DAILY READING
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REFLECTION
Simple Mysteries
by Judy Webb
“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3: 8 (NLT)
I Believe in God the Father Almighty. I must admit that when I saw this was our topic for a number of weeks I wondered why. I have been familiar with this prayer since a young Catholic girl, but it never really got me to thinking about it. It was just another one of those rote things we said every time we were in worship. I can't tell you how thankful I am that we will be sitting in this prayer and studying the meaning by studying God's word for the next 11 weeks.
I am feeling challenged to open my mind and prepare my heart to discover new and amazing things about our God. I am certainly entertaining the probability that He has a lot to teach each one of us; much to impart to our hearts and minds that we maybe never considered before. So, what does God want to tell us, what does He want us to understand and then share with others?
First, let's expand our horizons and read more than one translation when trying to make sense of a verse or two. Here is the ESV translation for John 3:8: "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 of everyone who is born of the Spirit."
This is a mystery, a mystery that might keep us engaged in the Word. Not a secret, but a mystery. Mysteries can be fun and a learning experience, often with simple answers. Like Sunday during the children's sermon, Pastor Steve asked the youngsters if his pen would hit the ground if he dropped it. Then he asked why they believed it would. One child answered, "because it has happened before." A simple answer, but true. Just like with the wind. we can't see it, but we know it is there because we can see and often feel the results of a cooling breeze or a vicious storm.
The challenge here is for us to come to grips with the reason for our belief. Let us consider why we Believe? When did we first Believe? Do we always Believe? What do we Believe? I'll bet the answer to each of these questions is part of our testimony, and maybe we should be sharing these answers with the world.
PRAYER PRACTICE
Dear Jesus, expand our horizons as we study the Creed. Give each of us a new and exciting revelation as we sit in your Word, soaking up the beauty and wisdom found on every page. Enlighten our minds and fill us with Your Holy Spirit and reveal why and when each of us first believed.
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