You Only Live Twice

“Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (KJV) 

An old James Bond film was entitled, “You Only Live Twice.”  However, the film producers had no idea how true that statement was, because twice is the only way to live!  You can’t live the Christian life until you have been born into the Christian family.  And that’s what Jesus told Nicodemus:  We have to be born again. 

In his book, “New Life, New Lifestyle”, Michael Green likens us to tadpoles and frogs.  Up till our conversion we were living in a pond like the tadpoles and now we have turned into frogs and come out from the pond to begin a new life on land.  Like the frog we are completely at home in our old world, the pond, and we know all the experiences we had before, but a new world has opened up to us.  We have died with Christ, ending the old way of living, and can now share Christ’s resurrection life through the Holy Spirit, because He is the example of the right way to live.  “…The old life is gone, a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). 

The Amplified version of Romans 8:9 says, “But you are now living the life of the Spirit if the Spirit of God dwells within you, directs and controls you.”  We are now God’s people, part of his family and we live by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

Because we are living the new life, Colossians 3:1-4 NLT tells us, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” 

Prayer

Father, I am so glad that I have been born again into your family.  Please help me to do everything you tell me and follow the perfect example of your Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen 

Study by Jill Newman