KEY VERSE

“”Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!””

— John 8:58

 

ROOTED TRUTH

When Jesus said “I am,” He was not just using a figure of speech. He was echoing the name God gave Moses at the burning bush. Every “I AM” statement in John’s Gospel is Jesus telling us who He is, and who He is for us.

 

FAITH STORY

John’s Gospel is built around a series of statements in which Jesus says, “I am…” and then names something: bread, light, a gate, a vine. Each one is a window into His identity. But before the pictures come, there is the plain phrase itself: “I am.”

In Exodus 3, Moses stands before a bush that burns without being consumed and asks God for His name. God answers, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” It is the name of the God who is, who has always been, and who depends on no one.

Fast forward to John 8. Jesus is in the temple courts, in a heated conversation with religious leaders who are questioning His authority. He says something that makes them pick up stones: “Before Abraham was born, I am!” He did not say, “I was.” He claimed the eternal present tense of God Himself.

His listeners understood exactly what He meant. That is why they wanted to stone Him. Something similar happens in the garden in John 18, when soldiers come to arrest Him and He says, “I am he,” and they draw back and fall to the ground. The weight of the name was overwhelming.

This is the Jesus we follow. Not merely a good teacher or a wise example, but the eternal God who stepped into time. Colossians says that in Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” The One who spoke from the burning bush has now spoken to us in person.

That matters for how we live. When we are afraid, we are not trusting an idea but a Person who has always existed and always will. Hebrews tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He does not change with our circumstances.

This week we will walk through the great “I AM” statements of Jesus, one at a time. Come ready to see Him more clearly: not just as the answer to a question, but as the One who is everything we need.

 

SCRIPTURE FOR DEEPER ROOTS

Exodus 3:14 — “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you.’”

Colossians 2:9 — “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

 

DAILY PRACTICE

Write the words “I AM” at the top of a page. Underneath, list the ways you have seen Jesus be exactly what you needed in a past season. Thank Him that He is the same today, then ask Him to reveal more of Himself this week.

 

DAILY PRAYER

Lord Jesus, You are the great I AM, eternal, unchanging, and near. I confess how small my view of You can be. Open my eyes this week to see who You really are. Make me hungry to know You more, and help me trust You with everything I face. Amen.

 

DEEP REFLECTION

1.  Why do you think Jesus chose the words “I am” to describe Himself?

2.  How does knowing that Jesus is the eternal God change the way you pray or face fear?

3.  Which “I AM” statement of Jesus are you most looking forward to exploring this week, and why?

 

#DeeplyRooted#DailyRenewed

Devotions for a Grounded and Growing Faith