On Being Born Again

Verses:

John 3:5-6: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Thoughts:

If you are saved in God, you are born again. This is not a one time “rebirth” where we are given a badge of “born again” and we can keep acting in the same sinful way. If you are born again, you are like a baby: learning how to breathe correctly, how to eat correctly, how to move correctly. You are learning how to be truly human. 

The perfect man was Christ, and he was the most human of us all. He lived for God‘s glory, perfectly living out the purpose of humanity. If you are not living your life for God’s glory, you are in one sense being “less human,” because God. creating humans to glorify Himself. 

So, when you are born again, you are learning how to do the basic tasks of life as humans were always meant to do: Not selfishly, but for God.

Being born again, being saved, means there is a difference in the way you live and breathe. There is a difference in your step. There is a light and joy in your life that cannot be found anywhere else. 

It means living with new eyes and a new heart. Our old eyes that loved to look at sinful things have been ripped out. We have been given new eyes that love to see goodness. Our old, dead hearts have been torn from our chests and we have been given a new heart that is throbbing with energy and vigor. Our body is flooded with new blood. Our lungs expand with new oxygen. We begin to live as a true human with this new heart. This new aliveness. This new awareness. 

And because of this newness of life, this vivacity of our once dead bodies, we are “set apart,” holy, from the dead world. 

So how does this newness actually impact your day to day? Let’s looks at three examples: eating, work, and menial tasks. 

First off, eating. As a Christian, your eating not fueled by idolistic reasons. Delight in giving up food for others or sacrificing that oh so delicious treat for a loved one. Fuel your body and feed it, not for selfish reasons, but so that you can better love God and your neighbor. Rejoice in the goodness of food, not idolizing it, but thanking the Creator for making it absolutely delicious!

Second, work. Whenever you go to work, even if it’s hard and frustrating, I encourage you to reshape your mindset. First off, you have a job! Thank God for it! Secondly, search for what he is teaching you during this time. If God is all powerful (and He is), and He uses all things for your good to conform you into the image of His Son (which He does), then there should be a deep rooted joy in every single task you do. You know that the almighty God is using every single little thing to grow you and shape you. How amazing and comforting is that? 

Third, the newness impacts you in the menial tasks. Your days are rightly filled with necessary things: brushing teeth, doing dishes, folding clothes, cleaning up. It’s easy to get bored and tired and frustrated at times with the "monotony of life.” However, I entreat you to search for joy in the mundane, the beauty in the simple. Christ did not come to earth robed in golden garments and sitting as a mighty king on the throne. No. Christ came as a lowly servant, born in a stable. Think about it! God could have chosen ANYWHERE for Christ to be born, but he decided it was okay for there to be no room in the inn. God was pleased with the Christ Jesus, Savior of man, being born in a lowly manger!

Kindly, reader, you have no reason to complain about the tasks and the place in your life God has given you. What you can do is correctly assess where you are, where you want to be, and take control of your choices and actions. If you have goals and aspirations, do not begrudge the present. Rejoice in it. Be thankful for it. Then, work toward those goals as a child born again by God’s grace. 

Summary: Being saved, being born again, means we are learning how to live in a different way–as humans were always meant to live. We have new life and vivacity, and this can be seen from our eating, to our work, to even the most menial of tasks. Be encouraged by God’s work, be humbled by His plan, and seek to live in newness life. 

Ask Yourself: What are 5 specific things that frustrate me, and how can I change my mindset to be thankful instead? Now expand this: what things do I struggle with in life and how can I change my mindset to focus on God’s goodness in those?