The Seed of the Word
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth, and abideth forever. 1 Peter 1:23
Read 1 Peter 1:13-25
You cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you are born again. Has the necessity of this vital truth become a personal issue for you? You had no input in your natural birth. You also cannot bring about your own spiritual birth. However, this does not mean you should remain passive, waiting for it to happen. Instead, you must become burdened by the necessity of being be born again and flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
How can your heart be opened? How can your self-will be bent that you ask: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? How can you begin to love the Lord and hate the ways of sin? Only through the good seed of the gospel! Your parents have sown that seed; it has also been sown in catechism classes, at Christian school and especially during worship services.
The Word of God is the good seed from which the plant of regeneration has its beginning. Not one farmer can expect a harvest unless he sows good seed or plants seedlings into the ground. In a similar way, we should not expect regeneration to take place if the Bible remains a closed book and church services remain unattended. However, what if the miracle of regeneration does take place in your life? Then you can only thank God for this unspeakable gift, just as the natural farmer must thank the Creator when he has been given a harvest.
Thought: You do not need to know when you were born again, but you need to know whether you have been born again.
Psalter 141:1,3 (based on Psalm 51) Gracious God, my heart renew, Make my spirit right and true; Cast me not away from Thee, Let Thy Spirit dwell in me; Thy salvation’s joy impart, Steadfast make my willing heart. Not the formal sacrifice Hath acceptance in Thy eyes; Broken hearts are in Thy sight More than sacrificial rite; Contrite spirit, pleading cries, Thou O God, wilt not despise.