I wonder what Jesus meant when He said, "You must be born again."?
Nicodemus wondered the same thing. But Nicodemus was a made man, how could he not know what Jesus meant? Was it possible that he didn't know the meaning exactly because he was a made man? Was it likely that everything Nicodemus "knew" about himself was false, because his original premise of God and His relationship with man was false?
"The foolish man built his house upon sand". (Somewhere in the bible)
"You must be born again".
How much did Nicodemus really know?
How much do I really know? Was I ever really myself, or have I been brought up to be someone else? Someone whose every thought and action was predicated on a lie?
This is no hit on my parents; they were the best. They forgave me so many times, even times when I couldn't forgive myself. They always loved me and my siblings, worked their asses off to keep good food (and I mean GOOD!) on the table, a good roof over our heads, and a good sense of confidence. In no way is this a slant on them.
But it is a slant on who I was, and why I wasn't me.
The fact is, I wasn't ever me, because I never knew how to be me; there was always some reason to be something different, something likable (or so I thought), something that others would accept. I never learned how to accept me, because I never knew I hadn't.
"You must be born again" begins to make some sense to me now. Start over, because what you knew, or what you thought you knew, was built on sand. All of your life, you believed God was, or could be angry with you. All of your life you spent measuring up to a God who never expected you to. All of your life, you spent earning something that could only be given. It's no wonder you didn't know that you didn't know who you were. You didn't know who you were because you believed you knew who you were, or at least believed you could find out.
You must be born again; start over. Throw away what you know about God and yourself, and rediscover the joy of living in His protection and love; the freedom He gives for us to live as we were born to live. You've never known what that was, because you've never known or been told that God wasn't angry with you, that He wouldn't get angry at you, and that His love depended only on His nature, and not yours.
But if you did know, then you know how fortunate you are to be embraced and included by our Father who embraces all that He has made.
Freedom lies in love, not in fear.
"Can a man crawl into his mother's womb and be born a second time?" (somewhere else in the bible)
Physically, it isn't necessary. But to be spiritually reborn, you have to begin at the beginning, and that can only happen by dying to yourself; to everything you have ever known. It is the final realization that indeed, a contaminated piece of soil spoils the entire well; a little bit of yeast can work through the entire dough. We can be wrong, and because we do not know, we can be entirely lost, and not know it.
Who can rescue us from this wicked state? Thank God, who sent His son to tell us the truth, and to show us the mighty and amazing life that is definite when you know God is pleased with you.
And He is pleased with you...
Nicodemus wondered the same thing. But Nicodemus was a made man, how could he not know what Jesus meant? Was it possible that he didn't know the meaning exactly because he was a made man? Was it likely that everything Nicodemus "knew" about himself was false, because his original premise of God and His relationship with man was false?
"The foolish man built his house upon sand". (Somewhere in the bible)
"You must be born again".
How much did Nicodemus really know?
How much do I really know? Was I ever really myself, or have I been brought up to be someone else? Someone whose every thought and action was predicated on a lie?
This is no hit on my parents; they were the best. They forgave me so many times, even times when I couldn't forgive myself. They always loved me and my siblings, worked their asses off to keep good food (and I mean GOOD!) on the table, a good roof over our heads, and a good sense of confidence. In no way is this a slant on them.
But it is a slant on who I was, and why I wasn't me.
The fact is, I wasn't ever me, because I never knew how to be me; there was always some reason to be something different, something likable (or so I thought), something that others would accept. I never learned how to accept me, because I never knew I hadn't.
"You must be born again" begins to make some sense to me now. Start over, because what you knew, or what you thought you knew, was built on sand. All of your life, you believed God was, or could be angry with you. All of your life you spent measuring up to a God who never expected you to. All of your life, you spent earning something that could only be given. It's no wonder you didn't know that you didn't know who you were. You didn't know who you were because you believed you knew who you were, or at least believed you could find out.
You must be born again; start over. Throw away what you know about God and yourself, and rediscover the joy of living in His protection and love; the freedom He gives for us to live as we were born to live. You've never known what that was, because you've never known or been told that God wasn't angry with you, that He wouldn't get angry at you, and that His love depended only on His nature, and not yours.
But if you did know, then you know how fortunate you are to be embraced and included by our Father who embraces all that He has made.
Freedom lies in love, not in fear.
"Can a man crawl into his mother's womb and be born a second time?" (somewhere else in the bible)
Physically, it isn't necessary. But to be spiritually reborn, you have to begin at the beginning, and that can only happen by dying to yourself; to everything you have ever known. It is the final realization that indeed, a contaminated piece of soil spoils the entire well; a little bit of yeast can work through the entire dough. We can be wrong, and because we do not know, we can be entirely lost, and not know it.
Who can rescue us from this wicked state? Thank God, who sent His son to tell us the truth, and to show us the mighty and amazing life that is definite when you know God is pleased with you.
And He is pleased with you...
ALL OF YOU!!
4 comments:
:) thanks. i needed to hear that!
Ellie,
Glad to be of service. Hope all is going well for you.
Tom, this book I am reading, "The Power of Now" reveals how much we all are wrapped up in a false identity...a false self, one that is built upon the memories of the past and which results in many fears of the future.
I am learning that I am not my thoughts and when I recognize that I can separate myself from them and see that my identity lies not in those imaginations but in who my Father is.
None of us have any control or say so in who or how we are born again and the various formulas of Christianity only add to the confusing imaginations our mind creates.
I trust that Father takes care of those details. But I am now able to see the results of that new birth built upon the death burial & resurrection of our Savior and to see it apart from the imaginations of my mind.
I am discovering that time itself is, for the most part, a psychological function of my mind. I am not the memories of what I did in the past not am I subject to the apprehension my mind, my false self produces when it focuses on those memories.
I am learning to see those lies for what they are, separate from my true self, as a son of God, from those memories, and live in the only "time" that matters...the now.
I am learning how the mind games produced in my imagination feed upon themselves as my thoughts often produce strong emotion which then reinforces my thoughts and the cycle continues producing a false image that tries to exalt itself against the knowledge of God who dwells in me, deep down inside me, deeper than my imaginations.
I agree about throwing away what we "know". It so often is but worthless dung. The only thing worth knowing is who I am in Christ...and you are too my friend.
I think that the world will someday be greatly in awe when it finally sees past its collective mind and imaginations to see how vast the wind is that blows upon us all to bring new life. We may have all died in Adam and the thoughts of his mind but we have been made alive in Christ.
It is wonderful begin to see the lies for what they are and put on the mind of Christ, a loving, merciful, gracious mind that permits me to love my true self as well as my neighbors...all of them and to see them too for who they truly are....my brothers and sisters.
I appreciate the sincerity of your heart my friend and the changes that are taking place there in your heart.
Love ya man.
Steve,
That book sounds like something I would like to read; I'll check it out.
You are absolutely right in that the "now" is the only time that matters, and I think realizing that even a little bit could help us all get beyond the lies we carry around and believe about ourselves from some "past". Thank you for that comment, Steve, I think it envelopes my post perfectly, and does a better job explaining being "born again" than I dared write.
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