The Summer Devotions Pursuit 2018 ends today!

The Summer Devotions Pursuit 2018 ends today, friends!

We hope that this summer was just the beginning of a lifetime of meeting with Jesus daily, memorizing His Word, sharing fellowship with others who are seeking Him, and walking with Him every moment of your life!  There is no greater joy!  We are cheering for you as you continue to walk with Jesus!

"He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." ~ Psalm 107:9

Please be sure to mail your charts to us by September 7th and we will send you your reward package!

We would love to hear - What is one thing Jesus did in your heart as you spent time with Him this summer?

You are Loved ~ by Amy Vest

Dear Sisters,

Sometimes we just need someone to remind us of this truth:

You are loved.

Let's listen to Jesus:

"...I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." ~ Jeremiah 31:3

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." ~ Zephaniah 3:17

"For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you." ~ Psalm 86:5

"But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness."  ~ Psalm 86:15

"'I have loved you,” says the Lord." ~ Malachi 1:2

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." ~ 1 John 4:10

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

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." ~ Gal. 2:20

May your day be blessed beyond measure as you soak in His endless love for you!

Grateful to be loved by our Jesus together,
Amy

The Sweetness of Selflessness ~ by Amy Vest

Selflessness.

What comes to mind when you hear this word?  Cringing and drudgery, or joy and freedom?

Let's take a look.

We are naturally selfish, focused on our self, and wanting what we want to satisfy ourselves.  Selflessness is not something that we come by automatically. 

Here is the amazing thing:

Selfishness is natural.
Selflessness is supernatural.

Selflessness is only possible because of Jesus.

While basically anyone can, should, and will be blessed when they choose to put others first in action - true selflessness is really a condition of our heart that flows out in how we live our lives.  This is transformation only Jesus can bring.

It is a change from a focus on self to focus on Jesus, Who fulfills you and enables you to focus on others.

This change begins at salvation when you turn from following self to follow Christ, and it continues for your whole life with Jesus on earth as He works in you.

Just this morning I was reading John 3 and read once again that beautiful verse, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

This is the beautiful thing - the "less" of self, means the "more" of Jesus in our lives! I want this, don't you?

The more we are emptied of ourselves, and the more we are filled with Jesus, the more we will taste the sweet freedom of selflessness.  It is a process - and it can be painful, because self does not like to decrease - but, the increase of Jesus FAR outweighs it.

I don't know about you, but when I am focused on myself, I am empty, unfulfilled, and miserable.  But, when I am allowing Jesus to empty me of self, fill me, and love others through me, there is so much joy!

This is a reality that has been transforming my world:

I can freely deny myself when I realize that Jesus is all I need.

Do you see how this works?  When I have everything in Jesus, I no longer need to look for fulfillment, acclaim, rights, etc. - I have all in Jesus and know He cares for me! 

Then I can follow His example.

He gave of Himself, so that I could have all in Him. I can now deny myself for Him and so that He can give Himself through me to others.

The Lord has recently been deepening this in my heart in the area of sensitive availability to my family.  I can be going about what I think is the Lord's role for me in a day - and then a need comes up for someone close to me.  I sense a gentle tug of the Holy Spirit in my heart to set the project aside and see how Jesus can use me to minister to that person - sometimes it is simply a hug, helping them with a project, or praying with them.  In that moment, I can listen to Jesus, deny myself, and reach out to that person - and if I do, there is so much joy, more of Jesus, and He works.  I want to live in this every day - and Jesus delights to grow us!

I love, love, love this passage about Jesus and our call because Him:

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." ~ Philippians 2:3-11

This is where true life is found - in denying ourselves and letting Jesus increase in us and through us to others!

What is an area you feel the Lord calling you to less of self and more of Him in today, friend?  I am asking myself the same question.  Let's let Him work and bring the sweetness of selflessness in us!

I do want to whisper a little clarification to those of you who may be like I was and think this may mean something it doesn't - it does not mean that you never get sleep, or have to say "yes" to every person's request - and definitely it does not mean that you give up what God has shown you is right!  We are humans with God-given limitations.  Selflessness is a heart condition and attitude of yielded focus on Jesus instead of self, and then on others, to pour out your life for Him however He leads!

Selflessness is saying "no" to self and "yes" to Jesus.  It is putting Jesus first and then allowing Him to turn our eyes to others.  It is a heart transformation by Jesus that radiates out in our lives in joy, freedom, and service.

When we are selfless, the world sees something different.

I want to live a life whose only explanation is Jesus. Selflessness is one of those things.

Knowing this is only possible with Jesus, let's run to Him, find all in Him, and allow Him to give to others through us.

In this we will taste more and more the sweetness of selflessness - more of Jesus in and through our lives!

Question - We love hearing from you!

What is one thing Jesus uses to grow you in Him?

Please share in the comments section below!

Join us for Videocast 7 - True Beauty!

Loving the Lord Videocast #7 - True Beauty from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.

Do You Know Jesus? ~ by Amy Vest

Do you ever wonder why you were created? God created you to have a personal relationship with Him, to glorify Him, and to live forever with Him in Heaven when you die. Apart from this relationship with God, you cannot find the joy, fulfillment, and peace that you were meant to have.

We all have a problem. There is darkness in our hearts. We have all sinned and disobeyed God. We have thought, said, and done wrong things. We have lied, cheated, been selfish, etc. God sees everything. Because God is holy and just, He cannot allow sin in His presence. Our sin separates us from God, and causes us to deserve His punishment, including being separated from Him eternally in Hell when we die. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Trying to do good things (“…and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” Is. 64:6), going to church, not sinning “really badly”, etc. will not save you, or earn you a place in Heaven. God is loving and merciful, but He is also holy and just. Even one little sin cannot be allowed before God. Otherwise, God would not be holy and just.

Because God is also loving and merciful, He made a way for us to be forgiven for our sins and be right with Him. God sent His son, Jesus Christ to earth. He lived a perfect life, died on the cross to take the punishment that we deserved for our sins, and rose again to live forever. In doing this, God made a way for us to be right with Him.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Receiving salvation from your sins through believing in and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior will wash you from your sins, bring you into a right relationship with God, and make it possible for you to go to Heaven when you die. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is a choice that you must personally make to receive as you would a gift. No one can make it for you. But, it is critical that you make it! (No one is promised tomorrow.)

Responding to God’s grace and believing in Christ is not something that takes place only in our mind – It is something that must take place in our heart and come out in our actions. Just like I can say that I believe that a chair will hold me up, I am not truly believing and placing my faith in the chair until I sit on it! It is the same way with believing in Jesus to save us. It is when we fully lean on Him to save us, that we truly are believing.

It is the most important decision that you will ever make, and it determines your standing with God and your eternal destiny in Heaven or Hell. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

If you choose to confess your sins to God, ask His forgiveness for them, turn from your sins, believe in Jesus to save you from your sins, and accept Him into your life as your Savior and Lord (which means the one who is in charge), you will be saved and become a child of God. John 1:12 says, “…As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Christ will come into your life, wash away your sins, and enable you to live for Him. Then when God looks at you, He no longer sees your sin, but Jesus. Because of this, you can be in a right relationship with God, live for His glory, and spend eternity in Heaven with Him when you die. This is the most important thing in life, is what you were created for, is where you will find true peace, and determines your eternal destiny.

To be right with God, it is essential to:

1. Admit your sin and your need for forgiveness.
2. Confess your sin to God, ask for His forgiveness, and turn from your sins to follow Him.
3. Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and trust Him to save you.
4. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ and invite Him to come in and control your life as your Lord and Savior.

You can pray something like the following prayer:

“Dear Lord, I know that I have sinned and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and I trust You to save me. Please forgive me for my sins, come into my life as my Lord and Savior, and help me to live for You. I choose to turn from my sins, trust You as my Lord and Savior, surrender my life to You, and to follow You from now on. Thank you for dying in my place so that I can be right with You and spend eternity with You in Heaven when I die. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Romans 10:9-11 tells us,

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (ESV)

Once you have accepted salvation through Jesus Christ, your new life in Him has just begun! John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

To grow in your relationship with the Lord you should:

1. Read the Bible, which is God’s word to you, each day (the book of John is a good place to start).
2. Spend time daily talking to God in prayer.
3. Worship the Lord, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where God’s Word is preached.
4. Live for Christ and tell others about Him.

The Lord will never leave you. He will make Himself more real to you as you seek Him and will satisfy the longings of your heart. The Lord will help you to live for Him! As His child, you have the joy of walking with Him in this life and the joy of knowing that you will spend eternity with Him in Heaven!