One Problem

Dear Friends,

This morning I was reading the story of Nicodemus, as it's told in John 3. For those of you who aren't familiar with this story, Nicodemus was a religious man - a Pharisee, actually. The Pharisees were a very strict sect of people who believed strongly that they held the key to pleasing God within their long list of rules to be followed. So by the world's standards, Nicodemus would have been an extremely devout and holy man.

However, he had one problem - he wasn't in touch with God. He thought he knew how to handle life, but he didn't. As a result, he was left miserable and in search of an answer to his problems. That's what led him to seek out Jesus. And when he met Jesus, Nicodemus let his guard down, and opened up his searching and lonely heart. Jesus responded by telling Nicodemus the Gospel Truth. As he listened, John 3:9 tells us that Nicodemus responded with, "How are these things possible?" With this question, Nicodemus basically said to Jesus, "I know there's an answer, but I don't understand what it is. What do I need to do?" And with that statement, Nicodemus humbled himself before Jesus and honestly asked for help.

I love the story of Nicodemus because I think it shows us how we need to approach Jesus as well. Here’s what I mean - there have been times in my own life when I've tried to understand how God was working, or when I've struggled to feel joy or peace or hope. Almost every time I found myself in this situation, I would try to fix what was wrong on my own - but it just didn't work. Fortunately, each time God met me right where I was - with my little bit of faith - and filled my life with hope and peace. Just like He was trying to do with Nicodemus.

And how he responded to Nicodemus, He can do for each and every one of us. So today, let's follow Nicodemus' example and seek out Jesus. Let's turn to him, and humbly open up our hearts - letting Him know of our struggles and questions and burdens. And then let's be still and listen - giving Him the opportunity to be at work in our hearts – meeting our needs, bringing us hope, and filling every empty space.

Amen?

Daniel