Born from Above

When the Spirit of God enters our lives, He brings with Him great gifts---gifts which transform us from children of the earth to those born from above.

If we are born of the Spirit, we walk not in darkness but in the light of truth;

If we are born of the Spirit, we walk not in hatred of others but in the love God bears for each of His own children.

If we are born of the Spirit, we are not deceived by what the world promises us, but know the riches of God's love.

Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3) that unless we were born of the Spirit, we would not even be able to see the kingdom of God.  When the Spirit comes, our eyes are opened and we begin to see the kingdom all around us, everywhere.  Suddenly, like someone who is falling in love, we see the world God made, as well as the one He is still making.  We can say with Louie Armstrong, "What a wonderful world!" and the negativity all around us falls away before the power of God.  What have we to fear if we know the protection of God in our lives?  Nothing can hurt us, except for His purposes.

I have often thought that when Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, He was not "expounding" some abstract principle, but actually explaining to Nicodemus what was happening to him at the moment.  I believe that Nicodemus was being "born again" even as he spoke with Jesus, Who was telling him that he could not tell where the wind/spirit was coming from or where it was going, but could know it only by its effects. 

Would that all of us could experience what Nicodemus must have been feeling at that moment---the rush of the spirit moving in our hearts and minds and bodies!