The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"I AM"
"Character always comes first in God's emphasis, followed by capability. The streams of His "I do" ever and forever flow from the river of His "I AM."
"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 2:13-14).
Israel, in captivity to Egypt, desired God as a doer. He is that, of course. "Thou art the God that doest wonders: Thou hast declared Thy strength among the people" (Psalm 77:14). However, the Lord told Moses to identify Him not in terms of what He could perform, but rather of who He is - I AM.
With God, being always precedes doing. "Thou art good, and doest good" (Psalm 119:68; emphasis added). In no way does this minimize the wonder of the Lord's ways, which are without number or measure. However, character always comes first in God's emphasis, followed by capability. The streams of His "I do" ever and forever flow from the river of His "I AM." No truth more establishes our proper response to the Lord, our relating to Him, and our recognition of how He works in the world and in our lives. "Thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone" (Psalm 86:10).
The Bible opens with God's I AM, that is, the assumed affirmation of His existence, which made possible His origination of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1). He could not have created if He did not exist. Moreover, His determination to bring into existence something other than Himself tells us much about His character and nature. Perfectly fulfilled "from everlasting" in His triune being of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God nevertheless created angels, the universe, and human beings (Psalm 90:2). This speaks to an otherness in the nature of the Creator, who foreknew that Genesis 1:1 would lead to John 3:16. Indeed, the forming of the creation would ultimately lead to the fury of the cross and His wrath against sin, as executed against His beloved Son - "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). Creation paved the path to Calvary, where's God's I AM shines most brightly in the revelation of His essence, that is, of His love. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10).
"Who art Thou, Lord?" asked the Apostle Paul when first seeing the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5). Our wise brother never stopped asking the question during his earthly lifetime. Nor should we. To whatever degree we know who God is as the I AM, an endless forever of revelation awaits. This day offers the possibility of some new discovery, or some enhancement of glory already known. In the pages of Scripture and along the pathways of life, our Lord offers Himself to the trusting, waiting, and expectant heart. May ours be counted among the company that realizes such an opportunity, and ever directs the question to the great I AM… "Who are You, Lord?"
I made your heart to know My heart,
I made your spirit to journey far
into the glories of the light
that glimmer so brightly
in the face of Christ.
Call unto Me, call unto Me
and I will answer thee and show thee
great and mighty things
which thou knowest not.
"I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me."
(Isaiah 45:5)
"He that cometh unto God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:6)
Weekly Memory Verse
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
(I John 4:10)
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