Jesus said I am...

Jesus said I am... several  time throughout the book of John. Most people can think of verses like John 14:6 or 8:12 but they never really think about what Jesus is saying. In these I am statements Jesus is showing who he is and what his purpose is.  John contains 15 I am statements but for times sake, we are going to just look at three of them.

First Jesus said, “I am the light of the world...”(John 8:12). Many times we equate this as how we are to be light, and we are a reflection of Jesus. However, the meaning runs much deeper. When Jesus speaks he is saying follow him and he will lead us. When the religious leaders of his time heard this, they would have immediately thought of the the exodus.  During the exodus God led the Israelites by cloud  during the day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). Jesus claim to be a light leading out of darkness is a claim that Jesus is God. 

The second I am statement is “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). This statement is not only a teaching of Jesus but also another direct reference to Jesus’ claim that he was God. This is a claim based on the writing of Ezekiel. God told Ezekiel that the shepherds (leaders) had ignored the sheep (people) and made themselves fat. Therefore, God said that he would take care of the sheep (Ezekiel 34). So when Jesus equates himself as the good shepherd he affirms his deity.

Finally, Jesus said “I am the true vine” (John 15). The idea of the vine or vineyard runs throughout scripture. Psalm 80:5, Isaiah 5, and Matthew 21 all contain teaching about God planting the vine or vineyard.  How it was supposed to grow, but instead grew wild. Jesus’ assertion that he was the true vine shows that he is the one living out God’s will, and that when we remain in him, we are part of the vine living out God’s will.

I urge that you join me in remembering who Jesus is as we celebrate his birth and life this time of the year.

Less is More

One of my greatest passions is food. I love to cook it, eat it, create with it. When it comes to seasoning meat, I have a simple philosophy, less is best. I love to let the meat speak for itself. To much season clutters the taste. 

I feel the same when I go to the bookstore and look at all the books dedicated to how to live the Christian lifestyle. Just scanning over the titles one can find books ranging from growing deeper in faith to differing styles of faith. The opinions of what Christian living and worship are to numerous to count. I cannot help but wonder that with so many opinions and beliefs that just like seasoning our thoughts are just becoming cluttered we forget our purpose.

David’s psalms are full of beauty, yet they often contain such simple messages. The truth contained in them so easy for all to hear. David utters what we must all remember, “O God, you are my God: earnestly I seek you...” (Psalm 63:1). That is really what Christian living is about. Knowing that God is our God and seeking him with our lives.

I ask that you join me in renewing our faith by committing to focus on God and let our worship of him be for him, not for a feeling or sense of obligation. Let us focus on the Creator who is worthy of our praise, our redeemer and our first love. Let us live a life that shows we are seeking God and not the approval of others. 

Active and Living Scripture

One of my favorite pastimes is reading. There are several stories which I have read several times. When I reread a book I try to read it from another characters perspective. By doing this I see things in the book that I did not notice the first time. This allows for deeper appreciation for the story and the work that the author did. 

I mention the above because as I continue to read Scripture I often notice that I find little details or things that I missed before. Recently this occurred as I was reading the Noah narrative.  This is a story that I would describe as knowing fairly well, I have told it to my children and read it several times. Yet, I still found a couple of things that caught my interest. One is the fact that there is described as clean and unclean animals for Noah (Gen 7:2). This is long before we get the food laws. The second is the covenant not to destroy the Earth, was not to not destroy man, but not to punish the Earth for man’s wickedness (Gen 8:21). I know these are both small details that do not change God’s plan, but I still find it exciting that no matter how many times I read God’s word I can find  new phrases, challenges, and wisdom. 

I find that it is remarkable that Scripture is alive and active (Heb 4:12). However, it is only effective if we make time to read and study God’s Word. I know many people call the Bible Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth and that is a good sentiment. All we need to know about love, redemption, ethics, morals, and almost every other issue of life can be found within its pages. As you read scripture take time to study it, ask questions, explore. I promise you will be amazed at what you will discover.