I Am...the Light of the World!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.   Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

We have lived a lot of places where it’s quite common to lose electricity.  About 90% of the time, it seems to happen at night.  It has to be one of Murphy’s Laws: When electricity goes out, it will be after dark.  No normal human likes darkness.  It’s difficult to navigate in the dark.  It’s impossible to find what you’re looking for.  It’s easy to get hurt.  Evil seems to be more “present.”  It’s a known fact that being in the dark is a much more frightening place.  A quick internet research shows that psychologists tell us the reason people are afraid of the dark is because “sounds lose their connection and uneasy suspicions are created.”  Personally, I don’t care what reason they come up with psychologically, or scientifically, I just know I do not like the dark.

That’s why in my house, we keep flashlights within quick, easy reach.  Every room is equipped with oil lamps.  The cupboard is full of candles.  When it comes to losing electricity, I earn the Girl Scout badge for being prepared.  All it takes is just one little light, and my heart stops racing, my mind settles down, and I am at rest.  If you think I’m bad now, you should have seen what I was like as a little girl...

One little light makes a difference.  Light is warm as it embraces us.  Light gives direction and puts everything back into perspective.  Light eliminates fear.  Light reveals what is around me, enabling me to stay relatively safe.  I’ve read that light is a natural, proactive source that wars against depression.  Light drives out evil.  Everyone is attracted to light – even bugs.

Jesus isn’t just one little candle lit in the dark.  He is the light of the world.  That’s a lot of light!  Even the sun can't light the whole world.  Think what that kind of light can accomplish in us when we allow ourselves to step into it! 

Probably what leaves me most speechless is that THE LIGHT places HIS LIGHT inside of me.  THE LIGHT taught, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:14-16).”

This, too, is my prayer...So be it! 

(A) He is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD  +  (B)  I am LIGHT  =  (C)  I can make a difference in my world.

I Am...the Resurrection!

“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.”

John 11:25

The finality of death is so drastic.  We are cut off, severed, completely void of all connections.  We deeply grieve the loss of ones we love; and, it’s definitely just as difficult to deal with the death of dreams.  Whatever form death takes, it takes its toll on our hearts.  I know; I’ve experienced all kinds of death.  There’s rarely anything good to be said about death... 

BUT, JESUS!  There’s the exception to the above.  He is the exception to the rule.  He is not just a resurrection sort of guy (as in having been raised to life again).  He IS the RESURRECTION.  I love this statement: 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54).  That’s the concept of resurrection in a nutshell.  The full impact of resurrection stated simply in six words. 

Don’t get me wrong.  Grieving is a good emotion.  It’s the bridge we cross as we process death.  We all must pass over that bridge.  However, without the good news that Jesus is The Resurrection, we’d jump off the bridge.  There has to be hope on the other side; and, there is!  Not just hope, but unconquerable victory.  Joy leaping, song singing, heels clicking new life.  We call that new life:  HEAVEN.  And, it’s heaven, because THE RESURRECTION, Jesus, is present, in His fullness, in front of our eyes.  At last, we see Him.  At last, all becomes clear (no more staring at life as in a mirror dimly).  No more sorrow.  No more pain.  No more death.

Hearing those words in the midst of the process of grieving doesn’t feel hopeful.  Being reminded of this truth about Jesus, while we hurt, doesn’t help.  Truth in the midst of pain is trite.  Nothing more than a platitude.  So, right now, on this side of the death of a loved one, or the death of a dream, settle this theology in your mind.  Knowing it today (really “knowing” it) will help the process tomorrow. 

Jesus is THE RESURRECTION.

(A)  He is THE RESURRECTION  +  (B)  I am ALIVE FOREVERMORE in Him  =  (C)  Joy in the midst of loss.

I Am...the Life!

Let’s finish the rest of John 14:6.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life...”  He repeated that statement to Martha in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life...”  

Jesus was all about life.  A chapter earlier, while teaching his disciples, he contrasted himself with the thief who comes to steal away our joy, kill and destroy in multiple ways.  “I am come that you might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

Jesus doesn’t just want us to have life, but to experience it in great measure. 

Random thought.  When I was a little girl, my mother used to curtail my eating (usually of junk food) with this statement, “You have had enough, any more would be superfluous.”  I didn’t know what that meant, but I figured it must be A LOT (honestly, I am not even sure she knew what it meant).   Indeed, it did mean A LOT...some synonyms we might understand are: extra, surplus, excessive, profuse, plentiful, more than abundant. 

Ah...more than abundant.  That’s the kind of life Jesus came to give us.  Sadly, I tend to be a glass-half-empty kind of girl.  Sometimes, I fear my focus is entirely on the empty part, instead of the full part of life.  This is, yet another, manipulative method of the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy our ability to be grateful. 

Wasn’t that the enemy’s tactics in the Garden of Eden?  Focus on what you can’t have...not what you do have:  a garden full of amazing fruit trees.  Ingrate!  I have begun to realize that I am never more like the enemy of my soul, than when I am ungrateful. 

Jesus has brought me abundant life...Over the last year (actually, since the fall of 2010, when I was writing an “email from Eve” for a breakout chapel), the Lord keeps reminding me that a forgotten discipline is that of developing an attitude of gratitude.  As I do, the reality of this abundant life, seeps through my pores, and into my life!  Attitudes of gratitude are contagious.

(A)  He is THE LIFE  +  (B)  I am BLESSED  =  (C)  An Attitude of Gratitude.

I Am...the Truth, #2

I realize we’ve already looked at Jesus’ statement about Himself in John 14:16, “I am the way, the truth...”  However, bear with me.  There’s more, I think, needs to be said about this FACT.

If Jesus is THE TRUTH, then He cannot lie.

If Jesus is THE TRUTH, then what He says He will do, He has to fulfill.

If Jesus is THE TRUTH, then I can take what He says to the bank, and live as if it is TRUE, even if circumstances around me tell me differently.

Right?  Of course, right!

The question, however, is do I?  Do I live like I know His words will be fulfilled?  This is where I see a total disconnect in my life and figure I am probably not alone.

Often times my circumstances drown out THE TRUTH.  Sometimes, the way I feel drowns out THE TRUTH.  Now and then, what I hear from the media, read in books, and see in my culture, drowns out THE TRUTH.  Other voices are much louder than THE TRUTH.  Because they are louder, they appear to be true, when, in fact, they are downright lies.  The father of lies is very manipulative in that way.  What screams the loudest always gets my attention. 

When this happens, I lose hope.  I know that happens to you, as well.  I know that, because I am journeying alongside several of you, who have lost hope and are longing to see it renewed.  Hope is only renewed by focusing on THE TRUTH (Isaiah 40:31).  TRUTH only is heard when we are silent enough, and still enough to listen (Ps. 46:10). 

With that in mind, God sort of (in His very gentle way) slapped me upside the head with these words from King David (who seemed to frequently lose hope):

But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise Thee yet more and more. (Ps 71:14). 

A couple of things rattled around in my brain:  Finding hope is an intentional act of the will.  It is a continual process (never stops).  Hope’s intentionality is in spite of what others say, the way I feel, or what I observe in my circumstances.  Hope rests on THE TRUTH; and, THE TRUTH be praised in increasing value.

I hope you are encouraged, because I am.

(A)  He is THE TRUTH  +  (B)  I AM HOPE-FULL  =  (C)  I live what is true no matter what!!!

I Am...The Way

One of my most vivid, and worrisome, memories occurred several years ago as I was driving to one of my very first speaking events.  To start with, I don’t think the enemy was particularly happy about me embarking on a new season of ministry. So, using one of his familiar tactics, figured if he could frighten me enough, I might just turn around, give up, and forget the whole idea.  I’d been on the mountain roads of Colorado that late November afternoon only about 20 minutes, when it began to snow.  Within another ten minutes, I experienced a thorough white-out.  The snow was sticking to the roads, and I couldn’t see where the side lines were, not to mention the center line.  The wind was blowing, and as the flakes whirled into my windshield, I found it a particularly daunting task to stay focused.  Add to this, the fact that the vehicle I was driving wasn’t exactly equipped for four-wheel driving, or icy roads.  Yes, I was frightened.  Mostly frightened because I had no idea where I was, where I was really going (I’d never been to this location before), or how far I had to go.  My way was obscured and unknown.  The total length of the trip should have only taken me about 2 hours.  However, as the sun descended in the sky, and the temperatures along with it, I had to stop about every 10 minutes, flick my windshield wipers and brush off my headlights from the ice build-up.  At times, I could make out car tracks from a recent vehicle that had gone ahead of me, but for the most part, I was on my own to make my way to the lodge where this women’s retreat was being held.  A 2-hour trip ended up taking me 4 hours.  Fortunately, I’d left in plenty of time, and walked in just in time to step up and speak.  Not so easy, for someone who was just beginning to venture out of her comfort zone in this arena! (By the way, it was a great retreat, and God did some amazing things!)

So, I can relate to Thomas, when he said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  (This following Jesus’ advance-notice that he was going to depart and prepare a place for them...).  Jesus answered, “I am the way...”  What a gift! 

I don’t know any of us who like uncertainty.  We all struggle with making decisions (little and big).  All of us want someone to show us the way: the what, the where, the why, the when, the how, yes, even the who...  Like you, I wish I knew God’s will for my future.  The Lord gave us a great reassurance with these words, literally translated, “I am the road on which you should travel.”  He, Himself, will lead us (Psalm 23).  He, Himself, will make our paths straight (Hebrew translation can also be: good, right, level, pleasing in Proverbs 3:5-6).  He will do it for His name’s sake (Ps 23:3). 

So, there should not be an aura of fear in uncertainty, but rather a hopeful spirit of adventure.  For the one who knows you best, and loves you most, does indeed have a plan for your life  (Jeremiah 29:11).  As you drive through life’s snow storms, one inch of road at time, stopping to flick your windshield wipers, wipe off your headlights, re-gather your focus, fix your eyes on Him, He is sure to bring you to a spacious place (Ps. 18:19). 

As for God, His way is perfect...It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

Ps 18:30, 32,33

He is THE WAY (A)  +  I am DESTINED (B)  =  Therefore, I look to the future without hesitancy, knowing my WAY has a grand adventure waiting for me up ahead (C).

I Am...The Truth

More and more I realize that I consider a “new year” to begin with the start of school, not on January 1.  Since kindergarten, I suppose, that has been ingrained in me (and that was further back than I care to count).  So, another new year has begun.  I, for one, am thankful to be back into a routine.  I seem to thrive under a schedule. 

This new school year, where I am blessed to give in ministry during between- speaking-engagements, holds a lot of “firsts.”  It’s our first year under a new name:  Arizona Christian University.  First year with new school colors, a new brand, a new mascot.  We even have a new mission statement:  transforming culture with truth.

What a great mission in which to be called for the Kingdom.  If we are believers in Christ Jesus, this is for all of us.  I guess two questions follow:  1) Exactly what does this mean? 2) How does this happen?  Interestingly, this fits with the “I Am” statements of Jesus.  Bear with me.

I am unable to transform anything on my own.  Likewise, you are unable to transform anything by yourself.  I realize today’s culture is in need of a heap of changing, but if the above is true, how’s that going to happen? 

This is why I’ve always loved 2 Cor. 5:17, that declares where change actually comes from --- true change occurs when I am “in Him” (Jesus).  Real salvation results in transformation.  Not only that, but Jesus declared this:  I am the way, the TRUTH (emphasis mine), and the life. (John 14:6)

Jesus Christ is the original transformer.  That’s His job.  When I abide in Him, and He abides in me, I can’t help but be changed.  As I am being changed, the lost world around me sees a difference, and they desire what I have, too.  When they inquire about the “why,” I get the opportunity to share the good news of my Transformer.  If they buy in, their life is changed, as well.  So, culture is transformed as the Truth transforms individual lives (yes, one life at a time)!

So, after last week’s “thought,” I don't want to neglect to look at the A + B = C equation, answering the “so what” question. 

He is THE TRUTH (A)  +  I am BEING TRANSFORMED (B) =  An opportunity to live out my calling as a transformer of my culture with TRUTH.  

I Am...So What?

One of the benefits of blogging is that the writer of said blog gets to set the parameters.  As the writer, I am free to stop and start wherever & whenever I want.  I am free to be late (as I have been the last two weeks).  As well, I am free to change my mind.  There is quite a bit of power in this flexibility.  I like that aspect of blogging.  So, here’s the deal.  We are about half way through the “I Am’s” of Jesus.  As I’ve gone back and read the past posts, I’ve asked myself the question, “So what?”  I don’t mean it to be disrespectful of Jesus; I simply want this to be practical. 

Now, I realize in the introduction to this so-called series, I mentioned the why and wherefore of the journey upon which I was about to embark.  I hope I conveyed the message that knowing our Lord was equivalent to trusting Him.  In other words, knowing Him increased my trust capacity.  I also mentioned that it was quite proportionate to my capacity to love Him.  Knowing = trusting; and trusting = loving.  Simple formula of a = b.

However, here’s another formula for you (in fact, you might remember this from math).  A + B = C.  I love it when the Christian life can be simplified to a math formula.  Let me explain! 

Everyday I meet with young women who struggle with their identity.  This wrestling manifests itself in a variety of ways – and it is not always healthy (spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc).  As I stopped to ask the “So what?” question, it dawned on me that these “I Am’s” are part of the answer to the identity crisis of a majority of us.  Here’s why.  If I know WHO HE IS (A) then I know WHO I AM (B).  Add these thoughts together and we get one who is COURAGEOUSLY walking this life in Christ. WHO HE IS + WHO I AM = COURAGE. 

HE IS:  The Messiah/Savior/Deliverer          +         I Am:  Free  =                     

Therefore, I live as if I’m free.

HE IS:  Gentle & Humble in Heart        +        I Am: At Rest  =

Therefore, I live in restful submission.

HE IS:  YHWH         +          I Am:  Secure  =

Therefore, I don’t have to be a slave to my insecurities.

HE IS:  With Me Always      +      I Am:  Able    =                      

Therefore, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and do not live as a slave to my fear.

HE IS:  The Bread of Life      +      I am:  Complete, Full, Satisfied  =

Therefore, I do not look anyplace else to have my needs met.

HE IS:  A Servant         +        I am:  A Servant  =

Therefore, I extend grace even to those who might treat me harshly, break my heart, or threaten to betray me.

So what?  That’s what!  It's as simple and as important as A + B = C