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There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of 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.Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:1-17 King James Version)
Good day, dear Friend! May this first day of the work week find you well rested, blessed, and ready to go! (One out of three ain't bad, huh?) What was the version of the Bible you used when growing up? Some of you are new to the Bible and that's great! And you probably know by now the Bible comes in many versions. If, like me, you grew up in the 50s, your version would have been the King James Bible, in what many call "King James" English; and so for today only, I chose to share today's text in KJV. This is a well-known passage and it contains many truths which we will try to cover in a single morning's devotional.
The first part of the title comes from a channel my daughters grew up watching. Nickelodeon after a certain hour would become Nick at Nite. We even were in a taping of a series called Nickelodeon's GUTS; we were in the audience and we had to yell out, "Guts!" when prompted. Nellie and I had no clue about the show and I tend to forget what we yelled out. Or, maybe it was a bad dream... The "Nick" in this story was an important man named Nicodemus. He was intrigued and perhaps convicted by what he heard and saw Jesus do. We know he became a believer in Jesus later, and this meeting with our Lord set the stage for that conversion. He grants Jesus that He had to be sent by God, "for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." Correct. Jesus further says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Whoa! Nick is thrown for a loop! "How can a man be born when he is old?" Jesus explains that one must be born of water and the spirit to understand the things of God. Nick knew something wasn't happening inside the Temple as should have been happening; the miracles and solid, strong teachings were happening outside, with Jesus. Thus, the meeting.
Jesus reveals that God is a Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Jesus further shares one of the keystone verses of His ministry: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, what whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And the verse right after that is also key: "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." Boom! The Gospel in two sentences, 49 words in this version. God's desire is to have a loving, living relationship with everyone for all eternity (a relationship that will not end for any reason!). And if it took Jesus dying on a cross, that's what God paid. And condemnation comes from us, not from God. Many ask, "How can a loving God send people to Hell?" The answer: God desires relationship, we choose independence and freedom and the condemnation comes from us; we send ourselves to an enteral separation from God.
This passage, dear one, fits in to the celebration the Church had yesterday. God sent His Holy Spirit to carry on the work of His Son. The Spirit, as Jesus explains, helps in that new birth; from earthly and carnal, to spiritual and divine; from temporary to eternal understanding of all things. And with the Spirit, there is no telling where the Spirit will lead us. In other words, come to faith, then buckle your seat belt, the ride of a lifetime is starting and you're not driving - God is!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, bless the life of this dear reader in ways they do not expect. I pray the joy of an adventure come their way in their journey of faithfulness and fruitfulness. Bless them in overflowing ways that their joy and love would bless everyone, especially those no one else wants or sees. Thank You, loving Father, for not only seeing us, but loving us and helping us know we matter to You. We pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Buckle that seat belt and enjoy the ride!
Eradio Valverde
