"I Am"

"So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am He. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me." John 8:28

This is the word that Jesus pronounced at the end of an argument with his religious opponents. He no longer says, “I Am” this or that: the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, and so on. He simply says “I Am” without further clarification. This gives his declaration an absolute, foundational truth that is beyond reproach. I believe that Jesus is intentionally recalling the word of Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10-12, in which God proclaims his divine “I Am”.

There is also the aspect that Jesus being crucified is necessary to us understanding His Divinity. It is a required step toward the revelation of Jesus being awarded the authority over all things by God the Father. The name of Jesus is the name above all names, never to take a backseat to any of our "created gods" or any created being who exists anywhere in the universe. 

Playing The Ball Where The Monkey Drops It

Right out of the chute, I want to apologize if you have heard this story before, (in fact, if you are a follower of christian blogs you have probably read or heard this illustration a bunch of times). 

Quick recap, In Calcutta, India, a British company designed and built a golf course. However, there was a problem – monkey’s surrounded the golf course – there is confusion about the appeal but whatever it was about the game of golf, these monkeys really enjoyed both watching and taking part in the game of golf. So when one of the golfers took a swing and knocked the ball into the fairway, these monkeys would run along, grab the ball, and start throwing it around.

Obviously, the golfers didn’t like this, so they tried doing a few different things to solve the problem.

The first thing that they did to try to control this situation was to build high fences around the golf course – not such a great idea considering it’s was monkeys that they were trying to keep out! 

Not surprisingly – the monkeys just climbed the fences and carried on with their game.

The next thing they tried to do was to lure the monkeys away from the golf course but the number of monkeys made this a no-win proposition. The same failure occured when the plan shifted to capturing the monkeys, for everyone they managed to capture there seemed to be a dozen to take its place.

The British finally acknowledged that they couldn’t solve the problem and decided that they had to bring about an innovation – and the innovation was a ground rule that said – ‘We play the ball wherever the monkey drops it.

The Avoidance of Pain

If you are like me, as you journey through your life, you seek to avoid pain. This is true about the great and the least, and if you don't believe me check out this quote from Thomas Jefferson, “The art of life is the art of avoiding pain; and he is the best pilot, who steers clearest of the rocks and shoals with which it is beset.”

With all due respect to the genius of one of our founding fathers, he is wrong.

Jesus makes it clear that if we are to follow Him, we will encounter pain. This world is broken and we are linked to this destruction with an unbreakable bond. But He also makes it clear that pain and suffering are a gift, a pathway to connecting with others that would be impossible without that experience. “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statues” - Psalm 119:71.

Hang on, we're just getting started . . . 

Starting Over . . .

It was not my intent, but I do find it interesting that my last post was titled, "Why Don't We Get The Story We Want?"

You see, my belief in that statement is even stronger now, than when I wrote those words almost seven months ago. 

It is not an understatement to write that my world, my life, looks radically different than it did then. And in this crazy, fallen world, I don't think I'm alone in my circumstances. 

You see, seven months ago, I was married. I owned a house. But I also lacked peace. And joy. And worst of all, I had long ago jettisoned my dependence upon God.

Let me be clear, my lack of peace and joy were my choices. And I was very much aware that I was helpless to navigate the challenges that were before me. I was calling upon Jesus on a regular basis to deliver me from the numerous challenges that I was facing. And I very much believed that the Bible taught that even in the middle of challenging circumstances, God will always provide a path that leads to peace and joy. However, when in the throes of chaos, I still sought my way before seeking Him.

And my way will never lead to true peace and joy.