The Great “I Am”

In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath life.” 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.

All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. Adam … understood the gospel….

Jesus was the light of His people—the light of the world—before He came to earth in the form of humanity. The first gleam of light that pierced the gloom in which sin had wrapped the world, came from Christ. And from Him has come every ray of heaven’s brightness that has fallen upon the inhabitants of the earth. In the plan of redemption, Christ is the Alpha and the Omega—the First and the Last.

It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, “I AM THAT I AM: Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” This was the pledge of Israel’s deliverance. So when He came “in the likeness of men,” He declared Himself the I AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is God “manifest in the flesh.” 1 Timothy 3:16.

This unconscious babe was the promised seed, to whom the first altar at the gate of Eden pointed. This was Shiloh, the peace giver. … This was He whom seers had long foretold. He was the Desire of all nations, the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star.

And to us He says: “I AM the good shepherd.” “I AM the living bread.” “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.”… I AM the assurance of every promise. I AM; be not afraid. “God with us” is the surety of our deliverance from sin.
The Faith I Live By p. 47
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray that H will repent and come back to God.
—–My sister has a very high fever. Pray for her,please. Marilynn
—–I have a niece who is young , 16, she keeps running away . We need prayer for her. Also for us , we are so worried for her . We need peace . Pray the Holy Spirit intervene, keep her home and help her make wiser decisions. Please pray for this beautiful young girl and give her patient, she will grow up soon enough. Jovonne
—–My mom is having surgery tomorrow morning, please pray for things to go well, David
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Dear Friends,

One summer, when Ronnie Jay was six, we lived in a campground in order to save enough money for a down payment on a mobile home. The owner of the campground babysat her grandson Linden who was a year older than my son. The two boys had many good times together. What one didn’t think of the other one did and some of those things got them into trouble. The campground had a swimming pool and many of the campers enjoyed soaking in the cool water. Those boys decided that the toads that lived everywhere around would enjoy a swim too. They caught some and tossed them into the pool. They were surprised that the toads were not happy with their swim. They also found that those toads made the girls scream. That was all two little boys needed to give them entertainment. After that, they tossed even more toads in just to hear the screams of fright.

Those girls were afraid, too, of the swarms of bats that flew around the pool at night. The bats were not a bit interested in them. They were only interested in getting a nice meal of insects that were attracted to the lights around the pool. However, these girls did not understand that fact, so they were frightened and screamed and ducked under the water whenever a bat swooped down toward them.

How often we react in the same way to a situation that we do not understand. How many times we figuratively fight and kick and scream when things go wrong in our lives, because we think God is unfair in His dealings with us. That is because we do not see the whole picture. We do not see that the very thing that is so distasteful to us, is the very thing we must go through to make us ready for Heaven. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28 Just as Job did not understand why all the trouble was happening to him, we do not always understand why things are happening to us or to those we love.

God has not left us to wonder, for His Word reveals what goes on behind the scenes. The story of Job was written to give us comfort and hope when we or someone we love are going through trials. He draws back the curtain that we may see what is going on behind the scenes. Paul also explains that many times trials and troubles are to fit us for Heaven. “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Heb 12:5-11

Our Heavenly Father does not leave us without comfort during the times of trial. He showers us with the great promises found in His Holy Word. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jer 29:11-13 “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God.” Isa 43:1-3 “He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.” Psa 103:10-14 “Trust in the LORD, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” Psa 37:3-7

May we continually trust Him no matter what is happening in our life. May we allow Him to work in our lives in the way He knows is best. May we daily look for His blessings in our lives and praise and thank Him for them as Paul urges us when he says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thes 5:18

Rose