with pre-believers…

is momentarily changing me?   When I’m asking and thanking Jesus about everything, and curious/expectant to see what He does NEXT in me, others, circumstances.  I get no credit for Jesus-dependency.  Work of the Spirit. So if I find myself operating in out-of-character-for-Dave ways, with other-worldly humility, and other-worldly love, clueless-about-what’s-best-for-anyone, with a joy and a…

but CONFIDENCE I know what’s best.  Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good or Bad.  Impossible for me to be critical, willful, fearful, prideful, discouraged, self-absorbed, judge of others/self, unless I’m confident I know what’s best for me and others.  So I don’t ASK Jesus about everything before me throughout my day.  Independent. …

are unsatisfied with Jesus and His imputed worthiness, because we feel the need to prove ourselves winners, because we suppress how much we feel like losers, deep inside.  Until we become aware of our hidden sin of wanting worthiness of our own, we will not be emotionally-and-spiritually healthy, and until we can accept ourselves as…

How do I deny my agenda, my plans, my wisdom, my understanding?  How do I ASK Him about everything, and THANK Him about everything, acknowledging that I don’t know what’s best, what’s thankable?   How can I be curious and expectant about what He will do NEXT, in me, others, circumstances?   How can I be dead…

if you believe He loves you unconditionally, but you don’t love yourself unconditionally.  Pride.  Unconfessed sin/idolatry.  And if you don’t love yourself unconditionally, you won’t love others unconditionally.  Critic.  Judge.  Competitive.  Superior. ShepherdDave loves himself conditionally and others conditionally.  Perform up to expectations and expect to feel love from ShepherdDave.  But woe to you if…

Never defensive.   Never irritated.  Always gracious.  Always thankful.  Always relaxed.  Healthy indifference to reputation, failure, success, performance, bad decisions, paying too much for something.  Not competitive: enjoys the success of others, even jerks.  Not confident s/he knows what’s best for self or others.  Healthy contentment in light of intelligence, body, coordination, health, job, possessions, home,…

Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself.”  Deny my agenda, my plans, my wisdom, my understanding, which are the fruit of independence/self-reliance/pride/worldliness.  Denying myself means ASKing Him about everything, and THANKing Him about everything, acknowledging that I don’t know what’s best, what’s thankable.  Denying myself means being curious and…

It’s not up to you.  This is not your life to live, but Jesus is living His life in you.  The problems you face today are not your problems, but His.  Are you curious and expectant to see what He does NEXT, in you, others, circumstances?  No?  Confess your unbelief in His promises, in His…

who is harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd, and so He sends His Spirit to freshly convict ShepherdDave of his independence/pride/worldliness/agenda/willfulness, so he can momentarily be DumbSheepDave, experiencing the bliss of Jesus-dependency, enabled to be humble enough to have compassion on his sinful, pathetically-dysfunctional self, like Jesus does, and have the humility…