My Online Faith Journal

      Jesus gives us a number of what are called "I am" statements in the gospel of John.  Jesus says in John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies."  In John 14:6 he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."  John 15:1 says, "I am the true vine; and My Father is the vinedresser."  John 6:51 says, "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."  And then also the one I read in my devotions today, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11        I thought about what that means that Jesus is the shepherd.  Shepherd are meant to protect and provide for the sheep.  They guide the sheep to known places of water and grass.  They protect the sheep fro

The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:3-4 "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all."        So many times, when Paul wrote, he was responding to problems in churches.  The Corinthians had multiple problems and so did the Galatian church.  But, here in the epistle of Philippians Paul doesn't write due to a problem.  Rather, this is a church close to his heart and he wants to share news with them.  They are close to him and that is evident throughout this epistle.   He uses the word "joy" 19 times in just a few chapters.        This word "joy" characterizes the feeling that Paul has when he thinks of this church.  It is a joy to pray for them.  Paul is so often characterized as harsh or demanding that we may lose sight of the fact that the bonds between him and the church are bonds of love and that joy is a primary element between them all.         This word "joy" is cl