Born Again

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”  (John 3:5) 
 
This conversation in John Chapter 3 is between Jesus and a Jewish Sanhedrin member, Nicodemus, who came to Jesus during the evening hours. Jesus quickly directs the discussion to conversion. He tells Nicodemus that he must have a conversion experience likened unto birth (i.e., born again) in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Completely perplexed, Nicodemus is astounded and overwhelmed with Christ.  
 
We don’t read about Nicodemus again until John Chapter 7, when he tries to talk sense into the Sanhedrin in their desire to arrest Jesus. We meet him again in John Chapter 19, when he is publicly identifying with the followers of Jesus, as he is involved in the anointing of Jesus’ body. From a night encounter to tender service, Nicodemus continues his journey toward following Christ. He started and continued his walk with Christ. That is what discipleship involves. 
 
Do you remember when you first began your journey with Christ? Maybe, it began when you were young, or maybe it was just recently. Regardless of “when,” it is critical that you stay on the path. We often begin with questions, questions which still baffle us today. Later, we learn that Christianity is not about getting our information list completed. Instead, it is simply following diligently after the Master, even if our minds are not able to fully understand His answers.  
 
Following Jesus is not only an intellectual pursuit, it is a life altering, directional journey. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, He was talking about a change, a real change, which would result in a new direction in his life. Nicodemus revealed such a change had actually occurred in him by his perseverance to actually stay on the path of following Christ.  
 
Today is your opportunity to continue on your journey. As you seek Christ, ask Him what the next steps are for you today. Representing Him where you work, live, and breathe is definitely on the agenda. Identifying with others who are following Him will also be high on the list. Just like Nicodemus, may it be said that we were last seen serving Christ with others who deeply love Him. Prove that you belong to Him…stay on the path!

2 Comments


Betty Jane Laughlin - March 8th, 2024 at 7:45am

The Lord pulls on my heart strings if I start to wander off. But I have prayer warrior friends who keep me plugged in. I love spending time with Jesus and following Him. There is so much to do. So many people to tell about Jesus and His love for them

Maria Fatima Junio Solijon - March 8th, 2024 at 10:20am

Can I copy and paste the daily devotional on my social media account.

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability abondoned acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afraid aligned aligning align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing amount anxiety anxious appeared appearing apply approaching approach argument arrogant assurance assures assure attend attention attentive attitude audience authority banished baptized beaituful behaviors behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed bond brokenhearted burdens burden burial buried capable careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge churches church claiming clarity climate combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise concerned concerning concerns concern confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connection connect consider consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conversation convicting conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death decided decide declaration dedicated defend deflection deliberate delivers denomination denying departure depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring desrtuction destiny determine devastated develop devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions distance dividend educated education effort eliminated embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected experiences expression express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finisher finish fire focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve grope growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identify identity ignited ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient importance important including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present pressure prevent pride primary principle probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teach tears temptation tempted testify thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath