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That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This place is like a desert, and it is already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food.” Jesus replied, “They don’t have to leave. Why don’t you give them something to eat?” But they said, “We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish.” Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people. After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus’ disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers. Matthew 14:15-20
did you note the word in verse 17 – ONLY
sometimes we think of ourselves as ONLY – or JUST – i’m just me, we self depreciate ourselves, we compare ourselves to other people and other people always come up looking better than we do.
in a way its okay to have that “i’m just me” perspective. we are who we are. we can do what we can do.
its a matter of having the RIGHT i’m just me attitude.
are you accepting of who you are in the context that God can do great things in you and through you and that he has called you and has a plan and a purpose for your life and that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? are you assured of the love that God has for you and that he delights in you?
or are you negatively putting yourself down and viewing yourself as weaker and less talented and less important than you actually are?
the awesome thing is that God takes our ONLY and transforms it and uses it to demonstrate his love and power and grace and glory.
it was ONLY just some loaves and fishes.
ONLY a small boy with his lunch.
just as Jesus took the ONLY of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes and fed the great crowd.
God takes the ONLY of our lives and turns the ordinary into extraordinary!
also:
don’t let anyone else talk you down. don’t let anyone else label you with ONLY…. the lunch may have seemed like ONLY a small thing to the disciples but to the boy who gave it up it was his whole lunch and important! don’t let people put you down.
don’t underestimate yourself and what God can do through a life offered to him.
Ephesians 1:4 – For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love.
I want you to focus on two points:
1) “He chose us.”
– God chose us to be his children. Yes, you and I. And regardless of our past, present or future, God chose US to be sons and daughters in him.
2) “Before the creation of the world.”
– You were chosen before the creation of the world itself! Before the moon, the sun, the stars and the sky. God thought of us first. And God chose YOU and I to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be adopted into his heavenly presence.
So the next time someone labels you something other than “God’s son or daughter,” direct them to Ephesians 1:4 and show them otherwise. You were chosen before creation itself.
The world can “say” all they want, but only God “knows” who you really are. You are His.
I am who The Great “I AM” says I am. Not who “they” say I am.
the next time someone says you’re ONLY this or ONLY that remind them that the only and greatest thing you are is a son or daughter of the King of Kings!
Have you ever heard the saying "What you behold, you become?"
I believe this statement applies to our relationship with God. If we are in love with God, then out of that love relationship and time spent in His presence will flow a love for humanity and for the world. His heartbeat becomes our heartbeat; His passions become our passion; His priorities become our priorities.
Love awakens.
I believe that in order to wake up to the purpose of God for our lives and to the world around us, we must return to our first love and that is Jesus. If we try to wake up from our slumber because of a sense of obligation, guilt, or shame, then we will quickly jump back into our spiritual bed to avoid these feelings.
But if we really want to wake up, get up, and stay up, then we must passionately fall in love with Jesus. Nothing else will keep us awake. It is love that causes us to behold Him, and when we behold Him, we enlarge Him and become like Him.
Our relationship with God flows out of our love for God.
One Passion One Devotion 