Born Again: So cliche?, Overused! But Yet a reality for us as Christians that means so much more!

          Several months ago I wrote about " A Visit in The Night" concerning Nicodemus who visited Jesus and in that meeting Jesus told him he must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.  Well, we in the 21st century have heard this terminology bandied about almost recklessly to a point of nausea.  This is unfortunate because this is exactly what is needed to enter the kingdom.  We cannot enter in by another way, gate, or climb over a wall and sneak our way in.
                                              What it is and what it is not....... 
       First and foremost it is a depositing of the Holy Spirit into a vessel (us) that is seriously flawed and full of sin.  Therefore we are required to repent or consciously turn away from our own ways or works that does absolutely nothing for us.  Jesus said somewhere..."Without me ye can do nothing."  And this is the truth.  Without recognizing that Jesus was slain for us as our redeemer we will continue to live out our lives without the "covering of blood" that was necessary to blot out the handwriting of requirement (or law).  This might seem savage for us to comprehend in this day and age and require us to wrap our minds around this concept, but nevertheless it must be accepted as truth in order for anyone to enter the kingdom that is 
reserved for the children of God.  
     What blanks Nicodemus lacked in understanding as a teacher of the Law Jesus filled in quite nicely that night.   
      Baptism goes hand-in-hand with repentance and symbolically we die with Christ and rise again out of the water a new creation.  A forerunner of the resurrection to come.  
                                                
                                              What it is not!
      Being born again does not mean that we are arrogant,judgemental, disputatious, people concerned only with disputes and doctrines that serve to divide the Christian Church.  So many on the outside looking in, get turned off by these types of attitudes within the Church.  Like Paul, Peter, John and the other disciples they learned that above all we are the ones that should be open and accepting of people's sin nature and whatever form it occupies for them. After all what is anyone before coming to God?   What I mean is this:  Judge not that ye be judged!  Not my words but true.   It also means that we love one another as he( Jesus) loved us.  1st John 1:1 is an excellent read for this.  Being born again has so much deeper qualities associated with it than just a surface understanding.  It is a complete change of mind.  Looking at life's issues as God would!  Full circle and taken back to the origin of our creation and seeing through new eyes.  It dispenses with so many half truths and cleans out the barn so to speak and refreshes us for new beginnings.  It is a walking out in faith that God meant what he said and we enter into a relationship personally with the Holy Spirit as guide, counselor, lover of our souls.
     One could ask themselves why should I? And what benefit is it for me?  Much.  
Jesus healed, fed thousands, taught wisdom, walked endlessly for three years and invested himself for our sake to reinforce to us that God cares for every single thing we do, could go through or have done to us and then adds eternal life as the final topping.  This is no small thing.  I dare other faiths to even come close.  
     There is cost: It means forever living for .....(not yourself) and making yourself available for each and every teaching or "word out of the mouth of God" If we do not do this but only become hearers...then it does nothing.  
       Joy unspeakable, rivers of rushing water that rise up from the belly and understanding our place in this great cosmos:   This is being born again...................