The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
John 3-5
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 2: Christ’s Ministry; God’s True King Manifests His Kingdom
Background Information: John 3-5
The most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, comes embedded in a nighttime conversation with a Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus recognized that Jesus had kingdom authority because he saw his kingdom power. What this expert in Jewish law could not comprehend was that the only way for people to enter the Kingdom of God was to be born again. In 1976, a former henchman for disgraced President Richard Nixon wrote a book entitled “Born Again.” Chuck Colson had been a cutthroat political operative who was convicted of his crimes for his role in the Watergate scandal. Colson had become a Christian as he experienced the truth of the Gospel presented to him by loving Christians. He lived the rest of his life impacting the world for the gospel that had completely changed his own personal world. The book, its title, and its author were widely mocked. Most people didn’t know that the title came directly from the words of Jesus. Like Nicodemus, they failed to understand that the powerful reality of new birth in Christ changes us in time and eternity. He was an expert in religious matters, but he could not see the plain truth when Jesus presented it to him. Stop reading and blow on your hand right now. You feel it, but you can’t see it. It is a kind of reality that is invisible to your eyes. The wind outside may be blowing clouds and tree branches around as you read; you can see the impact, but not the wind. The Spirit of God is invisible to the human eye, but his impact on human lives is very visible. He brings new birth, and that new birth is revealed in a new way of living life. God so loved that he gave his son, so we would not perish but would have eternal life. Eternal life is not just quantity (more life) it is quality (an entirely different kind of life). Jesus did not exaggerate when he called it a “new birth.” John chapter three is holy ground. Walk humbly, gratefully, and thoughtfully on that ground today. When you see the impact of the wind, and when you feel it on your skin today, remember the gift of God in Christ Jesus.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Hope’s Gate. Ask God to use their ministry to make the truth of the gospel known to women working in the sex industry.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.