When I was about 12 years old I went with a friend over to her Aunt’s house, but before we went in my friend warned me that her Aunt was a “born again Christian.”
That phrase intrigued me, but I didn’t understand it. What was clear was that “those people” were to be avoided and I needed to be very cautious around them.
I met her Aunt and she didn’t seem weird or different to me at all. The only difference I saw was that she had a picture on her wall of Jesus Christ. That’s it…
…but what I learned from that moment could have had eternally devastating consequences.
A couple years ago, going into the holiday season I had a pretty poor attitude actually. I very much enjoy singing Christmas carols; don’t get me wrong the harmonies and chords put together are absolutely divine. But at that time, I was being filled by and adored singing praise to my God through the heartfelt lyrics contemporary worship songs offered. The thought of reverting back to those age-old and over-sung Christmas carols just irritated me. But they are fun to sing so I figured I could put up with it for that month or so and very much looked forward to when we would go back to singing songs of real praise to our Lord.
Boy do I have a lot to learn…and Praise God for changing my heart and opening my ears!
One day I heard the carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
How many times have I heard that song…in fact, how many times have I sung it?!! But that time around …which I’m sure was about the 85,369th time… I heard a phrase I never heard or I guess I never paid attention to before:
“…born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.”
There it is!
The reason Christ came…to give us “second birth” or in other words, so we could be born again!!
Being a “born again Christian” is not something to avoid, it is something to achieve…for Goodness sake, we SING SONGS about it!!
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 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. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:3-7 (NIV)
Had that phrase been explained to me back when I was 12 years old, my life could’ve been so different… and I might have avoided some very poor choices. I obviously wasn’t ready to hear it then and thankfully God had other plans. I certainly would not be the person I am today had I been saved at a younger age and as I look back now I can see all of the “born again Christians” God did use and continues to use to point me to Him and I praise Him for each one.
Who is He using in your life?
Better yet, how is He using YOU?
I Spy God 