Hi girls,

After much thought and prayer, we have come to the conclusion that it is time to say good-bye to iHeart. Madison, Becky, and I have very much enjoyed the time we had to share our hearts with you all and have grown so much in our relationships with Christ. This has been a wonderful opportunity for each of us and I know we will never forget these past few years. Thank you so much for all of you who have supported and encouraged us on this journey!

In His Love,
Jessica, on behalf of iHeart ministry

Without Love, I Am Nothing

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 


I've been thinking lately about my life and the day to day actions that I take. You know, it's so easy to do all the right things with the wrong heart. I can go through the motions; read my bible, send up a quick prayer, and falsely portray myself as some perfect Christian. But I'm so far the opposite of that. Not only am I to act like Christ, I am to love like Him as well. Without love, my actions and my life is just an annoyance; a loud clanging gong or a resounding symbol. Without love, I can do as many "good" things as I possibly can, but make absolutely no impact on anyone. Without love, I have and am nothing. Only with the love of God can my life be fruitful and abundant. Once we begin to act out of love, we will see a radical difference in the impact of our lives. Make this your goal this week: to love. "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19


In His Love,
Jessica

How much do you love Him?

 


Matthew 25:37-40
 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
    “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Though we claim to love Christ, our King, our love for Him is truly expressed in how we treat other people. We can choose to look after our own desires, or humble ourselves, help the "least of these" and uplift those who are hurting. Befriending the seemingly weird, poor, or not so popular people is not going to be the cool thing to do. But God says that whatever we do for others, we are really doing for Him.

The question is, how much do you sincerely love the King? Would you be willing to give up your bedroom if He needed a place to rest? Would you be willing to give up your clothing? Your time? Of course you would. If God Almighty was standing right before us, none of us would let him sleep anywhere less than the best we had to offer. We would fix the finest food, give Him our nicest things, and attempt to serve Him in any way possible. Just as we would treat the King, we are to treat the least of these. The unloved, the rejected, the homeless, and the poverty-stricken. Serving those people is not the most glamorous thing to do, but how could we treat them with anything less than our very best?

In His Love,
Jessica

What Are You Pursuing?

2 Timothy 2:3-5
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 

We can easily get caught up in our day to day "civilian pursuits." I am so guilty of letting my day slip by without my focus on Christ. I think about what I want to get done and what I deem important rather than what I can do for God's kingdom. One thing I have learned from being engrossed in unproductive activities is that it is much easier to get myself entangled than to extract myself from a pursuit. Sometimes those little things are the ones that trip me up most. If I sleep in for just a few more minutes, or check my email really fast before I spend time with the Lord, I find those mundane pursuits cutting into my quiet time.

If I think even bigger picture to the other aspects of my life, such as friends, boys, and social networks, is my time being wasted, or am I really using it to God's glory? Hebrews 12:1-2 says that we should lay down and throw aside the sin that entangles us and run the race with perseverance, with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Good soldiers of Christ do not get entangled in sin. Their aim and energy is focused on the Lord and pleasing Him with their life. I don't know about you, but someday I want to hear my God say, "well done," because I was a faithful solider; not distracted by civilian pursuits, with my eyes fixed on Him.


In His Love,
Jessica

God's Word...

 
...but My words will not pass away.

Have you ever felt like the Bible doesn't really apply to your life today? That the things you encounter and struggle with in everyday life have nothing to do with what God's Word says?
While the Bible does not directly say whether you should go out with Josh or David, or where you should go to college, I can promise you that God's Word has answers for you. Answers that apply to your life right now.

Think about it this way, God is omniscient, meaning he is infinitely knowledgeable about everything. He knows what will happen in your life today. He knows the the questions you have, the decisions you make, and the number of your days. Don't you think that the same all-knowing God was considering your life when He inspired men to write His Word? Of course He was! In Luke 21:33 Jesus says, "Heaven and earth with pass away, but My words will not pass away."

God's Word will never pass away. It will never lose it's power or it's truth. It will always be applicable to your life, no matter what situation you encounter.


Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "...there is nothing new under the sun."

There is nothing that you will ever encounter that God doesn't already know and understand. The Bible doesn't tell us exactly who to date, but it does give us godly examples and standards for us to hold men up to. God doesn't say that you should go to a certain college, but He does say that His Word is the highest truth above all other things, and that ultimate learning and wisdom comes Him. God cares for us; for every hurt and worry. He will not let us down. God's Word is truth that we can always count on, no matter what.

In His Love,
Jessica