June 26: Spiritual rebirth

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, 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? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”   (John 3:3-6 — New King James Version)

Nicodemus was a respected religious leader, but Jesus looked into his heart and saw that he needed to start over from the very beginning. God’s kingdom cannot be seen or fully experienced unless a person goes through a spiritual rebirth. Those who have only experienced a physically birth cannot understand or perceive the things of God. The life that our mothers gave us is one of limitations and failure, whereas the birth that comes from God removes all limitations and empowers us to overcome all obstacles and sins, because it produces God’s nature in us.

Water is frequently a symbol of the Word of God in the Bible, and when this verse says that we must be born of the water and the Spirit, the first half of that phrase refers to the purifying effects of God’s Word in our lives. If we want more of Him, we have to choose to follow His Word, apply it to our lives, clean up what’s wrong, and start doing what we have neglected to do up to that point.

When we do, the Holy Spirit will cause the new birth to occur in our lives. God’s nature will start to take over, and we will have the mind, feelings and understanding of God. At this point our lives begin to be transformed in a radical way, and yet it all begins when we choose to follow what God tells us to do in His Word.

Don’t expect your life to be transformed overnight. Big changes never happen in an instant. All change comes as the result of a process that begins days, weeks, months or even years beforehand. A person doesn’t fall away from God because of one big, overwhelming temptation — he was already getting weak for a period of time before that last straw caused everything to fall apart. On the other hand, good changes are also the result of a lot of small, incremental steps in the right direction. Don’t worry about doing something huge, just remember to constantly, daily, even hourly be making good choices that honor God in big and small ways, and that point you in the right direction. After a period of time, you will see the amazing changes that the passage above is referring to: the new birth. — Start making these small, incremental steps right away, and be determined to keep it up.