When The Door Slams
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:3-4 NIV)
We are born male or female. We are born into a certain family. We are born with a certain ethnicity and skin color. And we are all born with a will to break God's law. Since the very beginning, mankind has struggled to trust that God's laws were worth following. We have wondered if perhaps God is withholding good things from us.
God has things for us to do, and we ignore Him. God has things for us to stay away from, and that is what we find ourselves attracted to. God did not create us to defy His law-we do that on our own.
God forgives, offers mercy, extends grace, and love humanity because Jesus paid the price. God is holy, which means He's perfect, sinless, and set apart. Grace is not a free pass, forgiveness is not a green light to sin again, and mercy is a gift not an entitlement.
We all were born in sin. We are reborn to follow Jesus. The first birth is into the family of mankind. The second birth is into the family of God. One of those families has eternal benefits and life-changing impact. Have you been born again? And if you have, how have you been treating the grace, forgiveness, and the mercy that God has extended to you
Think about this: God's laws are eternal and unchanging: obedience leads to abundance and joy; disobedience leads to disaster. God has given us a guidebook for righteous living called the Holy Bible. If we trust God's Word and live by it, we are blessed. But we choose to ignore God commandments, the results are as predictable as they are tragic.
Each day, we make countless decisions that can bring us closer to God, or not. Do you seek God's peace and His blessing? Then obey Him. When you are faced with a difficult choice or a powerful temptation, seek God's counsel and obey the counsel He give. Invite God into your heart and live according to His commandments. When you do, you will be blessed today and tomorrow and forever. Obedience is a foundational stepping-stone on the path of God's will.
Those who obey Christ's commandments abide in Him, and He in them. And this is how I know that He abides in me: by the Spirit whom He has given me (1 John 3:24).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
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