living proof live conference- "the one and only"

Jesus is the One and Only. If you've been saved as long as I, you have heard it and said it. You have believed it-or I thought I did. I love that about the Word, it always surprises me. There is always more. 
This was the "theme" if you will for the Living Proof Live conference here in Denver. The premise Beth gave us was,

"You don't know to the marrow of your bones that Jesus is the One until He's the Only." 

So many times we put our need for THE One and Only on our human one and only. It's too much for them. I really needed that reminder. Jesus HAS to be THE One and Only, He is the Only One that is constant. 

There are so many things she shared this weekend, but these are the two things that really stuck out to me personally. 

1. "Jesus was moved by human vulnerability toward a one and only."

Luke 7:11-17- a widows ONLY son

Luke 8:40-56-a father's ONLY daughter

Luke 9:37-a father's ONLY child

This was big for me. I tend to be legalistic as opposed to lawless. Neither is less harmless than the other, and when one does lean toward one area specifically there is an area of healing that needs to occur. Through the scriptures she showed us in Luke, I saw for the first time that Jesus CHOSE to heal. The person afflicted did not ask, He healed them out of His compassion for the one who loved that person, because the afflicted one was someone's one and only.   

"Jesus gets the vulnerability of us, especially when we love someone."

He understands what it feels like to have a one and only. We need not to be worried about them, He loves them more than we do and he will give them whatever they need. He understands how vulnerable it makes us to love them and will comfort us when we need it.

2."When you brand yourself, you become a product for sale."

This is a world driven by marketing, I think we could all agree on that. Although I am very new to this world of blogging, branding is pretty much the first thing I noticed. If you ask a blogging veteran what types of things you need to do to be successful in blogging you might get this answer "find your niche", "be unique", "cater to your readers". In other words, brand yourself. Beth gave us a definition of branding, she said,  "Branding is reputation management... when you brand yourself, you become a product for sale." It is a recipe for narcissism, something that I desperately want to stay away from. This really hit home for me. I need to guard my heart against the temptation of narcissism. I want to constantly humble myself and remember this blog is something that God asked me to do to share His Word, not share my life, my opinions and my agenda. Sometimes I need to remind myself of these four little words....It's not about me. 

If you have an opportunity to go to a Living Proof Live event, I would highly encourage it. Beth has an amazing teaching gift and is FULL of the Word. I know you'll be blessed. Check out her website for events in an area near you!