God's Holy Fire: 'A Great Have-To'

Monday, August 12, 2024

[Jesus said,] "So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'"
— John 3:7 NLT

Key Thought

We sometimes fail to realize that Nicodemus is the ultimate good guy — he is the best of the best. He is a religious leader and teacher. He has come to Jesus out of darkness to find light. He has noticed what Jesus has said and done and believes the only way Jesus could do those things is that he has come from God. But knowing and saying the right things about Jesus are not what makes a person a true follower of Jesus, a disciple, a real Christian. If Nicodemus, the best of the best, has to be "born again," then so do all the rest of us! Being born again is a great essential, a great "have to," that we all must experience. So where are you? Have you been "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5)? Have you been born of God? Have you been born again?

Today's Prayer

O Father, thank you for my "new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade"! Thank you for the cleansing power and the new life that comes from the Holy Spirit. I praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.

The quotation in the prayer is from 1 Peter 1:3-4.

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Monday, August 12, 2024

Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
John 8:12
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.""
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'You Don't Have to Have an Apostle'
"Dear Disciple, I appointed My apostles as My emissaries to the world. I commissioned them to take My message everywhere to everyone. The original..."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by George Eliot:
"We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'The Value of Godliness' (1 Ti. 4:6-10)
"Dear Father, Make us diligent athletes who exercise our spiritual bodies, recognizing that while physical exercise has some profit, godliness is of....."

Illustration

Illustration of John 3:7 NLT — [Jesus said,] "So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'"

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations