Peace With God In The Tensions Of Life
Have you ever wondered if it is possible to have peace with God, even as we walk in the tensions of life and what isn’t seen yet? When we look at ourselves and our own lives, we see inadequacies, we see areas we fail in, the messes we make, the imperfections, the areas that need work. We see the times we live excessively and let ourselves go too far in ways, we may wish for so many things about ourselves to be different. If only. If only this, if only that. If only we grew up in a healthier family. If only my personality might have been another way. If only I had a better job and made better money. If only I was taller (or shorter). There are so many “if only’s”. But peace with God isn’t about all that. All of that old self of ours came from the first birth. We were all born the first time into a sinful world that catered to sinful desires. Without God, all our motives are skewed. Even the love we show others is because we are needy of love in return. It’s so flawed....that first birth of all of us into this world with our deep need for this thing and that. For deep love. None have ever found true fulfillment of the deep love they need through any of the usual methods.
So there is a deep need to find true fulfillment - genuine love. There is a great searching for it in every person whether they recognize it or not.
We need to be born again. Jesus was the first to share about this new birth we must experience. “I most solemnly say to you, no one can ever see the kingdom of God, unless he is born from above.”
A leader among the Jews...a prominent religious leader named Nicodemus, had come up to Jesus to offer his observations and thoughts. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you have come from God, for no one can perform the wonder-works that you are doing, unless God is with him.”
And Jesus didn’t smile and nod and soak in the accolades of this Jewish leader. He was revealing something to this precious man that would forever change his life.
Nicodemus was born like all of us were. He was born into the physical world. He was born from below. This earth. This earth we live in is temporary and will pass away someday.
Jesus continued to reveal a deeper depth as He spoke solemnly to Nicodemus heart,
“Whatever is born of the physical is physical, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spiritual. No one can ever get into the kingdom of God (and therefore have peace with God), unless he is born of water and the Spirit”. Notice how Jesus speaks here and remember that whenever Jesus spoke, He wasn’t speaking of things that were from this earth, but things that come from heaven. If He talked about earthly things, those words would make temporary change. But He spoke from things that involved eternity. Heavenly things are eternal. They are never temporary or pass away. Be ever open to Jesus words and always pay close attention. Just as His words changed Nicodemus life, they do the same for us today.
“Never wonder at my telling you that you must all be born from above.
The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
That is just the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Now you may have a question to ask. Nicodemus listened to what Jesus was saying and answered by asking, “How can this be?”
Jesus went on to talk to him about Himself and how He had to die for all men “so that everyone who trusts in Him may have eternal life.”
This eternal life stuff was really important to Jesus. It was like He wanted to convey to Nicodemus to get his head out of temporary things, look up and see the eternal. And beautiful how it all happened that Nicodemus was talking with God Himself in that moment. What a moment!
And then Jesus shared the most precious precious and eternal words to this precious man:
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son, so that anyone who trusts in Him may never perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus continued to share the utmost plan and desire of God for us all, “For God sent His Son into the world, not to pass sentence on it, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
What in the world are we being saved from? That first birth! With ITS control of how you see yourself and dictating who you really are in this life and affecting you to the point where you can never see yourself as God see’s you or see the reality of who you are in your new family. A new birth is a new reality of who you are! It ties in to our peace with God. How can we be one with someone and in another family when we are still tied to our old one?
When we identify with our upbringing and it’s downward spiral of effect on us; when we stay lost in the bad things that have happened and recount those things like they have the power to control us; when we are so desperately needy to find fulfillment in this life in this way and that; are we not spinning out of control due to the nature of our first birth? The one that will pass away?
For when we turn to Jesus and hear His call to us to come and follow Him, and we find in Him a real and living Life that is so abundant because you’ve been born anew - not into an old dying and fading world but into a fresh, new and forever one that constantly is working in you to become one with God, aligning with Him, receiving His love and affirmation at all times, being corrected by Him in turning to Him moment to moment. He is changing you because you are now born into a heavenly kingdom - a heavenly family! There is no lack of love and desire. There is no chance to ever be abandoned or discarded. A Faithful Friend always there to hear and answer and work on your behalf. What would such a life look like that has all their needs fully met and satisfied with the fullness of Love everyday? Where one doesn’t need to wake up and rush out to try and find it out there in this temporary, dissatisfied and inadequate world? It can never (and I mean never) satisfy you. Satisfaction has to come from the inside and only your true identity in a Living, Life-Giving, Never-Failing Person that wants to dwell in and through you, can ever do that. The old person with the first birth must give way to the new person of the new birth. You must be born from above.
Maybe you have questions like Nicodemus had. Go spend some time in John 3 and ask God to show you what this new birth is. He will show you....and not only show you, he’ll give it to you when you ask. Want only Him beloved. He will satisfy you in His Love. The new birth and having peace with God is your new birthright.....your inheritance. Have you been born from above?
So there is a deep need to find true fulfillment - genuine love. There is a great searching for it in every person whether they recognize it or not.
We need to be born again. Jesus was the first to share about this new birth we must experience. “I most solemnly say to you, no one can ever see the kingdom of God, unless he is born from above.”
A leader among the Jews...a prominent religious leader named Nicodemus, had come up to Jesus to offer his observations and thoughts. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you have come from God, for no one can perform the wonder-works that you are doing, unless God is with him.”
And Jesus didn’t smile and nod and soak in the accolades of this Jewish leader. He was revealing something to this precious man that would forever change his life.
Nicodemus was born like all of us were. He was born into the physical world. He was born from below. This earth. This earth we live in is temporary and will pass away someday.
Jesus continued to reveal a deeper depth as He spoke solemnly to Nicodemus heart,
“Whatever is born of the physical is physical, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spiritual. No one can ever get into the kingdom of God (and therefore have peace with God), unless he is born of water and the Spirit”. Notice how Jesus speaks here and remember that whenever Jesus spoke, He wasn’t speaking of things that were from this earth, but things that come from heaven. If He talked about earthly things, those words would make temporary change. But He spoke from things that involved eternity. Heavenly things are eternal. They are never temporary or pass away. Be ever open to Jesus words and always pay close attention. Just as His words changed Nicodemus life, they do the same for us today.
“Never wonder at my telling you that you must all be born from above.
The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
That is just the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Now you may have a question to ask. Nicodemus listened to what Jesus was saying and answered by asking, “How can this be?”
Jesus went on to talk to him about Himself and how He had to die for all men “so that everyone who trusts in Him may have eternal life.”
This eternal life stuff was really important to Jesus. It was like He wanted to convey to Nicodemus to get his head out of temporary things, look up and see the eternal. And beautiful how it all happened that Nicodemus was talking with God Himself in that moment. What a moment!
And then Jesus shared the most precious precious and eternal words to this precious man:
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son, so that anyone who trusts in Him may never perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus continued to share the utmost plan and desire of God for us all, “For God sent His Son into the world, not to pass sentence on it, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
What in the world are we being saved from? That first birth! With ITS control of how you see yourself and dictating who you really are in this life and affecting you to the point where you can never see yourself as God see’s you or see the reality of who you are in your new family. A new birth is a new reality of who you are! It ties in to our peace with God. How can we be one with someone and in another family when we are still tied to our old one?
When we identify with our upbringing and it’s downward spiral of effect on us; when we stay lost in the bad things that have happened and recount those things like they have the power to control us; when we are so desperately needy to find fulfillment in this life in this way and that; are we not spinning out of control due to the nature of our first birth? The one that will pass away?
For when we turn to Jesus and hear His call to us to come and follow Him, and we find in Him a real and living Life that is so abundant because you’ve been born anew - not into an old dying and fading world but into a fresh, new and forever one that constantly is working in you to become one with God, aligning with Him, receiving His love and affirmation at all times, being corrected by Him in turning to Him moment to moment. He is changing you because you are now born into a heavenly kingdom - a heavenly family! There is no lack of love and desire. There is no chance to ever be abandoned or discarded. A Faithful Friend always there to hear and answer and work on your behalf. What would such a life look like that has all their needs fully met and satisfied with the fullness of Love everyday? Where one doesn’t need to wake up and rush out to try and find it out there in this temporary, dissatisfied and inadequate world? It can never (and I mean never) satisfy you. Satisfaction has to come from the inside and only your true identity in a Living, Life-Giving, Never-Failing Person that wants to dwell in and through you, can ever do that. The old person with the first birth must give way to the new person of the new birth. You must be born from above.
Maybe you have questions like Nicodemus had. Go spend some time in John 3 and ask God to show you what this new birth is. He will show you....and not only show you, he’ll give it to you when you ask. Want only Him beloved. He will satisfy you in His Love. The new birth and having peace with God is your new birthright.....your inheritance. Have you been born from above?
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