CHAPTER 1
Do you know who God
is? If He were fulfilling His will for
this world right in front of your eyes, would you recognize Him in the things
happening? We are truly blessed, above any
generation, above any people, for we have something they did not have. We have God’s word in which we can easily
turn to for help, whether in good times or in bad. Unlike our forefathers who walked the way of this world without
the source of salvation, we have Emmanuel, God with us, to show us the way, to
be the truth by which all things are judged, and to be our illumination of how
we should live our lives.
Sorry, it’s easy to get
carried away when speaking about heavenly things, but before I digress too far,
let me get back on track. My desire,
for this work, is to reintroduce you, yes, and me, to our Dad, Abba,
Father. Who is the God of the living,
and the source of a true believer’s strength.
Additionally, I would like to compare the lives we live to those that
were presented to us in scripture.
Finally, I would like to help all who read these words to stop stressing
about this life and start thinking about the next.
Well, let’s
begin. It is in the book of Exodus that
we first meet the Patriarch Moses. We
learn from the lips of God Himself, Numbers 12:3, the spirit of Moses. “Moses was a very humble man, more humble
than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
Now it was on Mount Horeb that God first introduced Himself to
Moses. God, during this initial
encounter, inhabited a bush. His awe burned like a fire, and yet the fire
did not consume the bush. It was this
phenomenon that Moses went to see.
There was one question
Moses asked God during this first encounter, “Suppose I go to the Israelites
and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me,
‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I
tell them?" God’s answer to Moses was, "I Am who I Am. This is what you are to
say to the Israelites: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”
At first glance, the
verse "I Am who I Am", is very difficult to comprehend. Not only is this concept hard to understand,
but it also seems down right ridiculous.
Why would God give us such a distant, unclear answer" I Am who I
Am? What exactly does that mean? As I focused in on this specific
verse, it became increasingly evident, that without a doubt, "I Am" is the only
name worthy of the glory of God.
For God had such a
longing for His people, that once again He initiated a communion with them. Once again, He revitalized the covenant made
to Abraham. God so longed to be in
fellowship with His people that during this conversation with Moses God
revealed to us, His first name; which is the only name with the ability to
define the majesty of God. You see, God
is, therefore, I Am!
There was much in
ancient times that was linked to a name and God knew that. Names were a direct reflection of events or
circumstances, that preceded the birth of an individual, or the dedication of a
piece of land. An excellent example of
this is revealed to us in Exodus when Moses was named by Pharaoh’s daughter,
“she named him Moses, saying, I drew him out of the water.”
In choosing the name I
Am, God chose the only name worthy of His might, majesty and glory. For it matters not what last name you place
after I Am, God is Lord over it!
Going all the way back to the beginning of time, Genesis, God revealed Himself to Abram as, “I Am your shield.” “I Am God almighty.” Even to the truth that was revealed to us in the book placed last in scripture, Revelation, where God’s son, Jesus, disclosed himself as “I Am the first and last.” “I Am the living one.” Even during his earthly ministry, Jesus, divulged his Godly nature by describing himself as “I Am the vine; I Am the bread of life; I Am the living water; I Am the good shepherd; I Am the narrow gate; and I Am the way."
I hope that this name
God used to introduce himself to Moses, and to the world, is beginning to take
on a new meaning for you. For what other
name could God, who is all things, use?
God is the God of the mountains, and God of the seas. He is both kinsmen redeemer, and judge. God is the God of life and of death. God is, therefore His name is I Am.
I Am, the only name
that isn’t finite. I Am, the only name
that means nothing, and yet everything.
I Am, the name that is above all names.
I Am, the name that spoke and the world was formed. I Am, the name that wishes only to abide
with His people. I Am, the name of God
whose sole desire is to be our God, and to have us be His people.
My given name is Bruce, and I am a direct reflection of that name. Close your eyes and try to picture what I would look like. No, I’m not that nerdy! You see a name has a way of shaping the bearer. Like the old Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue,” a name has a way of molding your character. If you have the right name, it seems, at least in this world, to guarantee success or failure. Mention a name and a picture forms in your mind. Let’s name some people to test this hypothesis. Brittany Spears, O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump, Ralph Nader, Osama Bin Laden, John Mohammad, and George W. Bush. At the mention of these names, did your mind form a picture of what or who that person is, or was? Mine did, but you can imagine that I would have to say that! Was the image that your mind’s eye conjured up, one of a successful person, or was it one of failure?
Taking this theory one
step further, we must admit that names are limiting. No matter which name you chose there is a certain image, whether
it is true or not, that your mind thought of.
Whether that picture was one of crime and punishment, wealth, safety, or
hatred, it was what your mind formed.
Yes, there are definite limits established by names, definite spheres of
influence, definite levels of success, and definite strengths and/or
weakness. But is there a name one could
choose that creates no limits? Is there
a name all men can say, humbly and without difficulty?
What name can you cry out
to, no matter when, no matter where, and surely as you’re reading these words
that name will respond? That name is I
Am! The name of God whose sole desire
is to be your God and to have you be His child.
Call on that name; He is waiting to hear from you. Call on that name, and then listen. Listen closely, you may just hear, "hello, my name is I Am, and I Am pleased to meet you!""