Jesus is Enough – The Sweet Presence of Jesus in Pain ~ by Jana

Be strong, be bold, don’t be afraid or frightened, for Adonai your God is going with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.  Deuteronomy 31:6

The stabbing pain of grim news was brought to our ears through the doctor’s gentle yet concerned voice, “There is an exceptionally large tumor on the kidney.  It is serious.  You will be admitted to hospital now. We must do surgery immediately.”  My husband and I sat close on the tiny couch.  We looked deeply into one another’s tear soaked eyes and were dumbfounded.  The numbness quickly began to set in.  This was OUR little five-year-old boy, Ben, our only son.  Our world immediately began to narrow.  The blur of activity, appointments, surgery, recovery, radiation, chemotherapy, endless, long hospital stays, medical appointments and family separation had begun.    It was all coming at us like bullets from a gun.  Yet, through it all, there was a distinct peace and tangible presence of our LORD Jesus.  We never needed Him like this before.  Our valleys had never been this deep.  Strangely, we questioned whether He was able.  Could His mercy meet us here?  

Less than 24 hours before these trials began, we were sitting as a family in church.  Although we didn’t know it at the time, the sermon was a gift of preparation for us.  The pastor was speaking on living with pain and suffering.  One illustration he used was an earthly father who received the gut wrenching news of his son’s cancer diagnosis.  The message was to lean hard into God’s goodness during trials and trust that no matter how painful the road ahead is God is underneath us bearing us up during it all.  I thought, “great message, but that’s NOT us!  Thank God it’s not us!  Things have been going well in our lives.”  Oh, but it WAS us!!  Our merciful LORD was preparing our hearts to receive the news.  Even at that moment He had a tight and loving grip on us, His beloved children.

Ironically, our son’s cancer birthed for each member of our family a new and tender relationship to our merciful LORD:  one of utter dependence.

Valleys, sorrows and despair are all around of us.  We receive news that stirs despondency in our souls.  It might be a fatal accident, word of another fallen Christian leader, discord in our fellowship with other believers, personal physical limitations or failed health, or as it was for me, dreaded news that my little boy had an extremely rare, cancerous tumor.  We cannot escape these places the LORD Jesus allows in our lives, but the undeniable, comforting truth is that those who belong to Him cannot walk deep, dark valleys alone.  

There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  Deuteronomy 33:26-28

HIS everlasting arms.  He is holding us and providing peace that ONLY He is able to give.  Our family instantly and fully experienced His comfort.  It has not let us go.

Jesus was the propitiation for our sins.  He took our punishment on the cross.  Without this sacrifice on our behalf, we would not be His children, have our eternal hope of salvation and a place in heaven.  But wait! There is MORE.  Have you ever thought about what else Jesus bore as He lived among man, suffered, hung and died on the cross?  Look at a familiar passage with new eyes:

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
    and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men;
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:1-5

In the tragedies of our lives, we long for answers.  We seek comfort.  The One who bore our sins and gave us new life also willingly bore our all of our griefs and carries our sorrows.  We BELONG to Him. When we rest in that, we experience HIS living presence through the pain and trials.  We are not alone.  We have Him who is acquainted with it all.  What comfort!

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.  

Psalm 56:8

 

The time of intense cancer treatment and major life change for our family is past.  We are through that valley and slowly our lives are returning to “normal”.  That is what we seek – but will never find.  We cannot forget how the LORD Jesus was present with us for He continues to comfort us and cause us to remember His goodness to us during our darkest times.  Our lives are filled with memories of His hand on our lives and we will never be the same.   

Other trials will surely come and because of His sweet promises we can be assured that we will not lose heart for He has promised, "God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.” Hebrew 13:5b  The literal translation is:  I will never ever, no not ever fail you nor never, ever, no, not ever abandon you.  Isn’t that amazing?  A doubled-triple promise!  There is constant nearness of our loving LORD during every valley, during every joy.  He is there comforting and reassuring us.   

He is reminding us that we have a greater hope and greater future, always nestled in His everlasting arms. 

It is my prayer that you will experience His presence and His comfort each day, especially during trials in a way that causes you to rest peacefully in the Man of Sorrows who was acquainted with grief.

Announcing the Summer Devotions Pursuit 2014!

Summer Devotions Pursuit from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.


We would like to invite you to join us for the 2014 Summer Pursuit - a special time of seeking Jesus from June 1st - August 31st!

Here are the basic details:
WHO: You and Jesus
WHERE: Wherever you are
WHEN: June 1st - August 31st, 2014

WHAT IS INVOLVED:
- 15 minutes of devotions a day
- Memorizing 1 verse a week
- Choosing and contacting an accountability partner once every 2 weeks
... and an amazing summer with Jesus!

REWARD: When you complete the Summer Pursuit: You send in your chart by September 7th and you receive a reward in the mail - in addition to the best reward of knowing Jesus!
This year's reward will be a special surprise package!

You can watch the "Summer Pursuit 2014" video (http://vimeo.com/41883667) and visit the website (www.lovingthelordministries.org) for more details. You can RSVP on Facebook - HERE. You can contact us at info@lovingthelordministries.org with questions.

This is going to be an amazing summer of pursuing and meeting with Jesus! Pursue Jesus with all that you are this summer, friends. He is so amazing! He will meet with you - and you will never be the same!

"He satisfies the longing soul…” Psalm 107:9

Serving God Where He Places You ~ by Christy

Learn all you can, about all you can, while you can.  This is a saying some friends of ours tell their children to encourage them to seek after learning new things every day.  And being a teacher at heart, I have started saying it to my own children.  My Grandma Leitha used to live this out, even though I never heard her say it out loud.  I have good memories of her teaching me things while I was visiting her.  I learned to sew and bake at her house.  And she always had books on her shelves for me to read.

"Ask, and it shall be given you;  seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Matthew 7:7

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;  and it shall be given him."  James 1:5

I did not grow up in a Christian home.  I didn’t surrender my life to Jesus Christ until I was a young adult.  As a new Christian, I had many hurts and expectations that needed to be sifted through the word of God.  I am so grateful for God’s faithfulness to me and his patience with me as I have been learning to be more Christ like in all areas of my life. 

In the years before I became a Christian and too many of the years after I knew Christ, I failed to yield my expectations in life to God.  I was angry for the way things had transpired in my life, especially during my growing up years.  Each one of us has events or circumstances in our lives that are unchangeable.  It is easy to become angry or unsettled inside when we can’t have things our way.  But God is be working in ways that we don’t understand.  I have seen many blessings come out of my trials.

As I  learned to surrender my expectations to God and get my attention off myself, God started to show me that there were people in my small sphere of influence that I could serve.  I had been spending so much time being in emotional turmoil about my life’s unchangeable events, that I hadn’t even noticed that God had plans for me and things for me to do.  I could start by having a heart of serving toward my family, yielding my expectations to the Lord.   This I did one moment at a time.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;  and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes;  fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones."  Pr. 3:5-8

I began to realize that many of my expectations had been with wrong motives-selfishness.  Through his word, God was teaching me that I could trust him with my expectations and that His ways are higher than mine.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

The faithfulness of God’s Word encouraged me to serve in new ways-and God was giving me peace.  A friend and mentor  of mine always told me that peace and righteousness kiss each other. The Lord was working sanctification in my life.   I was learning to serve not to be seen by others but to bring honor to the name of Christ.

God has placed each one of us in a unique place to serve others.  And this will bring glory to God!  As we engraft his word into our life and surrender our expectations to him, we more effectively represent the character of Christ to others.  It frees us to serve others with right motives so we can be truly cheerful as we serve.

Learn all you can, about all you can, while you can.  I hope you are encouraged through my experience to engraft his Word into your life, yield your expectations to God and serve him with your whole heart.

"Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee:  O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes:  I will not forget thy word." Psalm 119:9-16

When I Ponder Calvary ~ by Amy Vest

I cannot find the words to say,
What Jesus means to me.
Or the awe that fills my heart,
When I ponder Calvary.

The perfect, sinless Son of God,
Came to earth to ransom me.
He took the punishment I deserved,
So my soul could be set free.

He faced ridicule and judgment,
And suffered cruel death,
Knowing separation from the Father,
Before His final breath.

He descended into hell,
Claiming life and death’s keys.
And rose again to life,
In triumphant victory.

He stands now and offers,
Full salvation from our sins,
And His resurrection life,
To all who trust and yield to Him.

For those whom He has ransomed,
Belongs the joy of being free,
To know, to love, to serve our God,
As His, eternally.

I cannot find the words to say,
What Jesus means to me.
Or the awe that fills my heart,
When I ponder Calvary.

~ Amy Vest, 2014

Serving Because of Jesus ~ By Amy Vest

Real life is found in dying to self and living for Jesus and others for God’s glory.  This truth has been running through my mind this week.  This is what Jesus has done and calls us to follow in His steps.  

 

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” John 13:15

“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.”  Phil. 2:5-11

Jesus emptied Himself and gave His all – so that we may come to Him.  We are called to do the same – to empty ourselves and give – by His life in us.  In this He is glorified, we find joy, and others are blessed.  We have been abundantly served by Jesus in salvation and His life in us - and have all we need in Him to turn and serve others for His glory.

We serve:
1. By His life in us – Jesus’ transforming life through salvation and His Spirit living within us, moving our hearts to serve out of love for Him and longing for others to know Him vs. our natural selfish heart focusing on our own needs and being served.  “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Cor. 3:5
2. By His life through us – The life, love, and grace of Jesus pouring through us to others, bearing eternal fruit vs. trying to serve in our own strength, which is impossible and does not bear eternal fruit. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Cor. 4:7
3. For His glory – With our eyes fixed on Jesus, the building of His Kingdom, and Him receiving all of the glory vs. on ourselves, building our own reputation, and people thinking well of and praising us. “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:13

As He serves like this through us; we will know Him in new ways, His Kingdom will be advanced, and the world will see something different than the norm of self-serving, which will open doors to share the One who satisfies – for His glory.

This serving is a:
- Heart attitude – wherever you are: from the tiniest little task to a major team opportunity
- Lifestyle – all of the time: not just when you get in “ministry mode”
- Pursuit – something to always be pursuing and asking the Lord to shape in your heart and lead you in

Serving takes so many forms in our lives - helping your little sister pick up her toys, or washing the dishes after a church dinner, or sharing at a conference.  Regardless of what we are doing, what is most important is why and the way we are doing it = the heart attitude we are doing it with and that we are being obedient to where the Lord is calling us to serve out of a desire to please and bring glory to Him.

This morning I was preparing to leave for a worship service and was asked to do a task that I was not planning into my time schedule before I left.  While the task was important, what was more important was if my heart was responding by the Lord’s grace in humble willingness to help and give in love for Jesus and others.

I want to daily, moment by moment live with my eyes fixed on Jesus and my heart in that place of a servant’s heart – alert to wherever He is calling me to let Him work through me for the glory of His name.

He is worthy, and, oh, the joy of His life pouring through us for His glory and Kingdom and the blessing of others!

As you reflect this weekend on how Jesus came “…to serve, and give his life a ransom for many.”, may your heart embrace His serving ransom in salvation with worshipful surrender and a longing for Him to flow through you to serve others for His glory.

Seeing and Savoring God while on the Unseen Path ~ by Nicole

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.” - 2 Chronicles 16:9

Have you ever felt discouraged and unrecognized, like your actions were invisible to others?  Does God see your hurting heart and unseen circumstances?  Does he have a purpose for those seasons of invisible yet faithful ministry? These are questions that you may ask in different seasons of life and questions that are worth finding the answer to.  God may call you to a season of service to him that is not recognized by others.  Does this mean that that your ministry is unimportant or that God has put you on the back burner?  No! Take a moment to pause and ponder the reality that the God of the universe - the all-seeing and ever present Father – sees you.  Such treasures are gained when we obey our Savior as he leads us into unseen paths of service.

I am the third child of seven.  I live with my parents and six siblings, as well as two adult women who have disabilities.  Over the last few years, God brought many changes to our home.  Many of which changed our family dynamics and routines. Life sometimes felt like a whirlwind.  For many months there were times of discouragement and loneliness. Although I was happy to serve in the capacities that the Lord placed me in, many of these opportunities were unseen by others.  During this time the Lord decided to show me treasures.  The situations that he allowed humbled and strengthened me!  The Lord gently led me to great joys, and now I thank him for the rocky road that I walked with him. He showed me many things…

1.      If God is with me, I can be satisfied… truly satisfied, content and well! He’s my ever-present Father!  I grew to know him in a way I never had before.  He saw every tear.  He was with me.  He heard my every cry for help (Psalm 91:14-15). 

2.       John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 

3.       God is working for his glory and our joy in him.  He doesn’t make mistakes and he loves his daughters too much to keep them from trials that will increase their joy and faith!

Dear sisters, life is exciting and new, challenging and difficult and constantly changing!  Never minimize his presence, his plan and his purpose in the little and big things.  Know that the approval of your heavenly Father is infinitely more valuable than the recognition of others.  Let him lead, and be prepared for a life of joy in the satisfying One as you serve him behind the scenes!

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

“Here I am! Send me.”

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”  ~ Isaiah 6:8

Will this be your heart's prayer to the Lord today?

Serving as Unto Jesus ~ by Margie

Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work heartily, and for the Lord and not for men..."
 
Most days I really enjoy serving my family at home, yet for many years I did it in my own strength!  How much better it has been since I kneel at the beginning of most mornings and pray something like "Lord, what I do this day, I do for You. Help me to serve You with joy and may You get the glory."  Life lived in this way is much more satisfying! I am now not just doing things to check them off my list, but to serve Jesus and diligently (hopefully) accomplish the tasks that He has given me.  What a difference!

Some days when I am more tired than others,  the verse that has encouraged me so much is 2 Corinthians 12:9,  "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  How wonderful to live knowing that He will give me His grace, and that in my weakness He is strong!

Before a conference we were attending at a small church, the pastor's wife was cheerfully setting out food for us all.  I commented on her joyful attitude about serving.  Answering me, she spoke words I will never forget.  She smiled at me and said, "The Lord's work is never burdensome."  What an impact her words have had on me!  I have repeated them many times.  And I am asking Him to give me that attitude about what He gives me to do.  All that is done for Him is never lost.  If I make a nice meal, and nobody notices or comments, but I've done it for the Lord, it's okay.  If He is pleased I can have joy.
If we have dishes, that means we had food.

 Thank You for these dirty dishes, Lord!  If the house gets dirty or messy, that means there are loved ones living here to dirty it. Thank You for them, Lord! Jesus, help me to have Your mind and perspective on things!

There is a poem that begins:
"Only one life, will soon be past,                       

                 Only what's done for Christ will last."

We all have many tasks to do each day.  Let's live our lives serving as unto Jesus!