The I AM of 2014

Happy New Year!  How has 2014 started for you? Easy?  Wonderfully well? Tough? Hard? Unusual? Different? More of the same? New assignment? Filled with change? Loss? Gain? Status quo?

Through this blog, the last message of 2013 was about Jesus declaring "I am the light of the world" (see John 8:12, 9:5).  And yes, He is.  Consider the first two words of His declaration -- I Am.  On other occasions, Jesus declared "I Am the Good Shepherd ... I Am the Bread of Life ... I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" ... and more. During a conversation with the Jews (see John 8:48-58) where they called him a demon-possessed Samaritan, Jesus responded "before Abraham was born, I Am." My first thoughts, I Am what? I Am who? I Am when? I am Where? I Am why? Something is missing from that statement. Do I, can I fill in the blank?

And then I remembered Moses and his encounter with God at the burning bush.  At 80 years of age, Moses was given what some of you may call "the mother of all assignments," the assignment which he spent the last 40 years of his life working on. Asking God who he would tell the Israelites sent him, God replied "I AM WHO I AM ... I AM has sent me."

God the Father, I Am.  Jesus, I Am.  I Am whatever you need me to be.  I Am wherever you need me to be.  I Am wherever you are.  I Am with you whenever.  I Am whoever you need me to be.  Before 2014 was, I Am.  I Am, thank you (and you add the rest).