• 
• EXTEND Capital Stewardship Campaign
• EXTEND Sermons
• EXTEND Documents
• EXTEND FAQ
• Devotional Guide
• Day One
• Day Two
• Day Three
• Day Four
• Day Five
• Day Six
• Day Seven
• Day Eight
• Day Nine
• Day Ten
• Day Eleven
• Day Twelve
• Day Thirteen
• Day Fourteen
• Day Fifteen
• Day Sixteen
• Day Seventeen
• Day Eighteen
• Day Nineteen
• Day Twenty
• Day Twenty-One
• Day Twenty-Two
• Day Twenty-Three
• Day Twenty-Four
• Day Twenty-Five
• Day Twenty-Six
• Day Twenty-Seven

Wednesday, October 17th (Day Three)

Read:
John 3:1-15

"Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Reflect:
In our culture, we come up with all sorts of requirements for the "good life." It consists of some version of having or doing the right things. I came home one evening to hear the following lyrics playing (loudly) in my daughter's room:

"Iced tea imported from England, Lifeguards imported from Spain, Towels imported from Turkey, Turkey imported from Maine." (Who says brilliant songwriting is dead?) These are the requirements of Sharpay of "High School Musical 2" who needs "all things fabulous."

Jesus also talks about a requirement, but it is not for the "good life" as our culture defines it. It is for something far better: Entrance into the Kingdom of God. The requirement, however, is one we cannot meet. When Jesus says you must be born again, he is saying that the Lord himself has to perform heart surgery by removing your heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh that beats with love for him.

If you have received this gift, which theologians call regeneration, it should have the affect of changing your priorities from the moving target of the "good life" to the fixed target of seeking first the Kingdom of God. A priority change of such magnitude will re-focus all of our lives, from what we do with our time to where we spend our money. The Kingdom of God extends only where this message is present and presented. Is it present among us and presented by us?

Apply:

1. How influenced are you by our culture's definition of the "good life?" Have your priorities changed over time as you recognize more and more the gift you have been given of a new heart?
2. In what ways have you dedicated yourself to presenting the regenerative message of Christ to those in your spheres of influence? In what ways have you dedicated your financial resources to this same end?

Pray:

1. That the Holy Spirit would blow in Houston to cause many more people in Houston to come alive in Christ.
2. That you as an individual and we as a church body would re-prioritize our lives in order that the message of regeneration would go forth from us to a world in need.