Read: John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Reflect:

If you’ve ever made the trip into Cincinnati during rush hour you know you have plenty of time to read the bumper sticker on the car in front of you.

There is one sticker that lingers in my mind. It simply said – Born Right the First Time.

When Jesus began his conversation with Nicodemus, He told the man that “unless you are born again, you will not see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). Nicodemus didn’t understand (yet) that each one of us needs to experience a spiritual rebirth by believing and trusting in Christ.

The truth is many people fail to see their need of the Savior. I’ve heard people say things like –

“I’m as moral as the next guy.”
“I’m better than most of the people who go to church anyway.”
“I am just fine the way I am.”
“I believe my good deeds will outweigh my bad deeds and if there is a God, I’ll be in.”
“I’ll get to heaven by doing it my way.”

Respond:

In my daily work life, part of my job is to provide solutions to problems, but no one gets excited about the solution to a problem he/she doesn’t see in the first place. Acknowledging our need is the first step.

I am sure that I for one was not born right the first time. In spite of my self, the good news is found in the well-known verses above – God gave Christ for whoever will believe and He did not come to condemn us but to save us so that we might live.