More on what “born again” really means (April 19, 2008)
To be born again is to orient your life around the God of Love instead of around your own desires & wishes, which is the way we’re all naturally oriented the first time we’re born. In practical terms, this means simply that we choose our actions & attitudes according to the needs of others rather than our own needs.
God doesn’t need much himself, just our love. But others, if you’ll only glance around you, need many things all the time. That’s why he gave us the simple commandment to put others first. And it’s why this love, this charity & compassion, is a basic precept of all major religions.
Sadly, many Christians seem to get the emphasis wrong & think they need to worry about their own sins & whether they’re forgiven. But it seems clear to me that Jesus was all about love & very little about sin, which he said we didn’t need to worry about, because as long as we forgive others, we too will be forgiven by God. So all we have to do is accept our acceptance, and then get a move on spreading the kingdom by serving others.
When we do this, we find joy!
