It's 6:30 a.m. on a weekday, and I know I should be packing lunch or doing some kind of morning ritual, but I wanted to share this before I forgot it again...
When we were talking at Bible study about what Moses was doing or better yet, what God was doing with Moses for 40 years, I was again reminded of an encounter I hope I don't forget... I was dropping off a rental car and one of the gentlemen was assigned to get me to the Metro station. Mind you, it was a 10 minute or less trip...I can't remember how we got around to praising God but in retrospect the conversation must have gone from 0 to 60 in Christ. The gentleman was giving testimony that before he came to Christ he lived like there was no god but himself. And then the tugging began, and he finally answered God's call. He said that he asked God, why LORD did you wait 40 years before you called me? He said that the response was, 'because you didn't know anything yet 40 years ago.'
Even in our fleeing from God, He is working everything out for good. What the gentleman brought to the Body of Christ was compassion, understanding of what it is to be outside of God's will - in other words, a platform for reaching others based on his own experience that God allowed in his life. As we continue the account of Moses (next time Exodus chapters 4 and 5) let us each consider the episodes and circumstances God allowed in our lives before we fully gave ourselves to him and ask God how he wants us to use those 'dark' days to his glory.
(ok so I was just about to sign off and my hands hit the keyboard in such a way that these references to Jesus' I AM statements jumped onto the screen. So, I located the references from Isaiah and added them too! - these are in reference to God's revelation to Moses - one of the most incredible episodes in the Bible - as to who He says He is; a look at the Hebrew for those words point not to the personal name Yahweh but to another name!)
John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life
John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world
John 8: 58 Before Abraham was, I am
John 10:9 I am the door
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 15:1 I am the true vine
The I AM statements in Isaiah
41:4, 10, and 13
42:8 I AM Yahweh (the LORD)
43:3, 10, 12 – I AM Yahweh your Elohim, Qedosh Ysrael (Holy One of Israel), the one who saves you
44:6 I AM the First and the Last
45:5, 6 18, 22
48:17 - I AM … teach you what is best
49:26 I Am … that saves you
60:16 – I AM – Go’El your kinsman redeemer
