57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me. – John 6:57 (AMPC)

Jesus wants us to have a relationship with Him that is continual and fully dependent on Him as He is on God our Father. No one likes to have an on and off kind of relationship. And we all know why. Even unstable people like stability. We all like a little stability. Whether it's in our finances, our relationships or even in our businesses.

It's amazing that Jesus wants us to have a stable relationship with Him. It's in the stability of that relationship that we can fully be secure. Outside of God, our security will come from strange places and places that we shouldn't allow to control our lives in such a way. If we are not secure in God, in whom will we find this security? To whom should one turn?

Jesus has within Himself the capacity to nourish us and to provide for our needs. Many times, when we think of needs, it's tempting to only think about the physical ones. But, Jesus offers much more than money. Which isn't a bad thing. Jesus offers more than a meal. Jesus offers more than we need from a physical level.

He offers spiritual strength. He offers peace. He offers security. He offers self-worth. He offers value. He offers identity. Out of feeding on Him, there's so much we can gain. We cannot live without Jesus. Living without God is the beginning of chaos.

For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. – 2 Chronicles 15:3;5 (NKJV)

Man cannot live without God and living without God affects us more than we can readily admit. And, maybe sometimes we may not see it. But living without God is such a terrible sight. As long as one is estranged from God, there's no peace. There's no fulfillment. And life becomes a pursuit of something that only God has the capacity to fulfill.

Happiness on my news feed

I remember in the year 2010, I joined social media for the first time. The first social media platform I was a part of was Facebook. Facebook was the coolest thing to have. Being a teenager then, I was excited about how popular I could become. Facebook provided a platform that could make you look cool. It could make you feel good about yourself. Just knowing that you have 2000 strangers following you. And, that gave me a great sense of value. I delighted in knowing that each time I made a post, comments would flood in. People would give me likes and share in my joy.

In the 2010 version of Facebook, there was an icon that was called a "news feed." A news feed is just an area that shows you information about people. It shows what people post. What they have been up to. Even now, Face book has a feed, but it's just not called a news-feed. I was able to catch up with what was going on in the lives of my friends without much engagement.

Social media was so exciting. I mean, perhaps it still is. I am only speaking in the way I felt about it then. And, this isn't to say that social media is bad. Oh no! It's just to show that everything we are a part of and are involved in can affect us. I think people don't think about how much a great part of their lives is invested in keeping up with social trends about which celebrities are slapping whom and which actors are married and all of that information.

The applications that we use: Instagram, Facebook, Snap-chat and all the others I missed out bank on our being occupied with nothing. Here's what I mean. You could spend a whole hour scrolling through nothing. And the way the scrolling works is that it's meant to keep us wanting more or craving for more news. It puts us in such a place where we think we cannot live unless we know "what's happening" and most times, we know that it has nothing to do with us.

Here I was in my early teenage years reacting and engaging with friends on Facebook. The first time, it was so addictive that all I did was just spend time there. Sometimes, I could be in a room with a few friends of mine and we'd rather chat on Facebook than speak. That's how terrible an addiction it was. We knew all about the latest Hollywood gossip. We knew about stuff that probably shouldn't have been publicized in the way that it was. Life was suddenly all about "staying connected" while in reality, it drifted us apart from one another.

Comparing ourselves

12 We won't dare compare ourselves with those who think so much of themselves. But they are foolish to compare themselves with themselves. – 2 Corinthians 10:12 (CEV)

What makes us compare ourselves with others? What makes us want us to look like another person? The world is not the best place to find fulfillment. When I was a younger, I grew up with the idea that women had to look a certain way if they were attractive. If you were thinner and slenderer, then you were considered a model. And now, people want to look "thick" because that's the trend of the world.

The world will continue changing. But what God thinks about us can never change. This is why people fail to love themselves. What God made to be a masterpiece, becomes something to be ashamed of. Did it ever occur to you that God wanted you to look the way you look? I had role models when I was younger and unsaved. I looked up to black men who wore ear rings and wore their pants below their waist. To me, they were the cool ones.

Imagine what happened to me. I dressed exactly that. And for some time, it did feel good to be recognized as a cool kid. And you see, for a guy like me? That was a great deal. I wasn't always among the cool kids. There was a time I couldn't speak English and my inability to learn at the same speed as other kinds reduced me to a nobody and someone that couldn't mingle with certain types of people.

I have been to schools where there's what you'd call "intellectual division." Those who were the smart ones were classified with other smart people. Everyone knew were they belonged. If you were a little slower academically, you knew where to be found and with whom to interact. If you were an athlete, you knew where to be positioned. And these things, still happen today. Why? Because the world hasn't changed. If anything, it's only become worse.

You'd understand why it meant a great deal. I'd managed to move from being "slow" to being an intellectual. And from being the class clown to being the best athlete of the school. To being the most popular kid both in elementary school and junior high school. Facebook had come into my life at the right time. The world would now know about my achievements.

And while I love being an academic and being athletic; my being saved means much more to me. You see, freedom means living without being bound to anything. And that was not freedom. If you always have to impress people before they can accept you, you'll always have poor relationships.

Jesus Christ offers liberty. Jesus accepted us and took our punishment for us to be free. As long as we ignore God, we can never truly be satisfied. How could we ignore someone that is willing to accept us? Jesus accepted our shame. He accepted our pains. He accepted our idiosyncrasies. He accepted us in our most lowly state. How could we ignore Him?

When God made us, He created us above every creature that He ever made. God's love for us is so overwhelming. The moment we know the failures or misfortunes of someone, it can be a little difficult to associate with them. At least, that's what the world teaches us. God is willing to associate with us even after knowing our sin. How could a Holy God be associated with someone like me? This is something I think about. But yes He can. God dealt with our sin. He dealt with everything that was wrong with us. We no longer have to hold on to past issues. Jesus bore our griefs. Jesus made it possible for a righteous God to be associated with sinners. And that's why you can love yourself. God chose you before you could make any improvements on yourself as a human. I never had to become righteous before I could know God. I simply had to give Him my burdens and accept the Lordship of Jesus.

Crafted by God

4 The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. – Job 33:4 (NKJV)

We need to consciously think about this if we are going to appreciate the gifts that we are. If we don't value ourselves, it's hard for other people to see the value that God placed on us. Only the manufacture of a product truly knows it's value. That's why we can never fully appreciate ourselves until we see how God looks at us.

We are not just God's created beings. Of all the creatures that God created, only of man is it written that we were made in the image of God. I am yet to see a place in the bible where there are other creatures fashioned in the image of God. This is what should appear on our "news-feed." Who cares what's happening with that celebrity. When God deals with people, He deals with us at a personal level.

We have to learn to value who we are. And we can only value ourselves when we train our mind to see the way God sees us.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? Mark 8:36-37 (ESV)

We are so special to God that nothing can be traded for a human. A human life is so special that only Jesus could die for us. We are so special that another man couldn't die for us. Jesus had to become the One man that could die for us. Why Jesus? Because He understands the value of a person.

Knowing this helps us to accept how we look. Being black or white doesn't change anything about how God sees us. Only the world will treat someone different because of their skin color. How could we relate to someone only based on their exterior? We are more than black, yellow or white. We are God's creation. Did you know that God never created a black person? God made us in His image. How does God look like? He looks like you.

This helps us in relating with ourselves and with relating with other people. If we cannot accept how we look and how we are fashioned, we can even limit how God functions in us. Did you know that only humans have an environment that can inhabit His presence? Again, I am yet to see a place where it's written that other creatures of God can inhabit His presence.

There's nothing more beautiful than knowing that God can live in us. God who cannot be contained by the universe can make Himself live in us. Think about it. How could God live in you? But it is in you that He can reside and chooses to reside. God's residence is your body. What a staggering thought!

Prayer

Father, we thank you. We bless your Holy name. Lord, help us to realize how much you love us. May we know by revelation who we are in you. Help us to live life free from anything that binds us. And teach us how to accept your love. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen

Note : Hi Readrers! I am sorry for updating late. Thank you for reading. May God bless you. Shalom.