God’s grace us with the ability to start each day anew.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

We often take water for granted until that water disappears.

As many of you know, I come from Oregon. When people think about Oregon they usually think about rain…and for good reason. I grew up with plenty of water.

Silver Creek Falls, Oregon

Living in Colorado is not the same thing. We’re prone to drought in Colorado Springs. A few years ago we were only allowed to water our yards twice a week. Ugh. Needless to say, my yard wasn’t very green.

Our lives are dependent on water.

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you,
no one can enter the kingdom of God
without being born of water and Spirit.'”
John 3:5 New Revised Standard Version

Jesus was speaking to a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus who had come to him at night. Jesus and Nicodemus got into a tug-of-war about rebirth. Nicodemus heard Jesus say that a person must be born again, when Jesus was actually saying that one must be born from above. The Greek word Jesus used means both “again” and “above.”

Our new birth does not come through human will but from the Spirit of God; the Spirit of renewal given us through our washing in baptism (Titus 3:4-5).

You and I have been born of the Spirit and as a result today is not merely a do over, it is a start over. That’s what God does when we’re born from above.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner