APM Wed PM Live
John 3:1 ¶ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was a very “good” man. Jesus was dealing in John chapter 3 with a man who did what was right, and treated men right.
No matter who someone is, a person must be born from above. The righteousness of Nicodemus likely exceeded most people in the church. Mary and Elizabeth and Zacharias where dedicated to the law of God and his ways; Nicodemus was certainly similar. Regardless, everyone needs to be born of the spirit.
The reality is that every man has sinned and come short of the glory of God.
We have two responsibilities; to have a relationship with the Lord to where we live at the highest level of morality and ethics; yet we live totally dependent upon the Holy Ghost and the grace of the Lord Jesus.
Even with the righteousness that Nicodemus had; sin still had to be finished; he had to come and be born of God.
We need to shine as a light unto the world, to where we truly are the Holy Ones. We have a responsibility not only to tell them, but to show them. Moving into a place in our lives where there is enough anointing that people would sense it.
This is about an encounter with the almighty God; the privilege and opportunity to come and be mentored by the Holy Ghost.
We must be those so desperate, like a deer in the desert; then I will open up the rivers of heaven. We need to find some place in God where we are focused and completely desperate for the anointing of God. Jesus demands this passionate hunger for the righteousness of the kingdom.
What are you hungry and thirsty for. Do you have too many things on the list? Or is your eye single. Distractions will dilute your focus and cause unhappiness to come to you. There is a lot of reason for us to be compassionate to a lost and dying world and to be understanding and sympathy to their state; but there should also be the tension to desire to prove a Jesus different than the false representations so many have seen.
The longing doesn’t reach to something in your self, but a heart cry to God that he would move through you to touch a hurting and dying world.
Oh God, how can I be stirred with the compassion that compelled you to be crucified so you could show me your love.
