"Happy Birthday, again"

John 3:1-8 and 1 Peter 1:23. Everyone is different- Different gender, faith, economic status, ethnicity, height, weight, size, attitude. We all go through different trials and situations related to finance, relationships, health. But one thing we all share- no matter who you are, where you live or what you believe in. It is something that is happening right now and everyday. That is- birthdays!!! We all have one. Mine happens to be this month- July 22. :)
We all go through stages of growth and development with every passing birthday. As in our physical process at each birthday there are stages, it is the same spiritually. But these changes in development don’t take place year after year like our natural birthdays. No, these stages are part of our daily process in our walk with Jesus. Not everyone is in the same stage of life physically or spiritually. Jesus is telling us that people don’t enter the kingdom of God by living a better life, but by being spiritually reborn. Jesus told Nicodemus in the book of John that a man must be born again- through the Spirit and spiritually as we grow- we can become new and new in Christ- our soul is reborn. Happy Birthday, again!! (Minister Adrianne Robinson, First Baptist Church, Belmar, NJ)