“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11

My 8 and 5 year old grandsons were over yesterday, and because it was hot, they ended up in the pool. A favorite game of ours is my throwing pennies into the water and their diving down to get them. After I ran out of pennies, it was time to introduce them to something new. What happened next was a good lesson for anybody who wants a more abundant life!

I challenged the oldest to dive down to the bottom and stay there. Because he had a tendency to float to the top, I stood on him to keep him underwater. Over a minute later, he still wasn’t struggling. But I let him loose and he came up laughing saying, “that was cool!” His younger brother then hollered, “do that to me too grampa!” So I held BOTH of them underwater… while their mom laughed and videoed the scene!

“Horrible!” or “Child abuse!” some might say. But attempted murder is probably more like it! What I DIDN’T say was what made all the difference. Because floating above them was a scuba tank with 2 regulators supplying air to them! Though underwater, they were breathing just fine! And LOVING IT! What under normal circumstances would be considered horrific, had just become a great time!

Unless one is a fish, breathing and underwater do NOT go together. When Jesus told Nicodemus that to enter Heaven one had to be ‘Born Again,’ His words were shocking! They still are! People who haven’t exercised Faith in Christ have the tendency to drown in the sea of common sense, rather than trusting in the Savior. Jesus is just trying to get them under… to show them the life that is greater!

My grandsons are smart. They know staying underwater too long can be a serious problem. They SAW the contraption with the hoses floating in the water, but my trying to explain the scientific and practical applications of scuba was NOT going to get them down and keep them down. What they needed to do was what they did! They TRUSTED me… then gave it a try! Just like Jesus asks us to do!

Faith requires action. That means that I can be told over and over that God is good and that His ways are better and more joyful than what I am used to. But until I do more than just , and be willing to dive under and be held by Him, I will NEVER experience the REAL life He promises me. But FIRST, I must be willing to die to my own old way of seeing and doing things!    I’ve tried and… Jesus Works!

Have YOU exercised faith in Jesus Christ and been Born Again? If so… how’s it going?