3.11.12 Praise Prompt: Time and Presence

PRAISE PROMPT ••• I understand the history of Daylight Savings Time.
And the extra hour of daylight is nice to have in the summer…
But oh how I wish we could just leave our clocks alone.
There won’t be enough coffee today.
Time is one of those things we always monitor.
We think it moves too slow, but then, we complain it moves too fast.
We don’t have enough hours in the day.
Things take too long; we ran out of time; so-and-so is late again.
We are obsessed with it.
Confession time (See! There it is again!): how many of you check the time, then have to check it again a moment later because you forgot what the clock said?
(I’d raise both hands, but I’m typing…)
Here’s the great news: no matter where we are in our race against the clock, Jesus is the same.
Our verse today is John 8:58 NLT, “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!’”
The name “I am,” is always spoken in the present tense.
That’s the beauty of it.
From the first time we see the “I am” reference in Exodus 3:14, when God said to Moses, “I am who I am,” all the way to the seven “I am” statements of Jesus*, these are words that aren’t past tense.
They are in the moment and they are still true.
Jesus is in this very moment of time.
He has been since the very beginning!
In Genesis 1:26, when God said, “Let US make human beings in OUR image…”
He was including Jesus in the creation of the world, because as part of the divine Trinity, Jesus was there.
Before time existed.
Before Abraham.
And He continues.
Today.
Right now.
Isn’t that amazing?!
And if you’re headed to church this morning, we have His promise from Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I AM there among them.” (Emphasis mine.)
Today, let’s praise the ongoing, always-present-tense presence of Jesus!
Let’s thank Him for being constant from the very beginning of time!
•••
*THE SEVEN “I AM” STATEMENTS OF JESUS:

1. I am the bread of life (John 6:35);
2. I am the light of the world (John 8:12);
3. I am the door (John 10:9);
4. I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11);
5. I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25);
6. I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6);
7. I am the vine (John 15:5).