- Focus on His presence instead of presents.

“And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Are we focused on the reality that Jesus came so that we may live in His presence and are we soaking in His presence this time of year – or are we so consumed in buying, wrapping, and giving presents? (I want to clarify that buying presents/gifts for those we love is not wrong and can be a beautiful picture of giving as He did, the key is what consumes our focus!)

Allow HIS presence to be your greatest focus and joy – “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

- Listen to the words of Christmas carols.

Oh listen to them! They are FULL of amazing truths about Jesus!!! I just love to tune into the words as Christmas carols are playing around the house, as we are singing them in church, or as they are even playing in the stores!

Here are a few of my favorites:
“Silent night, holy night; Son of God, Love’s pure light!”
“The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger; in all our trials, born to be our friend. He knows our need; our weakness is no stranger. Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!”
“He rules the world with Truth and grace; And makes the nations prove; The glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.”
“How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n; So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.”

Listen to them, sing them, and rejoice in their TRUTH!

~ Keep your focus on Jesus by taking time to remember all that this season means.

Take time to sit before Him and stand in awe of what His birth means:

Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, came to earth so that He could live as a man (though still fully God and perfect), show us the Father and the way to the Father, die and pay the penalty for our sins, rise from the dead - victorious over sin, death, and hell, and call us to be saved from our sins, right with the Father, and come to Heaven when we die - if we will surrender our lives to Him and trust fully in Him to save us.

“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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

Let's seek to take even a moment each day this week to sit at His feet in special awe of His coming and all it means to us as His children.

Isn’t it amazing? I am without words to describe it. All I can say is, “Thank You, Lord!” Will you join me?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Isn’t it wonderful?! We are in the midst of this amazing time of year when we remember the birth of Jesus – the One we love! I pray you have the sweetest Christmas with Jesus yet!

As we celebrate Christmas, the Lord has been putting a variety of things on my heart that I want to share each day leading up to Christmas.

Here is the first one:

~ Christmas (as well as life) is all about Jesus.
It is all about HIM! When we can keep our heart and focus here, the rest of Christmas (and life!) falls in to place and is so much more meaningful. This is a time to rejoice in the birth of the ONE we love and Who is our LIFE, our JOY, or SONG, our SALVATION… The One Who came, so that we might come to Him! Let's seek to keep our eyes on Him every day.

“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36

May you be blessed remembering Christmas (and life) is all about Jesus!

FINAL LTL Videocast - Your Identity in Christ

Dear Friends,

Who are you? Where we find our identity is so important because we behave in line with what we believe about who we are. As a child of God, you have an identity in Christ that will transform you the more you understand and live in the reality of it!

2 Cor. 5:17 tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

I invite you to join me as we look at this important issue in our final videocast. Then may we all go and live in our identity in Christ!

This will be our final videocast for now. We pray that the videocasts have been a blessing to you as you continue to seek Jesus! You can watch any of them again anytime on the videocast site (http://vimeo.com/user3463095/videos). You can also stay posted for more encouragement on the blog - (www.lovingthelord.org)!

May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek Him with all of your heart! He is so wonderful!

Because of Who He is,

Amy Vest

Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6

So much to thank Jesus for!

With Thanksgiving, I have been thinking in a special way of the things we have to be grateful for... and there is SO MUCH we have to be thankful for in Jesus!

Psalm 136 has been a special passage - Here are a few excerpts:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever...
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever."

This verse from the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" sums up how I feel:

"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!"

May you be blessed as you thank Jesus for all that He is and all that He has done!

LTL Videocast #9 - Living for Eternity - Part 2

We have this short moment in time to invest our lives in knowing Jesus and making Him known. Charles Spurgeon said, “Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.“ Join Amy as we consider this together, discuss what it can look like in our lives, and are encouraged to look to the Lord for how to live our lives for what counts for eternity!

This video is the second part of the “Living for Eternity” videocast. You are welcome to watch this part alone, but if you have not seen Part 1, we encourage you to watch it as well!

Matthew 6:19‑21, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Jesus loves you!

Recently I had the privilege of being in the wedding of a dear friend and sister. During the outdoor pictures, I looked at the ground and saw a HEART-SHAPED leaf on the ground! I had to share it with you. Jesus is always wanting to remind us of His love for us and to draw us ever closer to Him as a result!

Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you."

May you be so richly blessed as you press closer to Him, live in the reality of His love, and love Him in return!