John 3:5-8
Jesus answered:
I tell you for
certain that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born
not only by water, but by the Spirit. Humans give life to their
children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God.
Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. Only
God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows
wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it
comes from or where it is going.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Last
year after Halloween, I bought “super-hero” costumes off the clearance
rack and gave Timothy, Zola and Nathan each a costume for Christmas.
The children have had capes and masks before…but this was the “whole
shebang”…suit, mask, and accessories. And all three kids have almost
worn these costumes threadbare. Ask Nathan who he is when in costume,
and he will tell you, “I’m Batman®!” or “I’m Spiderman®!” But ask about
the well-known superheroes…especially Spiderman®…and these children can
also readily tell you that he is the alter-ego of "Peter Parker." Even
though they believe that the costume makes them (at least temporarily)
into someone else (if only in a pretend sense), they also grasp the
concept of “human” – and “superhuman”.
I guess it should come
as no surprise to me how readily these little ones accept God. They
know we cannot see Him…they understand that “God lives ‘up there’ in
Heaven,” as Nathan puts it. They will even tell you that God lives in
our hearts, too…and they believe it! We are working to establish the
understanding that God is not just a “superhero” like Spiderman®, Iron
Man® or Superman®…that He is REAL all the time – even if we cannot “see”
Him – or an alter-ego - in the flesh.
I’m wondering at what
point we change from being children who readily accept that God exists
to the questioning beings that many of us are today. When do we stop
believing what God tells us and start to doubt Him? Why do so many of
us SAY we trust in Jesus, and then fail to act as if we do? How can we
possibly demonstrate Christian faith to others when our own confidence
is so terribly lacking?
We need to buckle down and spend some
time with God…both studying His word and in prayer and conversation. We
need to re-establish the connection of faith…and to truly grasp what it
means to be “born of water and spirit” – and changed into a child of
God. Some of us have not made that leap of faith – and fully embraced
the Holy Spirit. We’re like a little kid who put on the superhero
costume, then sat down and refused to play the part. The costume adds
nothing if we don’t put on the “spirit.” And once we take it off, we are
no different than when we began.
The time is here to put on the
“spirit” of God…to carry Him in our hearts every minute of the day. We
have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus…now it is time to put on
His whole armor…and keep it on…to become the spirit-filled child
of God that He has made us to be! By the time God calls us to heaven,
our “outfit” should be so threadbare that He can’t help but reward us
with a new one!
My question to you today is, “Who are you?”
Have you truly been transformed into a spirit-filled child of God? Can
others readily see this? Are you really ready to fully embrace your New
Life in Christ – and His Holy Spirit - forever and ever? Will this be
the day that you make the change?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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