Given by the Holy Spirit
Scripture Reading — John 3:1-21
Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
— John 3:5
God’s grace doesn’t just “happen” to come to us. It comes to us from God the Father through the obedience, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the saving work of Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches that we all share the stain of Adam’s sin. From the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb, we are in rebellion against God. Our rebellion, though rooted and connected to Adam’s first sin, includes our own inescapable inclination to sin. Our hearts are hardened against God: we have plugs in our ears and blinders over our eyes. On our own, we are hopelessly lost.
But the Holy Spirit comes to us and changes our hearts.
The Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts is sometimes overlooked or downplayed. Through the sometimes dramatic though often mundane events of our lives, the Spirit woos us, draws us to him, and moves us toward the love of our Father in heaven. And when—and only when—the Holy Spirit has softened our hearts, unstopping our ears and removing the blinders from our eyes, do we turn to God.
We are saved by grace alone through the power and work of the Holy Spirit. Be aware of the Spirit working in your life today, filling you with grace and flowing to those around you.
Creator Spirit, you laid the world’s foundations, and you set us free to live in God’s love and mercy. Make us your sacred temples to live and serve and glorify our Father. Amen.
About the author — Kurt Selles
Kurt Selles is the director of ReFrame Ministries and serves as the Executive Editor of Today. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center. Kurt and his wife, Vicki, reside in Grand Rapids and have three adult children.
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