I was blessed to have parents who cared for their family.
They each took, housed, and saw to their needs until they passed. I loved spending time with my maternal
grandparents (especially my “Bom-Bom,” who was THE best cook in the world!).
Unfortunately, I never knew my paternal grandmother … she passed shortly after my
birth … but I heard stories.
My granny, Nettie Ferrell, must have been quite something. She raised her large brood of boys single-handedly after her husband passed early on. There was one saying she would tell everyone … “I am what I am, but I ain’t no ‘am-er.’” When I was little, I didn’t understand what she meant, but now I understand … she wasn’t going to pretend to be what she wasn’t. You go, Nettie!
This memory came to me this week as I was listening to the Sunday sermon (yes, I WAS listening). Pastor went over the “I am” statements of Jesus, which are word pictures to tell us who Jesus is:
- I Am the Bread of Life (John 6): Jesus sustains us.
- I Am the Light of the World (John 8): Jesus is the original and eternal source of
light in the universe; we are all spiritually blind at birth. - I Am the Gate (John 10): Jesus is the only door to life for those of us lost outside His
will. - I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10): Jesus knows and cares for us who are like
lost, wandering sheep without a shepherd. - I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11): Jesus is the key to eternal life.
- I Am the Way, Truth, and Life (John 14): Jesus is the giver of life for us who are
lost, ignorant, and dead without Him. - I Am the True Vine (John 15): Jesus is the source of eternal life for us who are dead
and; apart from him we can do nothing.
Then Jesus asks His disciples in Mark 8:29, “Who do you say that I am?” Not do you
know about Him, but do you really know Him?
This is the crux of what I got out of the sermon: Our world is full of lots of people who
know just enough about God to know what to say and sing, who do just enough good to
feel better about themselves, who have memorized just enough parts of verses to
convince themselves they are fine. Sadly, they probably do not really see Jesus, their
ears do not really hear Jesus, and their life is not really in a relationship with Jesus. It’s
not enough to say we love Him, but not enough to do what He says.
How well do you know Him? How much do you want to know Him?
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries. Learn more about the
ministry by liking our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CJEMinistries)
and downloading our FREE mobile app (get.theapp.co) from App Store or Google
Play. Once downloaded, allow notifications to keep you up to date on what’s
happening in Cary John Efurd Ministries. Debby can be contacted at
caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com
