"Born Again..." - Daily Word #26

When someones receives Christ for the very first time, we often say that he/she is Born Again.

In Bible days, there were many who heard this and did not agree with the rationale of Jesus, as they thought "how can I be born again when I've already been born". :)

Being Born Again represents a spiritual and metaphorical rebirth, accepting Jesus as Messiah and Lord, and receiving the Holy Spirit. This must not be confused with Baptism that may / may not go hand in hand with being Born Again.

Source

To understand what being Born Again is all about, you should read Acts 8:26-40 -- a wonderful story of how Philip (after Jesus' death) led an Ethiopian Official and Eunuch to God. Right after sharing they came to some water and the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"

Then Philip said something amazing,

"If you believe with all your heart, you may."

And after the eunuch proclaimed that Jesus is the Lord, Philip went down to into the water and baptized him.

What does this mean?

If ANYONE Believes and Confesses that JESUS is LORD over their lives, he/she is Born Again, a New Creation -- Behold, the New has come, the Old has passed away.

And if ANYONE is already a Born Again, it is good to follow the footsteps of Jesus and get Baptized. It is a Public Declaration of one's Faith and Hope in HIM!

Source

I remember I was 21 years old when I received Jesus into my life afresh and anew. But when I did that, my mother (who was NOT a Believer at that time) said that I can believe in Jesus, provided I did NOT get baptized!

WOW! Even a non-Believer understood the great stance of one's declaration of Faith when stepping into Baptism. But... Glad I did not listen to my mother (this once). And I got baptized the same year!!

Years passed and I asked my mother (who accepted Him much later), "what made you believe in Jesus?" What she said surprised me. One of her reasons was that she could "See the visible CHANGES that I made in my life".

Praise God, that just blew my mind... and it also scared me as I realized that "people are watching" our every move as a Christian.

Being Born Again (just like Baptism) requires tenacity in our walk, transformation in our talk and above all, a total trust and obedience to God for our days ahead! It will never be a walk in the park, but it is worth ALL of our effort.

Dear Lord, help me by the Power of Your Holy Spirit to Live My Life as a Pleasing Sacrifice, Holy and Acceptable, and to be a Great Testimony to YOU! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Blessings & Shalom.

SG

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