John 3:7-10 (TEV)
"Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'
'How can this be?' asked Nicodemus.
Jesus answered, 'You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this?"
I feel for Nicodemus. He is a leader, a teacher, of the Jews. Yet he has come to Jesus seeking answers in a sense of confusion. He wants to believe. He must have felt totally humbled, perhaps humiliated, by Jesus' "You don't know this?"
But Nicodemus knows Jesus is speaking of new, unfathomable, concepts. Born again? Winds of the Spirit blowing all around? The author of d365.org today offered the idea of experiencing the RUSH of the Holy Spirit while sky-diving. The image of Nicodemus free-falling and feeling the Winds of the Spirit came to mind. Hey, Nicodemus, it's ok to NOT have all the answers! We today are glad you asked these questions - because Jesus had to explain it all in words that we can begin to understand.
Let the transformation of rebirth begin again...and again....and again. (God is so very patient with us!) The Spirit of God is at work. Let us seek and be led by that Spirit.
This is great! "Spirit-Chuting" I think of a comment made by an individual about to jump out of an airplane on their first parachuting experience. "Why should I jump out of a perfectly good airplane?". Isn't that a what we ask continually, why should I jump out of a perfectly good life? Sure we are willing to parachute out of an airplane when it quits working, just as we are desperately willing to jump out of a life when we can't avoid seeing our it isn't working! What we fail to realize is, in life, we all are "Spirit-chuting", God up-holds us, whether we know it or not! It is only when we realize and accept that we are not in control and we do not up-hold ourselves or anyone else, that we then have the freedom to look around and take in the view, only then can we see the view from God's perspective and enjoy the view for what it really is, a new an unimaginable world!
ReplyDelete"Spirit-chuting" you got it Ginger! By the way, how's the view?
Jim
I love how you take my picture and further the meaning, the interpretation, to new levels!! Yes, we ARE all Spirit 'chuting, and we need to be ready to jump out of the plane (a new interpretation of stepping out of the boat to walk on water?)
ReplyDeleteAnd nice job using the comment form, Jim!!!