28th. August. 2020. Daily Devotion.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’

3 Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’

4 ‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’

5 Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’~ John 3:1-8

Here is a comment on this passage:

We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it. The entire concept of Christianity is new life; the possibility that we can undergo a profound change for the better. In fact, we cannot find God and eternal life unless we undergo such a change so astonishing that it can only be compared to dying and being reborn, completely new.

People talk about how hard it is to change old habits, but they can and do change. the most ingrained habits, the most difficult addictions, cannot stand up to God, when you enlist His help. If there is something you want to change, here is a basic plan, in three easy steps. First, decide to do it. Second, pray about it. And third: start.

1) Make your decision absolute. Push that decision to 100%. Deciding 99% to change a bad habit or way of thinking is tantamount to saying, “maybe I will and maybe I won’t.” You have to jump out of the airplane before your parachute will open.

2) Prayer, every day, will work miracles. Can God help if you do not ask Him? If you can be persistent in your prayer, you will create a tail wind that pushes you towards your goal.

3) You don’t have to live today like you did yesterday. Once you have been born again in Christ, the chains of sin are broken. Most of us have something we have been meaning to work on; and this is your wake-up call to get started! MB

The Way

To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way,
And the High Soul climbs the High Way,
And the Low Soul gropes the Low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
The rest drift to and fro.

But to every man there openeth
A High Way, and a Low.
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go. ~ William Arthur Dunkerley (aka John Oxenham )

Prayer for the Morning

For the bird which sings outside my window,
For the tree that stands outside my door,
For the neighbour who waves and says, “good morning”,
I give you thanks dear God, for these and more,

Your blessings every morning know no limit,
Yet I often rush by not seeing them, I fear;
Let me take a moment this and every morning, God, I pray, to remember all of them, and know that you are here. Amen.

“God who holds us in our anxiety”

God of grace and mercy be present with us as we face an unknown future and as we walk paths untrodden. In the ever-changing and uncertain world where we find ourselves, help us to know and be assured that you are sovereign, that you are all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present. We know you are a good God who holds us in our anxiety and distress and who has a plan for our future. Calm our hearts and minds and give us hope in you, our only certain hope. We pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. — The Rev. David Loleng, PCUSA.