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The Great I AM
Andrea Lende • January 27, 2021
Mark 14:61-62
The Great I AM
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Great-I-AM-epi4it
Mark 14:61-62
“But He kept still and did not answer at all. Again, the high priest asked Him, Are You the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), the Son of the Blessed?”
“And Jesus said, I AM; and you will [all] see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power (the Almighty) and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Power.
As I read this passage this morning, I was overcome with the holiness of it.
The overwhelming perfection of our Lord.
He had just been seized by the chief priests of the day.
They were intent on killing Him.
They were jealous of Him.
He was a celebrity in our modern-day terms.
He couldn’t go anywhere without people wanting to be near Him, wanting to listen to Him, and wanting to be healed by Him.
There were crowds around Him everywhere.
The chief priests were so concerned about losing their flock that they wanted Him gone.
They were willing to put Him to death in order to relieve themselves of His notoriety.
How amazing is it that God would use such motives – such dark motives – to save the world.
Their jealousy would result in the real church being formed.
The church which would become the Lord’s bride.
His beloved.
They were furthering the plans of the Lord not preventing them.
And as Jesus stood in front of these people who detested Him, He was holy.
He didn’t respond to their accusations.
He remained silent.
He remained silent until they asked Him Who He was.
And then He said, “I AM”.
He had to tell them Who He was.
He was and is today the Great I AM.
He said He was “Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power”.
As I read the word power with a capital P, this became holy ground.
Holy is the Lord.
All worship is due Him.
All worship is due Him forever and forever.
He is Holy.
He is Power.
He is Almighty.
Jesus stood in front of His accusers and eventual murders in all holiness.
As He was being verbally slandered and physically harmed, He stood in holiness.
His words were holy.
His sacrifice was holy.
We are made holy because of Him.
Today I am in awe of the Lord, our Savior as He stood in all holiness before His accusers to provide each of us a way to Him.
May you find the Lord is all merciful and all powerful as He lives in You because of His sacrifice over two thousand years ago.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for sending Your Son away from heaven’s door to live here on this earth. Thank You for His sacrifice. Thank You for His holy sacrifice for all Your people. Thank You for teaching us through His life and death, Lord. Thank You for His perfect nature which shows us how to be more like You. Father transform my heart in Your presence. Transform my mind as I spend time with You. Teach me, Lord. Fill me with Your Spirit and compass my soul so I may serve You before I serve myself. Help me step in Your direction. Lead me and guide me in all things, Lord. Keep me close to You as this world tries to envelope my soul. Keep me Yours, Father. Do not let my eyes wander off but keep my eyes on You. Thank You for the promises in Your Word. Help me hold fast to them and to You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you My child and will keep you Mine for all eternity.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord, thank You for reaching down to me and never letting go.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.