“There
was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The
same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except
God be with him.” John 3:1-2
The patience in persistence…this
describes Nicodemus. It took a while for Nicodemus to come out of the dark, but
God was patient with this "undercover" believer. Afraid of being discovered, Nicodemus met
with Jesus at night. Daylight conversations between Pharisees and Jesus tended
to be antagonistic, but Nicodemus really wanted to learn; getting more than he
expected he left that evenings encounter a changed man. He came away with a
whole new understanding of both God and himself. As the high council discussed
ways to eliminate Jesus, Nicodemus raised the question of justice. Although his
objection was overruled, he had spoken up. He had begun to change. Our last picture of Nicodemus shows him asking
for Jesus' body in order to provide for its burial (Joh
19:39). Nicodemus was making a
bold move, yet he was willing to continuing to grow. God looks for steady growth, not instant
perfection. Jesus will be patient with us, but He does ask for persistence and
boldness as a Christian. How well does
your present level of spiritual growth match up with how long you have known
Jesus, are you being persistent or requiring Jesus to be patient?
Even the darkest hour only has sixty-minutes;
being persistent the snail made it to the ark!
HSAY…Todd
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