Seeing and Entering
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3
These words ran through my mind over and over again as I sat listening to the minister preach. What was this? I’d been hearing this verse completely wrong! I had even quoted it and I still didn’t have it right!
That night it struck me differently than it ever had before. I used to hear it and think Jesus said, “except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” But notice the difference: it doesn’t say “enter,” it actually says “see.” Even though they are both powerful ideas, it struck me as amazing. He said “enter” as well in a later verse, but here He went as far to say that you can’t even see the kingdom of God without a “born again” experience.
My mind goes back to the story of Moses and the promised land. The only difference is that Moses was allowed to see the place he was going to go to—but he couldn’t go there. He had the misfortune of being able to see the amazing country God had in mind for the people, yet being unable to enter it. It’s like if someone let you stand outside of the most amazing amusement park, or a historic sports event, or a beautiful garden—whatever your definition of wonderful is—and then stopped you from going in to it.
Yet Jesus said that we can’t even see that amazing place without Him. We can’t hear or see anything about it. We can only imagine. I don’t want to be like Moses sitting on the outskirts, unsure about whether I’ll be able to see this amazing place or not. The thing is, God has given us so many tools not just to see, but to enter into His kingdom. We don’t have to settle for less! He laid out the path before us. Yes, at times it may be difficult, but isn’t forever much more amazing than right now? Jesus loved us so much He died for us. Then after he washed all our sins away He made a way for us to live with him forever. So many times I take this for granted. I need to learn to put my everything into not just seeing but entering. I know you do as well.
Here is your challenge: if you aren’t certain that you will enter the Kingdom, get to the place where you are sure. I know that in the end when Jesus gathers His Kingdom together, you and I will want to be there entering, not just sitting off to the side. Don’t just see, but enter!
I never thought of it that way before… It’s not just that we can’t experience everything without God, we can’t even imagine what we’re missing!
Great topic for discussion, engages all, discriminates none. Thanks for the reminder to be Kingdom minded, not just to see but to enter it.
Thanks for sharing that
Great challenge. Too often we look at God’s rules as requirements rather than a pathway into his kingdom.