Evening Scripture

John 3
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Evening Reflection 

It is one of the great mysteries of the gospel message – that when we receive Christ into our hearts, we are born of the Spirit and we become a new creation. The Holy Spirit of our Savior now dwells within us. We are born again – of the Spirit. Like Nicodemus, we ask ourselves, how is this possible? As Jesus has said, nothing is impossible with God. He loves us – He loves you – enough that He sent his one and only Son so that we who believe in Him will never perish but have eternal life. Given that He loves us that much, He wants to make sure He walks with us, leading us, guiding us, protecting us so that we are never left alone again. Before Christ, we were simply born of the flesh – and now…now…we are born of the Spirit and will be forever changed. This does not mean that we feel the change instantly, although some do. But if we focus on the new life within us – if we pay attention to the feeling that life within us – we will find our lives changed. And all for the better.

In Jude 1:30, Paul encourages us to “pray in the Spirit.” It means praying with more than just formalized words; it means turning inside ourselves to pray with the mind of the Spirit. It is about relying on the Spirit to guide us, to empower our prayers, and allowing Him to intercede when we don’t have the words. It means feeling our prayers with our whole heart and not just uttering words asking for personal blessings. Praying in the Spirit, living with the Spirit, requires honesty and openness. We must be willing to be led by the Spirit in everything we do. God has given us a new life. We are a new person. The old is gone. Sure, you’ll catch unwanted glimpses of the old once in a while, but after a while, you’ll look back and embrace what you have become in God’s light.

Evening Prayer

Father,
I choose your Holy Spirit in my life. I surrender everything to you2 Lord, all my faults, all my weaknesses, all my sins. Father, I choose to live by the fruit of your Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, guidance, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is no longer I who live, Father, but Christ who lives in me – through His Spirit.
Amen.

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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.