29 April 2019 - born again

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

We have been born again in water and Spirit through baptism. The risk now is that we will revert to the flesh after having begun with the Spirit.

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (see Galatians see 3:3)

We need to choose to live this new reality which comes to us as gift.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (see Galatians 5:25).

Our old selves are still inside, kicking around, waiting for an opportunity to break free and take back over. Living from the old man within is habitual for us. We're used to it, so we have a tendency to backslide into it. It isn't always blatantly obvious either. It becomes a subtle shift from relying on God to relying on ourselves. It is a move from finding our worth and validation in the eyes of our Father to finding it in our eyes and those of others. Every time we seem to achieve something on our own without giving thanks we are at risk. Every time we receive praise that we don't refer to God's grace we are at risk.

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (see Ephesians 4:22-24).

Even with all this risk of corruption through deceitful desires we can still walk safely through the dark valley without fear if we rely on and keep looking back toward the guardian and shepherd of our souls (see First Peter 2:25) to renew our minds and help us to live out of the new self we are given.

How do we shake of the dross of self-reliance? What do we do when we know we need renewal? Holy boldness is the answer. It is a radical trust in what we would never be able to do on our own.

and enable your servants to speak your word
with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders are done
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

The world can't stop us from living the renewed life as long as we choose to receive it. 

Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord.