Open Invitation (John 1:12-13)

/ January 8, 2014

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (John 1:12-13)

Read: Genesis 25:1-27, 1 Chronicles 1:28-34

Relate: OK, I’ve been sitting here now for a good hour just reading those two short verses over and over again. How do I tell the age old tale in a creative new way? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself and I’ve been coming up blank. My mind has gone over the story I’ve been told of when I accepted Christ (too young to remember) and the earliest memories I have along those lines. I’ve been thinking of other times I have written on this. Mostly I have just been worshiping and thanking God for the wonderful, mysterious, awe inspiring thing called grace. Sometimes the old stories are the best. Sometimes the simplest stories are the most profound.

React: So here is a simple version of the greatest story of all:

 We sinned. From Adam right on down through each and every one of us, we have each acted out in willful rebellion against God through our words, thoughts, and actions. This sin causes separation from God. He is so perfectly holy that nothing sinful can stand in His presence. However, God loved us so much that He became the solution to our problem. God chose to put aside His divine prerogatives and was born in the frailty of humanity. He lived a perfect life healing the sick, raising the dead, and teaching through word and action how we are to live. Through guilt and jealousy the people He came to save turned against Him and killed Him in a most torturous death. This death was actually a part of God’s divine plan because through it Jesus willing took our shame and bore the full brunt of God’s wrath against sin. He who knew no son became sin for me. He died. On the third day He proved who He said He was and also gave us hope in eternity when He was raised back to life. Not to all who believe and accept Him, He gives the right to become children of God. We can be reborn into a life that comes from God. This is an open invitation that is available to all. Will you accept it?

Respond: 

So guess what? Today’s my birthday. I don’t want gifts and I don’t want money.  That is not what this is about. But if you want to do something for my birthday, I can think of nothing better than to take this basic message above and spread it around. Find someone in your neighborhood, at your workplace, in your family and tell them today this age old story. I don’t care if they’ve already heard it a hundred times. Tell them again. God’s grace has an open invitation so let’s start inviting.

And if you are reading this blog but have never yet made a decision to surrender your life to Christ, why not today. It is as simple as ABC: admit you have sinned, believe that Jesus sacrifice can pay the penalty for those sins and confess your need for Him to save you. If you want to look into it more I’ve got five links above that go deeper into the story. There can be no greater honor than for my birthday to become your rebirth day.

Be Blessed. I love you all.
Beejai

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25 thoughts on “Open Invitation (John 1:12-13)”

  11. “Worshiping and thanking God for the wonderful, mysterious, awe inspiring thing called grace.” It’s the best we can do to open our arms and our hearts to accept, then pass along, His grace. You are doing just that. It’s the best present ever. Happy Birthday, B.J. May His light continue to shine through you as you build His kingdom.

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  18. Today is actually my birthday, July 31! I was looking at my feast day saint and that is St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit (Society of Jesus) and I like the fact that the church celebrates not their day of birth as their feast day but the day they died or their birth into heaven. It is because for a christian, the day you die is the day you enter your true home and be with your Father. For a christian if you have lived a life like that of St. Paul’s race then you are the happiest when it is time for you to die. I love my birthdays, I get parties and gifts and I am really happy that I am loved on this day. Well as a christian I now have something more than this day I was born to be truly happy, I look forward to the day that I will meet my lover face to face and that day will truly be the best birthday for me! I pray that I may live a life that is pleasing to His sight so I may have a great birthday at the end of my life. Dies Natalis!!

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