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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Early last month I heard a keynote speaker at a writing conference speak on the idea of “What if John had not written?”1. One of the comments he made that intrigued me was that we would not have the “I AM” statements. When I returned home, I began reading the gospel of John from a different perspective. Here are some of the thoughts I have on how I perceive His meaning of two of the phrases.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 (ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (ESV)
“The Bread of Life”
In reading the book of John, I find myself caught by Jesus’ stating the “I AM” statements.
He has fed five thousand plus people. He departs the area and heads across the Sea of Galilee. The people followed Him, going by boat across the water to Capernaum. When He talks to the crowd of people, our LORD identifies himself as “The Bread of Life.”
What do we know about this statement, “I am the Bread of Life? Bread in our lives sustains us. For most of us, it has life-enhancing qualities. How many meals have we eaten without having a slice or two of bread?
Let’s see, most of us have toast or English muffins for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, dinner rolls for dinner and for holiday meals. Jesus sustains us in our times of stress and troubles. He gives us the strength to stand firm in the face of tragedy. He guides us when we have lost our way
The Light of the World
Jesus tells the crowd something I find very deep with this statement. What does he mean by these words?
When we awaken in the morning, it might be that our homes are darkened because the sun has not risen. We instinctively turn on a lamp or an overhead light. We do this in order to see as we move from room to room. If we don’t use some form of light, we may be in danger of falling and injuring ourselves. In essence, we are protecting ourselves from harm. A safety light outside our homes protects us and our property from harm. If we live in towns or cities, we have the presence of street lights to help us stay safe as we travel at night.
When Jesus describes Himself as “the light of the world,” He tells his listeners, then and today, that he will show his followers the way through this world, through difficulties and trials. He states He will protect them from danger.
I have a local friend who often says, “Jesus sees around corners, we can’t.” My version of her thought is, “Jesus sees the big picture; we can only see what’s in front of us.” He knows when we need Him to guide us and when he needs to protect us.
Let’s all give praise to God for giving us Jesus, The Light of The World.
Prayer: Dear Father God, Thank you for your gift to us, Your Son. Thank You for allowing Him to sustain and guide us in our darkest hours.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN
1. Bob Hostetler at Taylor University’s Professional Writing Conference.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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