Lent is a time of renewal in spirit in our life and of service to God. A time of repentance.
The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is not something we can necessarily see, but it is no less real. So, the Holy Spirit moves in us to draw us to God, to cause us to become a new creation. The call to be born of the Spirit is the same for us as it was for Nicodemus. We must be born of the Spirit. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can recognize its work.
What that means to us, is that once we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, it should be at least noticeable to a certain extent. As you accept Christ as your personal Savior and become a child of God, you should commit to put away your sinful habits of your old nature, so that your new life in Christ is evident to everyone around you. When you do that, people will notice.
So, Jesus says that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. Many may wonder what Jesus meant by the word “believe.” What are we to believe or how do we believe? What does the word “believe” mean? First, it means to be convinced. A person must be convinced that Jesus died for their sins, that they can be forgiven, and that God has a place for them in heaven.
That word “believe” means to have faith or trust. A person must place their full confidence in Christ. The word believe also means to entrust. A person must entrust their life into the hands of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus provided the way for us to experience this new birth. When we are born again – that is, born of the Spirit – we receive the promise of eternal life. We experience the forgiveness of our sins. We experience His presence in our lives now and forever. Through the Spirit, we are made alive in Christ. We’ve been changed. We’ve been new born.
If this sounds like a simple message, the truth is, it is very simple to receive the gift of salvation that God offers. We’re given New Life in Christ when we trust in Jesus as our Savior.
In closing, I offer this prayer. (Author unknown):
“Father, we come to You now asking you to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We ask, Lord, that you would draw us so close to You as we realize that we may not know you the way we should. I pray Father, that you would touch our hearts today and that your Holy Spirit would overwhelm us. I ask, Lord, that if there is any doubt in any mind or in any heart, that You would draw us to You now…for we ask and we pray it in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
