The New Birth
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.So the story behind this scripture was that Nicodemus did not understand that he needed to repent of his sins and be baptized by water was what Jesus meant by being born again. When you repent and turn your life over to Christ you are supposed to be starting anew. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.
This got me to thinking about my own current rebirth. But I'm not referring to spiritually, I am talking about emotionally in matters of the heart. For most of us who come from broken families where the damage has not be repaired we have not be taught what true pure love is. So we start in high school(some younger) prematurely getting into relationships and getting our hearts broken repeatedly creating a vicious cycle and more damage as the years go by. I'm no exception to this. Our ideas and relationships are corrupted by society and their standards. We begin to accept trash, lower our standards, become broken, and settle for less than we deserve because we ourselves don't understand what is truly means to love or be loved. Many of us end up doing things we aren't very proud of and live with many regrets. Bringing baggage along the way. To truly love comes with a great responsibility. Self sacrificial. Laying down your own life. Putting aside yourself and your own interest for another. I truly believe that's why it says in Song of Solomon 8:4 "Do not stir up nor awaken love,Until it pleases." It's not just referring to the physical but also the emotional and the huge responsibility it is that we aren't ready for because many of us are still pre-adolescent/adolescent in that area.
I know for a fact now God is re-birthing my experience with love. I don't want past hurts and baggage to taint or ruin my future. I'm moving forward and God is helping me. Right now at this very moment he is teaching me that love can be pure and innocent. I am seeing the fruits what mature love is. He is stripping away my baggage. Loving me past my pain. Giving me a new perspective as i read his word and pray. Does our past shape who we are most definitely but I truly believe that at some moments if I had been patient, long suffered, and sought the right council, i would've been spared a lot. Now I am appreciative, listen intently to the guidance of the holy spirit with the people who enter my life and take no moment for granted. Speak up, ask questions, set standards, express and receive love the way God designed it. I am ready and God is showing himself awesome and strong in this area in my life.
Once I turned my love over to God, and repented of my past mistakes, MY LOVE HAS BEEN REBORN!
Good post. As you mentioned, most of us do not have a good idea of what love really is because we were simply not taught it. Broken families and the society/media at large portray an inaccurate description of what love is. That is why you can see grown adults, 40, 50, and even eldery adults acting like preteens emotionally. Most people view love as a feeling rather than an action. That is why people can say that they "fall in love" or "fall out of love". True love can be found in God and His Word and His love often goes against conventional thinking and even our natural desires. Sure we all desire to receive that self-sacrificing agape love but to give it out is something else. It requires much dying to self, a very painful process as i can attest, and one that will not be wholly completed while we are on the earth. I will pray for you as God continues to work on you to display His love to a greater magnitude and please do the same for me.
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