AUGUST MEMORY VERSE
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  John 3:8

In John chapter 3, we first meet Nicodemus—a Pharisee and leader in the Jewish High Council. While some Pharisees (including the apostle Paul) became believers in Jesus, it appears Nicodemus was not one of them… well, not yet anyway. Being a very religious man, he was curious as he witnessed Jesus’ work. Perhaps he was intrigued by His miracles. So alone one night he secretly went to speak with Jesus.

Nicodemus acknowledged in verse 2 that he knew God had sent Jesus to teach, because no one could have performed all the miracles without God. Jesus corrected him in verse 3,  saying: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Wait… what? You can almost see the confusion on Nicodemus’s face! How can an old man already born be born again? Jesus explained that there is only one physical birth, but one must also have a spiritual birth to enter the Kingdom of God. Confusion lingered with Nicodemus.

In His typical fashion, Jesus used the analogy of the wind in our memory verse to help Nicodemus understand. We cannot see the wind, but we can see its effect all around us: the bending of trees, the blowing of dust, the swirling of leaves. We also can feel the wind on our faces or tousling our hair.

All like the Spirit of God. We cannot see Him; we don’t know from where He comes or where He goes. But like the wind, we can see His effect all around us. When the Spirit dwells within us, we become spiritually alive. Born again, we are transformed with new life and softened hearts. We don’t have a neon sign over our head saying, “Holy Spirit inside,” but the effects of the Spirit within should be evident by the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives.

We find Nicodemus again in John 19:39, and what was he doing? He was risking his life as he accompanied Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple who sought to bury Jesus according to Jewish tradition. With Pilate’s permission, they took His body to Joseph’s garden tomb and prepared Him for burial. Perhaps this love he showed for Jesus is the effect of being born again! I like to think so.

God’s Spirit is with us always. We need only accept Christ as our Lord and Savior; this is His invitation. The Spirit then comes, giving us a new life with new priorities. No matter what is happening in our world, Christ promised us the Holy Spirit—to guide, comfort, and transform us.

by Nancy Hayes