January 20, 2016
"Jesus replied, 'I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'
'But how can anyone be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked Him. 'Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?
Jesus answered, 'I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" John 3:3-6
I love what Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest on John 3:3 (January 20). He gives a great definition of what "being born again" is.
This freshness will never be created out of what I do; my obedience to God does not produce it and my flesh cannot produce it either. This freshness that Chambers speaks of can only be born out of the Spirit; it is the Spirit's fruit born out of me. It is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control in all of my thinking, talking, and living. This only occurs when I am walking freshly in the Spirit, and will never occur in those times when I am walking in my flesh.
My whole heart, everything good and bad, but be opened up to the Spirit and surrendered to Him. He and I must be one, with absolutely nothing coming between us in order for this to be produced. This is not a one time event, but an on-going, perpetual, endless, moment-to-moment consideration of being a born again child of God. Following after my consideration of my new life in Christ, I am called to quickly surrender to the Spirit inside of me to walk out the life of Christ through me. To draw from any other means than God Himself is to consider that means a better choice than God. Depending on my own fleshly strengths is to make me the god of my life and de-throne Jesus. and His Spirit. It is only as I allow the Spirit who brought me new life through rebirth that His "fresh fruit" can be produced in me.
When I try to produce this fruit of freshness in any given moment, it takes but a few seconds for me to realize that it is not fresh at all. It is stale and close to spoiled, instead. Truthfully, I am not always fresh. When I am under my own control I go my own way, in my own opinions, under my own rule and authority. But when I am surrendered to the Spirit, and under His control, I am go the way that He chooses, which often looks quite different than the path I would choose. I wear out and get frustrated going my way, but when I stay in the Spirit my strength to love and give and obey comes in an endless supply of Godly freshness. This kind of freshness can only be born out of the Spirit.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I have not surrendered enough of my life to You if even one tiny place in me refuses to surrender. Forgive my arrogant and self-reliant bent that thinks of "my way" first in so many cases. I know the truth, but I am not fully surrendered to it. You are my Helper, and I need Your help! The problem is this: usually my first response is to fix and do and think my own thoughts as things crop up in my life. Yet, I know I am being called to a different response than what I can come up with. Help me to stop and think of You first in all matters. Help me to ask of You what You would desire me to think or say or do before I respond in the flesh. I desire greatly for 2016 to be the year that I grow in the area of walking by the Spirit. Help me, I pray... I cannot do this...only You can as I surrender to You.
"Jesus replied, 'I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'
'But how can anyone be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked Him. 'Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?
Jesus answered, 'I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" John 3:3-6
I love what Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest on John 3:3 (January 20). He gives a great definition of what "being born again" is.
"Being born again from above is a perennial, perpetual and eternal beginning; a freshness all the time in thinking and in talking and in living, the continual surprise of the life of God..."My life is to continually show others my "freshness". So just how does this freshness come forth from me? And what does it look like?
This freshness will never be created out of what I do; my obedience to God does not produce it and my flesh cannot produce it either. This freshness that Chambers speaks of can only be born out of the Spirit; it is the Spirit's fruit born out of me. It is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control in all of my thinking, talking, and living. This only occurs when I am walking freshly in the Spirit, and will never occur in those times when I am walking in my flesh.
My whole heart, everything good and bad, but be opened up to the Spirit and surrendered to Him. He and I must be one, with absolutely nothing coming between us in order for this to be produced. This is not a one time event, but an on-going, perpetual, endless, moment-to-moment consideration of being a born again child of God. Following after my consideration of my new life in Christ, I am called to quickly surrender to the Spirit inside of me to walk out the life of Christ through me. To draw from any other means than God Himself is to consider that means a better choice than God. Depending on my own fleshly strengths is to make me the god of my life and de-throne Jesus. and His Spirit. It is only as I allow the Spirit who brought me new life through rebirth that His "fresh fruit" can be produced in me.
When I try to produce this fruit of freshness in any given moment, it takes but a few seconds for me to realize that it is not fresh at all. It is stale and close to spoiled, instead. Truthfully, I am not always fresh. When I am under my own control I go my own way, in my own opinions, under my own rule and authority. But when I am surrendered to the Spirit, and under His control, I am go the way that He chooses, which often looks quite different than the path I would choose. I wear out and get frustrated going my way, but when I stay in the Spirit my strength to love and give and obey comes in an endless supply of Godly freshness. This kind of freshness can only be born out of the Spirit.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I have not surrendered enough of my life to You if even one tiny place in me refuses to surrender. Forgive my arrogant and self-reliant bent that thinks of "my way" first in so many cases. I know the truth, but I am not fully surrendered to it. You are my Helper, and I need Your help! The problem is this: usually my first response is to fix and do and think my own thoughts as things crop up in my life. Yet, I know I am being called to a different response than what I can come up with. Help me to stop and think of You first in all matters. Help me to ask of You what You would desire me to think or say or do before I respond in the flesh. I desire greatly for 2016 to be the year that I grow in the area of walking by the Spirit. Help me, I pray... I cannot do this...only You can as I surrender to You.
No comments:
Post a Comment