By Mathilde Fisher
“For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).
This is what Jesus told Nicodemus. It’s a verse that Christians have quoted, but don’t really explain the meaning. As a child, and even in my adult life, I heard about Jesus, but never understood why I had to believe in Him. Yes, Jesus died on the cross. Yes, Jesus bled for my sins and yes, I was told to accept Him. But how?
It’s very simple. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” What? Like Nicodemus this can be confusing, but Jesus explains by saying, “Flesh gives birth to flesh….” That’s true, we are all flesh when we are born. But Jesus goes on. He says, “….but the Spirit gives birth to spirit…..” Wow! Jesus is talking about Spirit not the flesh. It is the Spirit of God that gives life.
Ok, nobody explained how I could get this ‘Spirit’ that Jesus was talking about. Most of my childhood my parents took me to church. I heard the stories of Jesus. I had an desire to know this Jesus, but when I read the Bible it didn’t mean much to me. God was drawing me to Himself. The question was, “How do I reach God?” The answer was in a book I read. My mother told me to read it. The book was about a Muslin woman who excepted Jesus. She just asked Him into her heart. Really? That’s all I had to do. So I knelt at my bed and asked Jesus into my heart. Then I repented- Iasked for forgiveness of my wrong doings (sins).
The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and purify us of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ) This was the start of my walk with Jesus. I was 20yrs old and that was 40yrs ago. It was a simple act that changed my life. It’s difficult to describe, but I knew I was ‘Born Again’. I felt alive and free. Infact,that is what Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will cross over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV). This simple act of accepting Jesus did just that. But it’s comes with struggles and I had to learn how to overcome them.
To be continued…
Think About It With Matty! 