Matthew 4
God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God, by nature, loves with an unconditional love. When we discover that the creator of heaven and earth has chosen, for some reason, to love us to the point of infinite sacrifice, we begin to embrace the unconditional security we've longed for all our lives. In Matthew 4 Satan was tempting Jesus to prove himself by performing three miracles.
Prove he could meet his own needs by turning stones into bread.
Prove he was important by tempting God to protect him.
Prove he was worthy of worship without the cross.
In all of these temptations Satan was challenging Jesus to do something great to prove who he was.
Several years ago I was in Ethiopia and I saw people literally dying on the streets. Could you imagine the global impact I could have had and the platform I could have built for Jesus if I had the power to turn stones into bread? I could have saved the lives of millions. I could have been "Time Magazine's Person of the Year." I could have shared the gospel with millions.
But God has not gifted me with bread-producing skills. I can only love Kathie, my family, my friends and shepherd a small church family in Connecticut. I must be content in having very little global impact. The temptation is to think that I am irrelevant. But the truth is even the smallest cup of cold water given in Jesus' name impacts eternity.
Don't give in to the lies of Satan. You are a kingdom warrior who, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, is winning the cosmic battle against the forces of evil by daily loving and caring for the people closest to you in small ways.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it this way, "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." I would add, "I can do small things in a great way, for a GREAT GOD."
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