| Born Again! Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:3 Born again. Do you know what Jesus had in mind when He said those two words to Nicodemus? He was talking covenant talk. He was telling Nicodemus what it meant to have a covenant with God. Let me paint the picture I believe was in Jesus' mind. Imagine a baby, a little baby born of an unwed mother. No one knows who its daddy is and no one wants to know. He is a child that nobody wants. He doesn't belong to anyone. Now, picture the best kind of family you can think of. A family that loves God. The man has a good job. They're blessed financially. They're givers and lovers of people, and they fall in love with this baby. Before long, they adopt it. What's happened? That baby was reborn. He got a new set of parents. Through adoption, he has now become an heir. Why? Not because of anything the baby has done. Those parents didn't say, "I want you to look at that baby. I'm so impressed with all that child has done for us. He has certainly earned our love and respect." No, it's a baby. It couldn't have done anything to earn its new life. This man and this woman agreed together out of the love in their hearts and bestowed grace on that child. Now he has access to everything they have. When they offer him a bottle, he doesn't knock the bottle away and say, "I'm so humble and undeserving. Just give me water." Of course not. That baby acts like part of the family--and not just part of the family but the best part of the family. Because in Jesus' day a covenant or adopted child had the same birthright as the firstborn son. That's what Jesus was talking about when He said, "You must be born again." He was talking about grace. He was talking about a new relationship of favor. A new family. A new authority. A new power. If you feel unworthy to receive the rich blessings God has for you today, think about that. Meditate on it, so instead of worrying about and struggling with the needs in your life, you can just walk boldly into the throne room of your Father and receive help to get those needs met. Discover what it really means to be a blood-bought child of Almighty God with a big brother like Jesus. Discover what it means to be born again! By Kenneth Copeland |
Daily Smile:
Hey, why couldn't Robin play baseball?
'Cause he didn't have a bat, man!
- submitted by Merritt
In The News:
Nine of 12 Jurors in Gosnell Trial Were 'Pro-Choice'
According to Philadelphia local affiliate NBC 10, nine of the 12 jurors
who convicted abortionist Kermit Gosnell of murder on Monday were
"pro-choice," CNSNews.com reports.
The jury found Gosnell guilty of first-degree murder in three instances
of killing babies born alive during abortions by snipping their spinal
cords with surgical scissors. According to NBC 10 reporter Jacqueline
London: "And to give you some background on the jurors, of the seven
women and five men who are on the jury, at least nine told the court
that they are pro-choice. Two say that they are neither pro-choice nor
pro-life. So, interesting background on them, they have been very
attentive throughout this entire trial." In addition to the three
first-degree murder charges, Gosnell was found guilty of involuntary
manslaughter in the overdose death of a patient and more than 200 other
related charges. Earlier on Monday the jury was hung on two of the
counts, though the court would not specify which ones. Philadelphia
Court of Common Pleas judge Jeffrey P. Minehart told the jurors to try
again to reach a unanimous verdict.
Government Appeals Unrestricted Sale of Plan B
The Obama administration has filed an appeal that will delay the sale
of the morning-after pill Plan B One-Step and its generic competitors to
girls without prescriptions, CBN News reports.
The government says U.S. District Judge Edward Korman overstepped his
authority when he ruled that any girl of any age should have access to
the contraceptive drug. Last week, Korman refused to delay enforcement
of his decision while the government challenges it. Monday's last-minute
appeal asks the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan to
postpone the judge's ruling while the case is being decided.
Tebow Finds Fulfillment Off the Field
Eleven days after the New York Jets cut him, Christian quarterback Tim Tebow told
a crowd of about 3,000 at Lake Michigan College that his main goal is
to impact lives, whether on or off the field. And that shouldn't be too
hard considering a Forbes.com survey released last week named Tebow
America's most influential athlete. Despite the controversy surrounding
his public faith, Tebow finished ahead of Olympic swimmer Michael
Phelps, Jamaican track star Usain Bolt and Yankees shortstop Derek
Jeter. "That’s a huge honor," Tebow said in response to the survey. "I
see it as a great responsibility to be a role model for future
generations. That's something I care about more than winning football
games. If I can take the game of football and can transcend football --
go to hospitals and make kids smile -- I'll be doing things that
matter." Although Tebow didn’t mention his dismissal from the Jets
during his hour-long speech or offer any insight as to what his next
move might be, the 25-year-old did talk about finding a life of
fulfillment after the game. "What I want to do with my life is impact
lives," he said. "When a kid in a hospital is fighting for his life and
I'm trying to win a football game, what really matters? This game isn't
as important as a lot of us make it out to be. If I can give him a
little bit of hope, I can do something that matters. That's what I want
my legacy to be about. That's how I want to be remembered."
Open Doors USA
has issued an urgent appeal for prayer after receiving news that
suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked the predominantly Nigerian
Christian village of Zangan in southern Kaduna state around midnight on
Monday. Local sources report fatalities and Open Doors says it
understands "the entire village has been destroyed." The village chief's
residence was reportedly burnt to the ground and the village chief's
whereabouts remain unknown after he fled Zangan. Churches and homes were
among the buildings destroyed in the attack. Open Doors reports:
"Zangan villagers are fleeing in large numbers for fear of escalating
violence. Local sources have told us that Boko Haram had vowed earlier
to destroy the predominantly Christian communities located in southern
Kaduna. We do not have any more details at this stage, but understand
that this area saw a similar attack about four weeks ago. Open Doors
urges to pray for the people of southern Kaduna state and Zangan village
in particular." Open Doors USA spokesman Jerry Dykstra said: “The
extremist group Boko Haram wants to create an Islamic state and put
Sharia Law into effect in a country split almost equally between
Christians and Muslims. Attacks by Boko Haram have killed more than
3,000 people since 2009, based on figures from Human Rights Watch.
Please pray for peace as the violence is spreading, especially in
northern Nigeria."
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