Jesus is ~ Truth

What I love about Jesus: His Truth

Verses that talk about this: Psalm 100:5, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 108:4, “For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds.”

How I have seen this in my own life: God’s deep, unchanging truth is an incredible source of comfort to me in today’s deceit-poisoned culture. All around are false ideas and concepts which go against God’s Word, whether blatantly or subtly. The fact that God is purely and wholly truth becomes a steadfast anchor amidst the sea of lies, and causes me to want to know and love Him more.
In my own life, whenever I am going through a difficult time, or having trouble understanding an issue, God’s truths are there to guide me. They are everlasting and unchanging and perfect in every way. I love the way His truth encourages, teaches, motivates, and convicts me –it’s incredible!
As a result, I have purposed to be fully dedicated to God’s truth all my days and to walk in it as it says in Psalm 86:11 “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth…” ~ Lydia

Jesus is ~ Strength

What I love about Jesus: He is my (our!) Strength

A verse that talks about this: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him..." 2 Chronicles 6:9

How I have seen this in my own life: I cannot help but boast of the incredible strength and power of my Savior; how He has redeemed me by His strength and how He is able to show His strength daily in my life if I am fully allowing Him to.
I am learning to not relay on my own strength to help me live victoriously, but day by day, to surrender my own will and live in the joy that comes from letting Jesus shine forth His power in my life!
In my own power I can do nothing, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! ~ Sophia

Jesus is ~ Comfort

One thing I love about Jesus: His role as our Great Comforter

A verse that talks about this: Isaiah 49:13, "Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted."

How I have it in my own life - I am amazed when I look at all the ways in which Jesus has shown Himself to be my Great Comforter on a daily basis! I first experienced this blessing at the age of ten, when I suddenly began to experience significant back pain. It would be three years before surgery would correct the problem, and a total of seven years before the pain would relent completely. However, during this time the Lord taught me to cling to Him in a way that I had never before experienced. He surrounded me with His love and comforted me through Scripture and the words of His Spirit. Then, just as the Lord began to heal my body from pain, I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After nearly two years of dealing with this illness, I can say once again that I have seen the comforting hand of the Lord everyday. I truly believe that He alone grants strength for each day and joy in affliction. ~ Mandy

Jesus is ~ Victorious

What I love about Jesus: He is Victorious

A verse about this: 1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How I have seen this in my own life: There have been many times in my life when a spiritual battle has been raging, but Jesus has always been there for me! Even when I fail Him, and don't have the faith I should, He is there to sustain me and help me claim victory in His name. Sometimes He has been there for me in obvious - even miraculous - ways, but I'm sure there have been many times when I have not even realized He was fighting for me! If we only humble ourselves and submit to God (James 4:6,7) we can be victorious through Jesus Christ! ~ Hannah

Jesus is ~ Redemptive Love

What I love about Jesus: His Redemptive Love

A verse about this: "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name… who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy…" Psalm 103:1, 4

How I have seen this in my own life: The Lord has lately been showing me how transforming it is to look at life through the gospel… I was dead in my sins and had turned away from the Living God (Rom 3:10-12). I didn’t deserve forgiveness nor could I expect to be loved… yet God looked upon me… Jesus lovingly redeemed my life from a dark pit, brought me to the Father, and set upon me a crown of His love!!!

Life seems to be on fast-forward some days and I allow my gaze to shift away from Jesus and onto myself. When I do this, I tend to shift into a “do-gooder” mindset rather than a heart that is overflowing with love and gratitude to God. Have I forgotten??? -Jesus redeemed and loves me, not because I am working to “repay” Him, not because I look like a “good person” – but because He chose to mercifully cleanse me by grace! The Lord has been using these times of quietly meditating on the gospel to kindle renewed love and joyful obedience to Him. ~ Stephani

Jesus is ~ Sufficient

What I love about Jesus: His Sufficiency

Verses that talk about this: "I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved....Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:8,11

How I have seen this in my own life: God has been so faithfully revealing to me this past year how He is enough!

No matter what happens, He will provide what I need, when I need it. And most of all, I can have fullness of Joy in serving Him! ~ Glory

Jesus is ~ Our Refuge

What I love about Jesus: He is my constant refuge.

A verse about this: "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

How I have seen this in my own life: It has brought me so much comfort to know that I can go to Jesus with anything at anytime! He is just waiting and longing for me to run into His open arms and pour out my soul to Him. I've found that when life (or my emotions) is like a roller-coaster, it is more satisfying to fix my eyes on my Savior and His faithfulness in my life, than to focus on myself or my problems. And when I choose to cast my cares at His feet, my heavenly Father gives me the grace to praise Him, even when I don't feel like it. And in turn, He overflows my heart with His peace and joy! ~ Bailey

Jesus is ~ Patient

What I love about Jesus: His never-ending patience.

A verse about this: "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." Lamentations 3:22-24

How I have seen this in my own life: It amazes me that the Lord never gets annoyed or exasperated with me and just gives up on me. No matter how many times I forget Who He is and what He has done for me; no matter how many times I turn away from Him, doubt His presence, forget to pray, neglect His Word or fear to trust Him, He remains steadfast, loving and merciful toward me. It is a beautiful and hope-filled promise, especially on days when I feel like a complete failure, that His mercies are new every morning...we will never wear them out or dry them up! ~ Kelsey

Jesus is ~ Steadfast

What I love about Jesus: His steadfastness.

A verse about this: "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Pslam 61:2

How I have seen this in my own life: I have seen His steadfastness so many times in my life in different physical examples. But as this verse says, I've seen it especially in my heart. When I feel burdened by this world or my sin, I know that I can run to His loving fortress and find comfort and truth within His Word of promises. Jesus is so faithful to me! ~ Alyssa

Jesus is ~ Sovereign

~ What I love about Jesus: His Sovereignty

~A verse about this: "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" Jeremiah 32:27

~ How I have seen it in my own life: The sovereignty of God is manifested in every last detail of my life, and that is what makes it so amazing! Jesus knows everything, has complete authority over everything, and has complete power to accomplish His will in everything! Jesus’ will is always accomplished because He is always, perfectly, in control over everything!

Knowing that Jesus is sovereign allows me to trust Him with my life- in every area because not only is He Lord over me, but He is Lord over everything else in the universe, too.

Believing that allows me to live boldly and without fear. It frees me from worry, and allows me to trust Jesus with the outcome of my life. The only thing I need to focus on is living in obedience to His will as revealed in His Word- not how circumstances in my life will work out if I do. But what I really love about Jesus’ sovereignty is that it causes me to draw closer to Him. It forces me to depend on Him, because I know that I am not in control. ~ Rachel

Jesus is ~ Our Ultimate Example

~ What I love about Jesus: His Ultimate Example of Submission to His Father

~A verse about this: Christ “went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.... O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:39,42)

~ How I have seen it in my own life: In Christ's incarnation, I am amazed by the depths of submission Jesus Christ displayed through leaving His robes of glory (Colossians 1:15-19), entering humanity (Colossians 1:20), and then taking the full force of God's just wrath (1 John 4:10), to become the propitiation for our righteousness (Romans 3:25). What wondrous love and submission He showed toward His Father—giving to me a beautiful example to follow, by His redeeming grace. The submission of Christ gives me hope and strength as He leads me by the hand (“I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee” -Isaiah 42:6), through whatever trials or sacrifices the path holds (1 Peter 2:21)—He alone is sufficient for me. What a wonderful Savior we have been given in the Son of God! ~ Sarah

Jesus is ~ Merciful Kindness

One thing I love about Jesus: His merciful kindness

A verse about this: "For His merciful kindness is great toward us..." Psalm 117:2

How I have known this in my own life: Recently I have realized more and more just how great the Lord's merciful kindness is towards me! It's ALL because of His merciful kindness that I am saved, and have a relationship with Him! ~ Isabella

Jesus is ~ Everlasting Love

One thing I love about Jesus: His everlasting love

A verse that talks about this: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." (Jeremiah 31:3)

How I have seen it in my own life: As the Lord has drawn me closer to Himself, He has shown me that His love is far more than enough to satisfy every longing of my heart. I don't need to look to anybody or anything else to fulfill me, because I have all I will ever need in Him alone! ~ Ashley

Jesus is ~ Faithful

One thing you love about Jesus: His faithfulness.

A verse about this: "God, who called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." 1 Corinthians 1:9

How I have seen it in my own life: Jesus has always been faithful to me. This past year I have had a lot of decisions to make and more than once God has answered very specific prayers, some even on the very same day I went to Him with the request! I have also seen His faithfulness in my own shortcomings. Even when I do not live up to His perfect standard, He has been faithful to forgive and restore the fellowship that He called me into. This has only made me more in awe of my Savior who loves me unconditionally because He loved me even before I loved Him. ~ Kayla

Jesus is ~ our Provider

~ One thing you love about Jesus: He is our Provider.

~ A verse that talks about that: "For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8b

~ How you have known this about Jesus in your own life?
The Lord is my faithful Provider. Recently when I prayed for two specific things, He provided in His way and at the time I needed them. It reminds me, He sees my past, present and future all at the same time and therefore knows exactly what is needed for each day. I have also been in awe of Jesus when He provides, and I am not aware ahead of time of the need I have. It is a gift to rest in my Heavenly Father's care for my life as His daughter. ~ Elizabeth

Join us for 30 days of loving Jesus more by looking at who He is!

I am so excited to invite you to join me and many others in taking the next month to focus on loving Jesus more by looking at who He is!

Each day for the next month, there will be a post here on the Loving the Lord Blog (www.lovingthelord.org) about one aspect of who He is - and many other young women seeking to love Him will be joining in posting!!!

So please join us and invite your friends to join us, too! It is going to be an amazing month of loving our Jesus more!

He is so amazing.

Knowing Jesus' Love and Loving Him in Return

Happy Valentine's Day, Friends!

For a moment, stop and think about someone you know who loves you very, very much... Then multiply that by a zillion and you only begin to get a tiny picture of Jesus' love for you.

He loves YOU. He loves you more than you could ever put your mind around. Let that sink from your head to your heart. The Lord of the Universe loves and cares about YOU. He loves with a heart so pure, a love so deep, and a delight so great... nothing in the universe compares!

This love is what you were created for. I can tell you from personal experience that it is when you truly understand and embrace His love, it satisfies your heart, transforms your life, and makes you love Him in return. "We love Him because He first loved us..." 1 John 4:19

Look at these amazing verses from the greatest love letter of all time - the Bible:

~ "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." Jer. 31:3
~ "The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph. 3:17
~ "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

~ "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

~ "....nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39

~ "His steadfast love endures forever..." Psalm 100:5

Living daily in the reality of Jesus' love is so incredible and important! It will color all of your life in amazing ways. A heart that is growing in being satisfied and filled with Jesus' love will more naturally experience joy, desire to please Him, be less temptation by sin, love others, and love Him in return. Friends, this is where you were meant to live!

We need to be aware that there are other things that will try to steal our love from Jesus and lie to us that they will satisfy more than Him. But we were created for Jesus and His love - and nothing less will ever satisfy! To live in Jesus' love and increase our love for Him, we must turn from things that lessen or steal our love for Jesus, and pursue things that help us know and love Him more.

These are things that are majorly helpful to me on a regular basis in living in Jesus' love and loving Him in return:

~ Keeping Him FIRST - in my heart, mind, choices, and activities

~ Daily spending time with Him

~ Reading His Words to me - the Bible

~ Talking to Him in prayer - all day

~ Reading books, listening to messages, and worshipping to music that are about HIM

~ Talking about, and praying to, Him with friends who love Him

~ Getting rid of things that take my heart from Him or distract me - limiting computer time, etc.

~ Thinking about and praising Him for Who He is.*

*I am inviting you to join me and others in taking the next month to focus on loving Jesus more by doing this - thinking about and praising Jesus for who He is. Each day, there will be a post on the blog about one aspect of who He is - and many other young women seeking to love Him will be joining us!!!

As you grow in understanding His love, living in the reality of it, and loving Him in return, you will be able to echo these words, "Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you." Psalm 63:3

May you be deeply blessed as you know the love of our Jesus and to love Him in return!

Treasuring His love and loving Him with you,

Amy Vest

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Cor. 2:9

A Relationship of Love with Jesus

Blessings as you know the love of our amazing Jesus and love Him in return, dear sisters!

"...Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength." Mark 12:30