ODJ: Is Jesus Enough?
May 13, 2016
READ: Exodus 3:10-15
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you” (v.14).
During the First World War, Oswald Chambers was walking past a woman’s house accompanied by his wife, Biddy. The woman was very sick, and Biddy asked, “I wonder what God is going to do?” Chambers replied, in essence, that he was more concerned about who God is versus what He would choose to do. Now these weren’t the words of a man indifferent to the suffering of another person. He merely spoke of his total reliance on the personality and character of God, rather than merely hoping for what He might do. Though concerned for the woman and her condition, the character of his Creator was enough for Chambers to rest in what would happen next.
In Exodus 3, Moses received a cryptic statement from God about His character. You might think it would have been better for him to receive some encouragement from God regarding His power or a revelation of future knowledge in order to spur His servant on. Instead, God stated with authority that He is the “I AM” (v.14). This was enough, apparently! God presented who He is by an intimate name: the God who Is; the One who is able to deliver, rescue and keep His covenant with His people. He gave no promise of health, prosperity or popularity—just His name!
In the New Testament, Peter declared this about Jesus and His name: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). He meant that Jesus, the Messiah, was the “Christ” and “the anointed one of God”. And Jesus once declared of Himself, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM” (John 8:58). In other words, He said that He was one with the God who spoke in Exodus 3.
Is Jesus enough for you and me? May we rest in Him and His loving character—He’s the one and only I AM!
—Russell Fralick
365-day plan: Psalm 8:1-9
Read John 6:53-71. What would your reaction be to such a teaching, and is Jesus enough when His words don’t seem to make sense?
How do you react when you see injustice in the world, or when circumstances are against you and God seems to be silent? Can you rest in His character and in what His name reveals about Him?