Merry Christmas Sweet Friends! Here’s a little devotion to help you turn your attention to Jesus today!

Hi, sweet friends! I had such an awesome time in the Word today! How ’bout you? Our Jesus is real! He loves us with an everlasting love and longs for our fellowship. Hope you had some time to scoot your sweet little self up under His arms and just bask in His presence today too.

Well, let’s dig into the Word and see if we can learn something new or just take a few minutes to be swept away into the presence of the One who delights in drawing us to Himself.

I was thinking about all Jesus is and all He came to do and to be honest, I just can’t wrap my little pea brain around it all. He is beyond words, beyond our comprehension, and beyond explanation. He is everything we need – He is all we need!

So, today we’re going to look at the “I AM” statements of Jesus. Who did Jesus say He was? Who is Jesus to you? I wish I had time to do an in depth study of each of Jesus’ “I AM” statements, but as we look at them, please let your mind and heart wander to the grandness of our great God and glorious Savior.

Let’s begin with first mentions. The first time God’s name is mentioned as “I AM” is in Exodus 3:14

After God called Moses to set His people free, Moses found himself shaking in his sandals. Who would listen to him? Why would they listen to him? Who was he going to say gave him the authority to set God’s people free? If he said it was God, they are going to want to know that he really knew God – that he really believed in the same God they did. After all, he was raised in Pharoah’s household, he then killed a man and had become a fugitive. Why in the world would God call a fugitive to deliver His people? Moses must have thought of a million and one excuses.

And in Exodus 3:13 we find Moses asking God,

“Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?” (Amplified)
To which God replied,

“I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!” Exodus 3:14 (Amplified)

He continued to confirm His identity,

“God said also to Moses, This shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you! This is My name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations.” Exodus 3:15 (Amplified)

1. Why do you think it was important that Moses knew who was sending him?

2. Has God ever called you to do something that made you want to confirm that the call was from God and that He was ordaining your steps?

So, the first time God uses the name “I AM” He is calling one of His children face danger and do the impossible. He is sending His child into the danger zone becuase He has a job for him to do that is bigger than himself. In the following verses God says to tell the children of Israel that He sees their circumstances and has heard their cries. Moses was to be the vessel the Great I AM would use to set His people free.

Jesus uses the name “I AM” to described Himself several times. It is a name that ascribed diety to the Son of God. The pharisees knew that Jesus was making Himself equal with God when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)

Travel with me through John and enjoy examining the I AM statements along the way.

In John 6:51, Jesus says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;”

3. What do you think Jesus meant when He called Himself the Bread of Life?

4. Do you live as though Jesus is nourishment to your soul and that which you need to sustain you?

In John 8:23 the Bible says, “And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

Jesus existed long before He became a babe in the manger. He is the eternal God.

5. Explain why it’s important that Jesus is not of this world.

6. Since Jesus is from above yet chose to become a man, live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death – what does that say about His love for us?

In John 8:12 we find these words, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

7. Is Jesus your Light? Do you walk in His ways, in His will, in His commands?

8. Are you walking through a dark circumstance today? Have you asked the Lord to be the Light of your world?

In John 10:9, Jesus says, “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

9. Have you entered into salvation through the Door (jesus)?

10. Are you like a wandering sheep in search of green pastures? If so, are you willing to enter through the Door and find rest for your weary soul?

In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

11. List some ways a shepherd cares for his sheep.

12. In general, shepherds correct, protect and provide for their sheep. What do you need the Good Shepherd to do in your life today? Have you asked Him to meet you in that place of need yet?

If Jesus is willing to give His life for His sheep, don’t you think He cares about your deepest need?

 

In John 10:36, Jesus said, “do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

13. Why could Jesus, the Son of God, be the only One who could pay for our sins?

In John 11:25 we find this precious promise, ” Jesus said to her, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

14. Have you ever let Jesus resurrect your lifeless soul?

15. Do you allowed a vision or dream God has given you to die? If so, are you willing to let the Resurrection and the Life speak life into the dry bones of your dead dream?

In John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is not a way, He is THE Way. He is not a truth, He is THE Truth.

16. Have you recently lost your way and aren’t sure where to go or what to do? Please let Jesus be your Way and the Truth that will guide you during this trying time.

In John 15:1, Jesus said, “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

17. Have you felt like a disconnected branch lately?

18. What are you doing to assure that you are abiding in the Vine?

Sweet friend, Jesus is everything we need and He is all we need! He is the reason we celebrate Christmas – He is the reason we celebrate life! He really loves you with an everlasting, unchanging, unconditional love!

As we get ready for Christmas day, I want you to know you are on my heart and in my prayers. I realize this Christmas may be bitter sweet for some of you. I know it is for me. But I rest in God’s love for me. I trust that He is all I need whether I’m in the midst of this madness or the center of a celebration. And so can you. I pray that for all of you who have hurting hearts during these next few days.

Let Jesus carry your burden. Let Him give you joy, even in your pain. He has done that for me and I know He can do that for you, as well!

Thank you so much for joining me in the grand adventure of studying His Word on this beautiful Christmas day!

He’s so much more than we can imagine…so much better than our minds can comprehend… and today, and every day, we celebrate Jesus knowing that even in His grandness, He stills sees each and every sincere, worshipping heart, and smiles! Oh how I want to live my life to make Him smile! How about you? 🙂

Leave a Reply