Thought of the Day !!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."
John 15:1 (NLT)

I am the true vine. I am the gate. I am the good shepherd. I am the living bread. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, the life. I am...I am. Does this sound familiar at all to anyone?

Go back to a man who sees a strange sight on top of a mountain. It's a bush that's burning. But it's not going out. The man goes to check it out, and the bush begins speaking to him. The man...Moses. The bush...being used by God to speak to Moses. Moses asks who this God is, and the bush replies with, "I am who I am." God goes on to tell Moses to go to Egypt and set His people free. But when asked, "Who shall I say sent me?", the reply is "Tell them 'I AM' sent you".

John uses these "I am" statements throughout his Gospel to remind us just who Jesus is. He's not just a man. He's not a great rabbi or a priest or a prophet. He is the Great I AM. He is God. In this particular illustration that Jesus gives to his disciples, God the Father is the gardener who planted the vine and tends to it. God the Son is the vine itself.

There are many ways to look at Christ in respect to our relationship with Him. You may think about Jesus as Savior more often, thanking Him often for what He's done for you. You may think about Jesus as Lord more often, desiring to do His will. You may think of Him as an older brother to which you look up to and respect. You may think of Him as the High Priest. All of these have biblical merit. And all are good. But never forget what John is trying to remind us. Never forget that "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus). The Word was with God. The Word was God."

Just how do you think about Jesus most often? Should you consider thinking about Him in other ways as well?

In the love of Christ,
greg