Often in life we come across situations where we feel like we are powerless. Think of a time (perhaps before we had GPS?) when you were totally lost, not even being able to get to a place you are familiar with, much less to where you are trying to go. This is trivial compared to other situations where we feel totally helpless. We can become confused, frustrated, or even worse, we could hurt ourselves and others if we make a wrong decision.
This is what it is like to be human. We are often confused as to our purpose, our destiny, or what we should do with our time and resources while we are alive. It is difficult to go through life without answers to essential questions. We are all “seekers” on this planet, as we try to find answers and meaning and peace. Just as the creator of an object knows best how that object should be used, God is our creator, and he knows what is best for us. He is not only our creator but he is also good, so he does not just know what is best for us, he has done what he can to show us what is best for our lives
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Jesus stated “If you have seen me you have seen the father (John 14:9)” And in Colossians 2:9 Paul writes “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” God sent Jesus to earth so we can know him and so that he could tell us what life is all about. Without Christ, we all are stuck as seekers of truth, in Him we can find truth.
Christ knew that we need help in this life. He knew that he was not just to save us and give us the possibility of living with him in heaven, no, we also need help DURING this life. It is true that Jesus said that he came to “seek and save the lost,” showing us that we do need saving, but he also made statements about how he came to help us in this life. Many of these are formulated in “I AM” statements. Consider the following:
I am the light of the world. What does light do? It illuminates an area so people can see where they need to go. The full verse states “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.” As we go through this life, with Jesus in our life we never find ourselves in situations where we are helpless, where we are totally in the dark.
I am the good shepherd. Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd to talk about his double purpose of saving us from our sins and for guiding us in this life. He first says he lays down his life for the sheep, alluding to the fact that he would become the true sacrificial lamb to be sacrificed for us. Then he says that he provides the sheep (us) with pasture (John 10:9) and that he intends to give us life to the full (John 10:10).
I am the bread of life. Jesus sustains us in this life. We are to go to him continually in order to receive what we need spiritually to live lives that would glorify God.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus does not point us in a certain direction, to truth and to life, he IS life! The context of this statement in John chapter 14 is how God will comfort the disciples, specifically by giving them the Holy Spirit. So again, when Jesus says he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is talking both about his ability to provide a way for us to get to heaven, and also that he provides a way for us to live on earth.
Questions to consider:
How is Jesus making a difference in my life today? Is my faith in God and Jesus something that just affects my future?
What do I need to give over to Jesus today in order to obey him and trust him?
For further reading:
(all Scripture from the NIV)