“Now if any man have not the Spirit of God, he is none of His.” Romans 8:9
Dear Ones:
When Nicodemus came by night to talk with the Lord, he was as a man drawn to the reality of that which he saw in Christ, but was not sure about what he saw. He came to Jesus with a lot of baggage, many concepts, his religious training and disciplines, and a reputation among his peers. But nothing that Nicodemus was, or had done, resolved the nagging questions in his heart about Christ. He had most certainly heard Him speak, and had seen some of His miracles, even declaring to Jesus: “…for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” (Jn. 3:2) That which blocked Nicodemus from true faith, and thus, salvation in Christ, was two things. The first was denying the greatest miracle of all, Christ standing before him. Here was a man who demonstrated by what He said, and did, that He was sent from God. Nicodemus believed this, but did not go far enough to believe that Jesus was in fact, the Son of God. One of the reasons for which this was so, and revealed, was that Nicodemus did not believe that Jesus could perform the miracle in him personally, that of creating a new person by the Spirit. Jesus very plainly dealt with all that Nicodemus relied upon, his logic, religion, and his reputation, so that Nicodemus was brought face to face with the Person of Christ as the only one who could perform the miracle of bringing him into the kingdom of God by the new birth, being born by the Spirit.
The second “mountain” that was an obstacle to Nicodemus was the thought that he had to understand everything before it could become reality to him. He could not grasp the physiological impossibility of entering again into his mother’s womb, to be born again. Nor could he grasp that the invisible Spirit of God could usher him into the kingdom of God, IF he would truly, and wholly, believe that Christ was indeed the Son of God. The call of Christ to his heart was that he believe first that Christ was the Son of God. Secondly, the call was that he be born again of the Spirit, if he was truly willing to be so above every other consideration. Herein lies the unveiling of the goodness and grace of God to this man who sought Jesus, without the distractions of the crowds. We do not know the moments, or even days, before Nicodemus came to true faith in Christ. We only know that it was only possible because God did it in him.
What then is the first requirement to be ready to meet God? It is the new birth, that moment when, not only a person’s sins are forgiven, but when he or she is born of the Spirit of God, Christ coming to dwelling in the heart by faith. The Lord, in his parable concerning the ten virgins, makes this very clear. In Matthew’s gospel, he speaks of five virgins who had oil in their lamps, and five who did not. The basic reason for being accepted by the bridegroom was the presence of oil. There was no readiness, nor acceptance, in meeting the Bridegroom without the oil.
A second requirement of readiness to meet God is the attitude of present expectation of mind. This is revealed by watchfulness, living in the expectancy of the Lord’s return. The believer is circumspect, also watchful and attentive of the enemy’s efforts to tempt, turn him aside, or even rob him. The man who is “ready” is one who is quietly vigilant, ever seeking to be about his master’s business. Faithful and wise, he uses the authority and delegated responsibility given him, to provide for, and oversee, the care of those whom the Master has entrusted to him.
Thirdly, readiness is characterized by the wise, faithful servant using well the resources of His Master, furthering His Master’s will and purposes. Present readiness means present engagement in Christ’s service.
Dear Father, Give us to live in readiness, faithful and wise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad