Editor’s note: Are you living the peaceful, joyful, exciting life the Bible promises? You can! Enjoy this devotion featuring Gary Thomas’ new book The Life You Were Reborn to Live.
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Imagine someone had lived their entire life underground, and they learned to thrive there, as much as possible (given the obvious limitations). They learned how to navigate in the darkness, how to find comfort in every season, and what to watch out for. Eventually, they became so familiar with the limitations of living underground that they never thought of them as limitations — it was just the way things were.
One day, a visitor tells them about life above ground, where there are birds, trees, sunshine, and wind. But there’s one catch — they must crawl out of the ground and into the sunlight to experience what’s up above.
The person below ground is surprisingly uneasy. It sounds like an amazing world up above, but they have learned to excel in life underground. She may be a queen, or he may be a king, underground. They’ve mastered how to make themselves as comfortable as possible, given their surroundings. They don’t know the rules of life above ground, so they choose to stay below ground, missing the sun, the wind, the light, the trees, the songs of the birds. The person who has lived above ground thinks, “How foolish! It’s so much better up there!” However, to a person who has lived their entire life underground, life above ground might seem intimidating.
Jesus calls us to crawl out of the spiritual and ideological tunnels we’ve grown so comfortable with and into the fresh air and radiating sunlight of His Kingdom. When Jesus began preaching,
Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. — Matthew 4:17,
He was essentially saying,
I’m calling you to an entirely new life, with new values, new goals, new purpose, and a new understanding. What used to work for you isn’t relevant in the new life, and often may even work against you.
The apostle Paul described it as stepping “out of the world” and “in Christ.” We must unlearn everything the world has taught us (come out) and re-learn what it means to be “in Christ.” “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I wrote The Life You Were Reborn to Live in part because, as a pastor, I saw too many Christians who were “born again” but still lived by the values, skills, and focus of their previous life. We are “reborn” in Christ to live an entirely new life, but many believers are “reborn” in name only.
For example, what God calls rich — humility — the world may even despise. Therefore, we must stop caring about what the world thinks. According to William Law, “Humility… cannot subsist in any mind but so far as it is dead to the world and has parted with all desires of enjoying its greatness and honors.” Law insists that you cannot have or maintain godly humility if you care about earthly acclaim. Lusting after earthly acclaim is the exact opposite of humility, two mutually contradictory aims.
Likewise, the Bible says that “wisdom is more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 8:11), but how many adults today keep a closer watch on growing their 401(k) than they do on daily increasing in wisdom? If we are not “reborn” in our thinking, we can spend our entire lives chasing after a lesser good and missing out on something much more valuable. Do we believe the Bible is worth living by, or not?
Before Christ, we thought peace would come by “fixing” our world — making it comfortable, removing all threats, establishing a works-based sense of well-being.
- However, biblical peace is relational — it’s all about learning to find our peace in Christ, not in trying to fix our situation.
In fact, Henry Drummond wrote a marvelous essay about how chasing the world’s prescription for peace is a guarantee that we’ll never find it.
Does anyone doubt that Jesus possessed peace? He embodies peace! Sleeping through a storm, heading to Jerusalem knowing what awaits him, entrusting his immature disciples to the Holy Spirit's guidance... He is the perfect example of peace.
But did Jesus have money? No. Did Jesus have many enemies? Yes. Did Jesus have people plotting to kill him? Absolutely. Did Jesus have a close friend betray him? Of course. Did Jesus’ disciples stay with him during his harshest trial? No. Not even one!
Let’s see: No money. Lots of enemies. Fairweather friends. An unfair trial, a corrupt government, torture, and a death sentence.
And yet, peace?
Drummond: “Christ’s life outwardly was one of the most troubled lives that was ever lived. Tempest and tumult, tumult and tempest, the waves breaking over it all the time till the worn body was laid in the grave. But the inner life was a sea of glass. The great calm was always there.”
With Jesus’ example and a reborn understanding, we can enter the blessed state of knowing that even if it’s not okay, I’m okay. That’s true peace.
God’s peace is relational, not situational.
One more example: our world tries to shame us into embracing a “materialistic” worldview — that is, denying God’s supernatural qualities and ongoing spiritual influence in this world. In the past, I hesitated to talk much about angels because I felt embarrassed — almost as if mentioning angels was like believing in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. But when I saw how central angels are to God’s work in both the Old and New Testaments, and the biblical promise that they are still active among us today (Hebrews 13:2), I realized how much we lose when we don’t highlight what the Bible emphasizes. A widow who read my book shared that she wept with joy after reading this chapter. She had lost her husband of more than fifty years and often felt vulnerable sleeping alone in her house. When she understood the power of God’s angels to protect, she began living with a newfound assurance, peace, and hope.
Humility or earthly acclaim.
Pursuing wisdom over wealth.
Understanding that peace is relational instead of situational.
Embracing the reality of living with the assurance of God’s supernatural involvement.
These are just four of the truths that now color every day of my life, the life I was reborn to live. There are eight other lies I had to uncover and discard to fully embrace the “abundant life” that Jesus promises us (John 10:10).
Are you settling for a lesser life because you’ve accepted some lies? Will you take the time to uncover these lies and be “transformed by the renewing of your mind?” (Romans 12:2). This is your invitation to fully embrace and begin living the life you were reborn to live.
i. For “in Christ” see Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:22; Col. 1:28, among others.
Written for Devotionals Daily by Gary Thomas, author of The Life You Were Reborn to Live.
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Your Turn
You were reborn to live the life Jesus promises — an abundant life! It’s time to root out the lies that keep you from it. Are you ready? ~ Devotionals Daily
