Born Again

 

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:1-8

It was not too many years ago that the media and even some mainline Christian church leaders tried to dismiss talk about being born again as being too simple  and indicated that an intellectualized faith was the right way to approach Christianity.

While intellectualized faith fosters much good doing, it can miss the heart of the Gospel, that being that Jesus calls on each of us to have a personal relationship with Him, which begins with making a personal commitment to Him. This personal commitment contains an element of recognizing that we can do better and confessing and repenting of our sin. This is a spiritual experience or, as Jesus said, it is like being born again.

Being born again is not just Evangelical lingo; it is the foundation upon which our salvation is built. It is the key to the kingdom of God.

Jesus calls us to come to Him, to repent, to be forgiven and to be born again.

Mercy, Peace And Love.

 

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Jude 2-3 

If you know someone whose life is in turmoil, these are the perfect words of comfort. We cannot solve their problems, but we can offer the salve of mercy, peace and love. 

And, maybe we can buy them a coffee and sit with them.  It is when we give our time to be with those who are hurting, that they can see the love of God.  We come seeking nothing, but giving mercy, peace and love.  

Let us be open to opportunities to share God's love. 

Pray For Those Who Would Lead Us

 

First of all, the, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.

I Timothy 2:1-3

It is political campaign season here in the United States and this year’s political advertisements are devoid of godliness and dignity.  Accusations, complaints, ugly photographs, and lies are rampant.  It makes me wonder if these people will be able to kiss and make up when it’s over so they can work together for the good of the nation.  

If anybody needs prayer these candidates do. Therefore, we might do well to follow Timothy’s directive. We serve a living God who hears our prayers, and making mention of our leaders and potential leaders before God is honorable.

Now, let’s pray for those irritating politicians and all the world's leaders.

The Omnipresence of God

 

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

Psalm 139:7

Omnipresence is a fancy word for everywhere.

God is everywhere. To believers it is a great comfort knowing that God is with us no matter what we are going through. He rejoices with us when we are happy and He comforts us in our sorrows.

To non-believers God’s omnipresence is uncomfortable because it is the unseen hand of God which helps keep sin in check.

God is present with us all, believers and non-believers, because He loves and cares for us all.

(With Acknowledgement to Henry Clarence Thiessen, Author: Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI. 1949.)

Be Kind To One Another

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

I think one of the keys to good human relations is the ability to overlook and forgive those things which rub us the wrong way. It is easy to get mad because we are snubbed or slighted or not invited. What is more difficult is to understand is that we have all done this to someone sometime, either intentionally or unintentionally, and if we allow these things to rule our emotions and relationships, we will be too busy being sorry sacks to do anything else.

Therefore, I propose, if we think we have been slighted or that we have slighted someone, we overlook the former and apologize for the latter, so that we can get on with working together for the Kingdom of God.

Go on now; say something kind.

 

Master Of The Controlled Crash

 

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

Psalm 37:23-24.

We serve a God who is intimately acquainted with us and infinitely more patient with us than we can comprehend. When we mess up and things are not going well, we do a good job of beating up on ourselves. On our own, we are a sorry lot.

The good news is that we are not on our own. God promises to hold onto us no matter what. He is the master of the controlled crash. Everyone walks away knowing things are going to be okay.

Remember, God is holding on to you. 

Prayer Can Accomplish Much

 

Is anyone among you suffering?  Then he must pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  He is to sing praises.

Is anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 

James 5:13-16 

We are doing this wrong. If we are suffering, we whine or complain or say nothing. If we are sick, we go around looking tortured. The right thing to do is to pray. And, we should have no qualms about calling on our Christian friends to come pray for our recovery and they should have no qualms about praying for us.

We are not islands, we are continents of Christian compassion and we need to act like it. So, the next time one of your friends is whining about oppression, rotten kids or a stomach ache, say, “Let me pray with you.” Then do it.

Prayer should not be our last resort.  Prayer should be our first choice.

Prayer can accomplish much.

Amen