Sheep have every reason to be afraid. They are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. The sheepfold is an enclosure in which they rested at night. But their confidence is not in the place they are nor in themselves nor in those around them. Their confidence is in their shepherd. We tend to think that if we avoid certain situations, certain people, and certain activities, we will be safe. There is not a place we can be that we are not immune from the Devil’s attempts to lead us astray. But there is not a place we can be that we are not under the watchful care of our Shepherd. It’s not the place that saves us; it’s the person that saves us.
I AM the Door
February 26, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 10:9–10
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I AM
I AM Risen
April 9, 2023 • Andrew Cullen • John 20:29
This I AM statement is not one Jesus communicates with his words, but one that he communicates with his presence. Thomas was having a difficult time believing that Jesus is alive. Thomas was grieved that Jesus had died. He was angry Jesus had been unjustly crucified. He was in denial that someone so good would be so horribly treated. He was asking, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In the end, Thomas believes. But I think he believes something about himself as much as he believes something about Jesus. He was no longer the odd one out. Jesus appeared to him, and only him. This was the real Jesus Thomas knew. The Jesus Thomas was willing to, and ultimately did, die for. The Jesus Thomas wanted to be with wherever he went. The Jesus who changed Thomas’s perception of himself. There is something very personal about this encounter. And I think that’s the point. The real Jesus is as personal as he is powerful.