Written By Ben Dankaka
Meditation – John 3:6
One day, an old man, named Nicodemus paid a surprise visit to Jesus. Because he was a Pharisee, he had to sneak into the dark like a thief. Clearly, he didn’t want his colleagues to know he was visiting Jesus because they were opposed to His teachings. But Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus had come from God. So he went to Jesus so he could learn more about God’s kingdom. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” At first, Nicodemus was confused. He wondered how a grown up man like him could re-enter his mother’s womb and be reborn. But Jesus further explained, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” That is, just as our bodies are birth by “men”, our spirit has to be birth by the Holy Spirit.
It is important for us to realize that the process of becoming “born again” is for the purpose of entering God’s kingdom. The only time Jesus mentioned “born again” was in reference to God’s kingdom. Also, realize that becoming “born again” has to do with spiritual rebirth. It has little or nothing to do with being remorseful. That is, you don’t become born again because you heard a powerful sermon that made you emotional. Being born again isn’t about crying and feeling sorry because Jesus died on the cross. Its okay to feel emotional after a sermon but you can’t get into God’s kingdom by playing the victim card. The gates to God’s kingdom can only be opened for you when you are renewed by God’s Spirit. You truly become born again when you can see God’s kingdom with your “spiritual eyes”. Today, decide to build your spiritual life.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, reborn my spirit. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: John 3:1-21
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.