"He must increase..." ~ John 3:30

Jesus as All ~ by Bella

"Sometimes, we don't realize Jesus is all we need, until Jesus is all we have."  - Unknown 

Do you ever wonder why we care so much about things like... Am I as pretty as that girl?  Does that person like me?  Does this outfit look okay?  Will I ever be able to go do this someday?  When deep down in our hearts, we really want to just be fully in love with Jesus!! We want so much to go deeper with Him.  We know He should be our first love, but all this stuff that really doesn't matter, can mean so much to us.  

Even us girls who are following Jesus are tempted to think that the things of this world will fill the longings of our hearts.  They often can seem more real to us than the promises of God.  Why is that, even though we know Jesus is the answer to our longing hearts, we so easily try to fill that emptiness with other things?  I think for myself it has often been that I've had a hard time believing God's promises... I think especially as girls, we can base things on our feelings, rather than on Truth.  

There was a time in my life, where I was really thinking about all this... One moment, I would say, Jesus, “You are all I need”, but then the next moment, I couldn't imagine living without this or that.  Jesus has used difficult seasons in my life to show me that He is the answer to every longing in my heart.  It's been the times where I have felt like I couldn't take another step, that Jesus was my strength and carried me through...It was the times my heart was overwhelmed, that Jesus and only Him, was my peace...It was those times when I couldn't see what was going to happen, that Jesus was my hope.  It's truly been amazing, experiencing Jesus being my all through the every day, difficult things in life.  I think, one of the reasons God allows us to go through fires in life, is not only to refine us, but to show us how much we need Him. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)  

Recently, I was struggling with this.  I wanted so badly to have Jesus be everything to me, but I couldn't seem to get the desires of my heart out of the way.  I realized in order for me to truly have Jesus be my everything, I needed to surrender everything to Him.  I love the quote that says, "Coming to the cross, means much more than believing Christ died for your sins, it means exchanging all that you are for all that HE IS."  Jesus brought me through a very stressful time in my life, but through that He showed me in such a deep way who HE IS... It wasn't until He brought me to the point of being completely broken before Him and left in awe of Who He is, that I truly experienced Him for Who He really is!!  He is worthy of all that we are!  It was through much searching to know my Jesus more that He truly showed Himself to me.  "If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him."  (Jeremiah 29:13)  When we let Jesus completely take over every area of our life is when we truly experience Him for all that He really is!! He is EVERYTHING we ever wanted!  It was in seeing Who He really is and how deep His love is for me, that I couldn't help but only want Him and completely surrender all to Him!

I've realized, that unless I'm living completely surrendered to Jesus Christ, I can't experience Him as being my all... because my heart is too full of me and my own desires.  Surrender is key!  "He must increase, but I must decrease."  (John 3:30) 

Some truths that have really helped me in times when I want to hang on to things and am struggling with surrendering them to Jesus are... First, submitting all my fears to God!  (Psalm 118:6) and then really meditating on His truths. 

Some truths that have really helped me are:
#1 Jesus is worthy of all that you are! Rev. 5:12
#2 He CARES about you...your future, desires, etc. He cares about every detail of your life, even more than you do!  1 Peter 5:7
#3 He will not withhold anything good from those who walk uprightly!  Psalm 84:11
#4 He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we could ask or think!  Eph. 3:20
#5 He knows all! Your desires, fears, hopes, dreams, passions, weaknesses, needs...everything! Isaiah 40:27-28
#6 He is faithful to do His best in your life!!!  

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”  1 Thessalonians 5:24 

I just encourage you to embrace the hard moments in your life as a chance to experience Jesus as truly your everything!!!  He wants so much to make Himself real to you, but, so often we can miss it.  We just want the pain to go away.  I have learned to say, truly from my heart, “Thank Jesus” for that pain and ask Him to help me to experience more of Him through it.  Jesus loves and cares for you so deeply.  He wants to fill that longing in your heart with more joy and more peace and more hope than you ever even thought possible!!!

This life is so, so short...Only Jesus and what's done for Him will last!!! "This world will pass away and the things in it, but they that do the will of God, will abide forever."  1 John 2:17 

Only Jesus satisfies in the end!

"I have loved you with an everlasting love..."

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

Jesus Loves You!

Pure Heart Conference ~ Session 1 Video ~ The Heartbeat of Purity

Pure Heart Conference - Session 1 - The Heartbeat of Purity (2010 Edition) from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.

God has a far deeper purpose for purity than meets the eye. He desires us to pursue a pure heart and life, so that we fulfill His purposes in creating us – to see, know, be satisfied in, and glorify Him. As this takes place, we will receive His strength to flee sin and cling to Christ.

Join us for this deeply encouraging session as we look at the purpose for your life and purity!

You can find companion handout pages on the Loving the Lord Ministries, Inc. website at lovingthelordministries.org!

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." ~ Matthew 5:8

Pure Heart Conference ~ Introduction Video

Pure Heart Conference - Introduction from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.

God created you to live a life of freedom, fulfillment, and fruitfulness in Him! We are so excited to look at this together in the Pure Heart Conference! Please join us for this warm introduction - and all 4 sessions! 

You can find companion handout pages on the Loving the Lord Ministries, Inc. website at lovingthelordministries.org!

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." ~ Matthew 5:8

New Videos Online!

The Introduction and Session 1 videos from the Pure Heart Conference are now online! ♡ Join us for a warm welcome in the Introduction video and then deep encouragement as we look at "The Heartbeat of Purity" in Session 1! ♡ We are so excited for what the Lord has in store! ♡ You can join us - and download a companion handout at www.lovingthelordministries.org!

A God Story Life ~ by Amy Vest

A God Story: Walking closely with Jesus and following Him in surrender as He unfolds His perfect will for your life. 

I stood in the sanctuary after church, talking with a friend who had gotten married since I’d last seen her.  “It’s a God story, Amy”, she told me with joy as she started to tell me her story.  My heart rejoiced – God stories are my favorite!  “I want mine to be one, too.” I earnestly replied. 

But, even more, I want my whole LIFE to be a God story – don’t you, friend?  A life that displays God’s power and goodness, a life that is only explainable by Jesus, a life that points to God – a life story that is clearly written by the hand of God.  Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith” – and I am so glad!  Jesus is so wonderful and wise, His heart is love, and His plan is perfect.  I am so grateful that He is the Author of our story… I just want to let Him write His story freely in my life!  

After surrendering to Jesus at salvation, it is then a daily, moment-by-moment yielding to Jesus by the power of His life in us.  In the daily, moment-by-moment surrender, I need His help and strength so desperately.  Are you with me?

Our life and story is made up of moments.  It really takes place in the daily attitudes of our heart, Truth we know we should live out, promptings of the Holy Spirit to follow, choices to walk by the Spirit instead of the flesh, etc.  There are moments when we know we should: respond in love to someone who hurt us, slip off the computer and soak in time with Jesus, walk in Truth instead of how we feel, obey something that He is leading us to do, etc.  In these moments, we can yield to Him, say, ”Yes, Lord”, obey by His grace, and experience the joy of closer fellowship with Him as we walk into His best with Him, or, we can respond in selfishness and hinder our fellowship with Him and His very best in our lives.   

Maybe you have found this, too?  When I walk in yieldedness to Jesus, I see that He is all that I need and His plan is perfect.  I witness Him do wonders and my heart sings that nothing compares to His best.  Yet, the times I sin by trying to take control of the “pen” of my life and write what I think He has for me, or what I think is best, my peace fades and I make mistakes as I stumble away from His best.  Then Jesus so graciously brings repentance to my heart, forgiveness, redemption, and guides me back to surrender and the joy of experiencing Him.  I see afresh that I don’t want anything but Him, His glory, and His story for me.

That is really what a God story – and the purpose of our lives - is about: A close walk of dependent obedience to and relationship of love with Jesus, His work in us, and His guiding our steps and working through us for His glory! 

It is only in this place that truly we are satisfied, He is glorified, and others are blessed.  It is so essential to remember that the story of our life is a part of His Story of redemption – the beautiful love story of God drawing His people to Himself!  He has a special plan for your life story as a part of this biggest story.

It is so important not to compare the story that God is writing in our lives to the lives of others.  While the Lord and His Truth are always the same, every story is different because we are all individuals and the Lord knows exactly what you need to fulfill the purpose that He has for your life.

Over the past months, the Lord has been highlighting for me in His Word the verses in the Gospels where Jesus says, “Follow Me.”  It is a call to surrender everything – our self, desires, agenda – and follow the One that created, saved, and is our King!  It is a call to follow Him – not knowing where He will lead, but knowing He is all we need.

When we follow Jesus in surrender, we find the answer to the longings of our hearts in Him and He leads us into His perfect plan for our lives.  We find true life.  Jesus says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  (Matt. 16:24-25)  This is how we FIND our life – the life in Jesus for which we were created – and where He writes His beautiful story!

It is following Him and trusting Him for our:
~ Salvation, growth, and satisfaction
~ Daily needs, questions, struggles
~ Strength and grace
~ Guidance and future
~ and everything else!

There is no peace like the peace of following Jesus in surrender, resting in His hands, listening for His call to obey, walking in the grace that He always provides to do what He calls us to do, and letting Him do His amazing work in and through us!

The story of a person’s life is really as beautiful as the one whose hand it is in.

This story is a journey of faith – a beautiful, sometimes rugged, always-worth-it journey – of believing that God knows far better than we do. 

This past season for me has been a chapter that I didn’t expect as part of God’s story for my life.  Yet, I am seeing more and more beautiful glimpses of His purposes - that the times of pain, questions, and weakness were exactly what the Lord knew I needed to give me more of Himself, do a deep work in my heart, direct my steps in His plan, prepare me for what He has ahead, and so much more!  The longer I walk with Jesus, the more He shows me - I do not need to know the whole story of my life, because I know the Author.  “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Heb. 12:2) 

The One Who gave His life for us can so be trusted with every detail of the story of our life from beginning to end!

You can trust the Author, because you know:
~ His heart – He is loving, wise, perfect, and so much more!
~ His promises – He will never leave us (Heb. 13:5), He knows the plans He has for us (Jer. 29:11), all things work together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), etc.
~ The ending of the Story  – You will spend eternity with Him forever!

I am so excited about the story God is writing in your life, friend!  I am praying for you and cheering as He writes His perfect story in you.  He has amazing things in store!

I know that when we reach the end of our lives and look back over the story God has written in our lives, we will say with Psalm 18:30, “This God—his way is perfect.”

May our hearts echo this prayer:
“I trust You and Your love, Lord.
Please have Your way in me.
I want You to write Your story freely in my life.
Please be glorified.
In the Name of Jesus, Who makes it possible,
Amen.”

Yes, that is what we want - a God story life.

"What Does the Call of Jesus to "Go" Look Like for You?" ~ Video interview with Amy Vest

What Does the Call of Jesus to "Go" Look Like for You? from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.

Join us for this interview with Amy Vest answering the question, "What does the call of Jesus to "Go" look like for you?" and be encouraged to look at what it looks like in your own life!
Join us for this interview with Amy Vest answering the question, "What does the call of Jesus to "Go" look like for you?" and be encouraged to look at what it looks like in your own life!

We would love to hear - What does the call of Jesus to "Go" look like for you today?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” 
~ Matthew 28:18-20

The First Video is UP!

The first video is UP! Join us for this interview with Amy Vest answering the question, "What does the call of Jesus to "Go" look like for you?" and be encouraged to look at what it looks like in your own life! You can view it at: www.lovingthelordministries.org!

Exciting Announcement for 2015!

Happy New Year, Friends!

As we welcome this new year and all it offers each of us in Jesus, we are so excited to let you know that the Lord has brought an exciting opportunity for 2015!

In 2015 we will be posting over 25 videos and audios from the past 10+ years of Loving the Lord Ministries!

We are planning to post a new video or audio every other week for the whole year beginning January 8th!

Messages from Amy Vest include conference sessions from Pure Heart, Vibrant Christian Life, Changing Your World for Christ, and talks including The Power and Potential of Your Youth for God, What Does Jesus' Call To "GO" Mean for You?, Christ Alone, and MORE!

We treasure seeking and loving Jesus with you and pray that these messages will be a rich encouragement to you as you continue to pursue Jesus!

You can stay posted about the new videos in any, or all, of these ways: 
Blog – http://lovingthelord.org
Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/lovingthelordministries
Website – http://lovingthelordministries.org
Facebook – http://on.fb.me/14e6WAc
Twitter – https://twitter.com/LTLMinistries
Google + – http://bit.ly/1xhZ8bJ
Instagram – http://instagram.com/lovingthelordministries
Email Newsletter – email us at info@lovingthelordministries.org to be placed on the list!

We will also be posting encouraging blog posts, inspiring verses, and more, so please feel free to join us and invite a many friends as you can to join us, too!

Jesus is amazing and it is going to be an amazing year of seeking with Him with you!

We love you and we love loving Jesus with you,

Amy Vest and the Loving the Lord Ministries Staff

"Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us..."  Hosea 6:3

"You crown the year with Your goodness..."

"You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance."
~ Psalm 65:11

Exciting News Coming Tomorrow!

We are so excited to announce some exciting news tomorrow about some exciting things the Lord has in store for 2015!!! 

Stay tuned! ♡

Loving the Lord Ministries is on Instagram!

We love seeking and loving our amazing Jesus with you and look forward to doing so even more on Instagram! ♡  

You can join us at: http://instagram.com/lovingthelordministries

Who Is Like You, O Lord?

“Who is like you, O Lord... Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" ~ Exodus 15:11

The Wonder of Immanuel - "God With Us" ~ by Amy Vest

I stood outside gazing up into the winter sky in breathless awe as I pondered the wonder of the reality:

Immanuel - "God with us."

GOD - the King of the universe, the One we were created for, and the only answer to the longings of our hearts

WITH - being not just far off in Heaven, but taking on human form and becoming present and near

US - not just with the angels - but with us needy, sinful humans desperate for Him!

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

In Jesus - our Immanuel - God came to be with us, so that we could be with Him forever.

Jesus came to be with us, so that He could redeem us from our sins through His perfect life, death on the cross in our place, and resurrection from the dead - triumphant over sin, death, and hell.  He did this so that those who trust in Him as their Savior, receive His grace to turn from their sin, and surrender their life to Him as Lord, could be with Him forever as His own.  What amazing love!

"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

Jesus came so that we could enter into an eternal relationship with Him. He came to rescue us from sin, to allow us to know Him, to transform us into His Image, and so that we could walk with Him every moment.

Isn't this amazing?

When Jesus is with us, everything changes.

He brings salvation to the lost, hope to the hopeless, comfort to the hurting, healing to the wounded, joy to the discouraged, peace to the troubled, freedom to the captive, satisfaction to the longing... He is all that we need!

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. " Philippians 4:19

I love how the Gospel of Matthew begins in Chapter 1 with Jesus being "Immanuel - God with us" - and ends in the last chapter with Jesus promising His disciples - "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

He has promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

My heart can't stop whispering, "God with us." this Christmas season... and I don't think the wonder will ever disappear, because its reality never will.

{Deep, grateful breath}

"Thank You, Father for sending Jesus.
Thank You, Jesus for coming.
Thank You, Holy Spirit for opening our spiritual eyes to Jesus."

Immanuel - God with us.  And because He came, we will never be the same.

Have an incredible Christmas rejoicing in Jesus and treasuring the reality that He is with us - and for those who are His, we will be with Him forever!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." ~ Isaiah 9:6

Faithfulness in the Little Things ~ by Breezy

What is your dream, the thing you feel the Lord is calling you to do?  For some, this calling is very clear.  Some of you may want to serve on the mission field.  Others may dream of being a wife and mother.  Perhaps you feel the Lord calling you to be a photographer, musician, nurse, teacher, artist, or politician.  Or maybe you want to get involved in teaching Sunday School or nursing home ministry.  For others it is hard to know what the Lord would have you pursue.  You may love Jesus and enjoy many things, but just not yet be sure what He is specifically calling you to do with your life.  I felt this way for many years.

Having dreams and goals is very good, and we absolutely should plan ahead and seek out what the Lord might have us do in the future, but there is something more important.

The truth that the Lord showed me is this: we can know, every single day, exactly what we are supposed to do.  Christ calls each one of us to obey Him in our thoughts, words, and actions and be faithful to what He has set before us to do in each moment of every day.  In John 14:21 Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word...”  We face so many tiny choices each day and these are really the most important.  Here are a few examples of some of these tiny but important choices I have to make every day:

I can choose to speak kindly to my brother or sister that was unkind to me, like I am told to do in Galatians 2:20, or I can be unkind in return.

I can choose to get up and go to school or work with a cheerful heart even when you do not feel like it or it doesn’t seem important, as I am told to do in Colossians 3:23 and 24, or I can be grumpy and frustrated. 

I can choose to let someone else have their way (even if they’re not being nice about it) because 1 Corinthians 13:5 says love does not insist on its own way, or I can insist that I am right.

I can choose to do the dishes or clean up a mess someone else made because Romans 12:10 tells me to “Outdo one another in showing honor”, or I can leave it for someone else just because I don’t feel like doing it.

I can choose to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) or I can disobey by letting “corrupting talk come out of my mouth” that hurts others. (Ephesians 4:29)

I can choose to pray about the things in my life and trust the Lord, like it says to do in Philippians 4:6, or worry and become fearful.

When I am tempted to lower my standards about something that is not godly, I can choose to “abhor what is evil; [and] hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9) or I can compromise and do what is wrong.

These daily choices will be different for everyone.  But as we make them, we must remember that they are not less important than the big things we want to do for Christ.  Yes, the big things absolutely matter, but the small things matter just as much.  We certainly shouldn’t stop seeking the Lord regarding His will for the big things in our lives, but we must not stop hearing Jesus call: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  (Luke 9:23)  The circumstances of our life will certainly change with time (as will the choices we have to make and the things are responsible to do), but this call of Jesus will never change.

We also must remember, that we cannot do anything without Jesus and the gospel.  If you are a believer, Jesus took all of your sins upon Himself and paid the penalty for them at the cross.  (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18)  He also gave to you His perfect righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21)  This means that you stand before God absolutely as justified, righteous, and loved by God as Jesus Himself is (1 Corinthians 1:30) – without respect to anything you have or have not done (Ephesians 2:8-9).  In God’s eyes, the Christian who does something for Christ that seems big and important is just as loved, accepted, forgiven, and justified by God as the believer who faithfully does small and insignificant things day-after-day.  We only do anything pleasing in God’s sight at all because of what Jesus has already done on the cross and the ways His grace is working in our lives.  Who we are is ultimately in and because of Jesus – not what we do – and we only can make proper daily choices because of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.  Without Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but in Jesus we have the promise that we can do everything He has called us to do (2 Peter 1:3).

Knowing this will keep us from being discouraged when we don’t see clearly what we should pursue for our lives.  It will also help us during those seasons when we are preparing for something or waiting for the Lord to provide the right opportunity or the Lord directs our lives differently from what we though or planned.

So, when you find yourself discouraged or disappointed because it seems like you are always working on being ready for the thing you dream of doing but never actually do it or if ever seem like you are only waiting, looking around and seeing others that are doing great things for Christ and your life seems really insignificant, remember who you already are in Christ (if you are a believer) – a daughter of our Heavenly Father, completely loved, justified, and accepted because of Jesus.  Serve Him faithfully each day in what He gives you to do. 

Satisfied at the Fountain of Living Water ~ by Stephani

Imagine if we embarked on a journey for an entire month without taking any water. By the end of the trip our clothes would be begging for a wash, bodies aching to be cleansed, teeth longing for a scrub, and tongues craving a drink. Nothing would be able to satisfy our longings except water!

If at the end of the journey there was a fork in the road, one way directing us to a fountain and the other to a dessert land, how foolish we would be to turn into the dessert, hoping to be refreshed!

God led his people, the Israelites, to this fork in the road again and again in the Old Testament. When he called his thirsty people out of Egyptian slavery, he invited them into fellowship with him – the Fountain of Living Water. Sadly, as they wandered in the wilderness, they grumbled and complained instead of trusted. After entering the Promised Land, they forgot the Lord and sought pleasure in sin rather than in keeping God’s good commands. As they settled in the land, they looked around and decided they wanted a king “like the nations around them” instead of rejoicing in the leadership of the Lord. In their weakness, neediness, anxieties, and sorrows, they turned to everything and anything… except the Lord.

In Jeremiah 2:12-13, Jeremiah recorded God’s words concerning the Israelites’ foolishness:

“Be appalled, O heavens, at this;

be shocked, be utterly desolate,

declares the LORD,

for my people have committed two evils;

they have forsaken me,

the fountain of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Instead of going to God when they were thirsty and weak, they decided to walk into the desert to dig cisterns (large holding containers for water). However what they didn’t realize was that their efforts were like broken cisterns. They held no water.

I have been thirsty like the Israelites. Although I haven’t had to wander in the wilderness, establish a nation in a new land, or organize a government, I have been dry, weak, and needy.

What does it look like to find SATISFACTION in God when we are THIRSTY?

If you have been brought into a relationship with the Father by trusting in the death and resurrection of Christ for your sins, then you have been invited into FULLNESS of life in Jesus! In the Bible God reveals to us who he is so that we can trust in him to completely satisfy us.  

Below are a few examples of “thirst” we may feel in our lives. Following each example are Bible verses that reveal how God is able to satisfy that thirst.

-         
Loneliness – Have there been seasons in your life when you have had no friends? No one to talk to, laugh with, serve alongside, or seek counsel from?

Come to HIM and drink "…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10 (The Lord is ALWAYS with his children and he is our strong Helper and faithful Friend.)

-        
Sinfulness – When we disobey God’s commands and walk in our own way instead of his, feelings of sorrow, guilt, and shame can fill our hearts and tempt us to try and hide instead of turning to him.

Come to HIM and drink "...if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins…" 1 John 1:9, 2:1b-2a (Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid for believers’ sins once-and-for-all. His love is steadfast and when his children come to repent, he hears and restores.)

-        
Suffering – When sickness, disability, death, pain, and loss lead us into grief and confusion, it can be easy to think we’ve been abandoned by the Lord.

A Satisfying Drink - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…" (Romans 8:28) "…according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…" Ephesians 1:11b (The Lord is directing everything according to his plans and nothing is outside of his control. He is working all things for the good of those who love him.)

-        
Responsibilities – Have there been days when homework assignments, chores, and projects piled up so high that you felt you just wanted to give up?

Come to HIM and drink. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (In Christ, you will lack nothing you need to accomplish all that the Lord calls you to.)

-        
Disappointment – When our desires are pushed aside and we are forced to accept an outcome that is very different than the one we were hoping for, disappointment and sorrow can leave us feeling overlooked.

Come to HIM and drink. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

Romans 8:31-32 (God never overlooks his children. He withholds nothing that is really good and we can trust that all good things will be ours one day with him.)

Our weaknesses remind us that we are thirsty and we were not created to be satisfied in ourselves. We were created to be SATISFIED in who God is for us in Christ.

Every day we encounter forks in the road. We can turn toward broken desert cisterns or to the Fountain of Living Water. One path leads to greater thirst. The other path leads to satisfaction and fullness of life. Are you thirsty right now? Go to the Bible, trust that God is who he says he is, and DRINK DEEPLY as you find satisfaction in the Lord.