Born Again, Out of Control: Nicodemus and God's Love

Here's why. Because God loves us, and there's nothing we can do about it. So stop. Stop. Stop trying so hard to get god to love you just a little more. Stop. God is already crazy about you. There's nothing you have to do. Here is the truth about a relationship with god. You are enough right now. The way you are, the way you've been designed, you are enough without one extra thing about you. You are enough. [00:52:29] (57 seconds)  #YouAreEnoughNow

One thing that I see sitting in this chair, one thing that I see from people so often is that they will run themselves ragged trying to get God to like them more. And this passage is saying to all of us, we already have a helper. We already have an advocate. We already have a representative. We like to imagine that we're in control even of that. We like to imagine that if we just work harder or work hard enough in the church, if we just attend enough bible studies, if we just listen to enough sermons, [00:50:27] (39 seconds)  #StopChasingApproval

We have no control over a lot of things. Whether it's an earthquake at a dentist's office or the way people respond to us, we have no control over that. But we also have no control over the length that God will go to love us. Look for the helpers this Lenten season, those who will help us to know that you are enough. So friends, may we embrace our complete and total lack of control. May we look for the helpers, and may we true truly, truly know [00:55:22] (44 seconds)  #LookForTheHelpers

Because what happens when the things that we have told ourselves for so long and the thing that we aspire to be and want to be, what happens when that turns out to be false? Let me give you an example. Let me give you an example. One of the things that we tell ourselves all the time that turns out turns out it's false, Turns out it's not true in the least, is that we are self made people. No. We're not. No. We're not. [00:47:20] (30 seconds)  #NoOneIsSelfMade

You don't have to do one more thing to get God to like you a little more. God is already crazy about you. You don't have to do one less thing or be a certain way or not be a certain way. God is already crazy about you. Now hear this well. Hear this well. That doesn't mean, yay. I could do whatever I want. That's not what that means. It means that you are loved no matter what you are, [00:53:26] (33 seconds)  #LovedNoMatterWhat

If we insist that this is the way the world is and this is the way that it's always going to be, then despair is going to be our response. But things are the way that they are until we all decide that they're not anymore. I don't know of the exact year, but it brings to mind, I think in I think it was 1971. Up until 1971, women couldn't open a bank account without a man saying that it was okay. That's the way things were always done. Until we said, [00:15:44] (41 seconds)  #ThingsCanChange

if we were not people of hope, the only logical response would be despair. If we look at what is happening in the world and we say, well, there's nothing we could do about it, so I guess this is just the way it is, then despair would be the only logical response. But we are the people of God. We are people of hope. I do not know how to bring peace to that area of the world. I don't know how to do that, and chances are neither do you know how to do that. [00:14:17] (47 seconds)  #PeopleOfHope

You know what else happens that you have no control over, but it's a really great thing? God's love for you. You have no control over it. You have no control over it, but that's great. That's a great thing because God loves you so much, and there's nothing you could do about it. There's nothing you could do about it. God loves you that much that there's nothing you could do about it. So [00:21:59] (28 seconds)  #UncontrollableGrace

If we look at what is happening in the world and we say, well, there's nothing we could do about it, so I guess this is just the way it is, then despair would be the only logical response. But we are the people of God. We are people of hope. I do not know how to bring peace to that area of the world. I don't know how to do that, and chances are neither do you know how to do that. But I do know how to be peace. I do know how to embody peace. I do know how to embody hope. I do know how to be relentless in hope. I know how to do that. And so maybe that's the only thing we can do. [00:14:26] (58 seconds)

You don't have to do one more thing to get God to like you a little more. God is already crazy about you. You don't have to do one less thing or be a certain way or not be a certain way. God is already crazy about you. Now hear this well. Hear this well. That doesn't mean, yay. I could do whatever I want. That's not what that means. It means that you are loved no matter what you are, no matter who you are. You are loved. There's nothing that will ever change that. [00:53:26] (39 seconds)

We have no control over a lot of things. Whether it's an earthquake at a dentist's office or the way people respond to us, we have no control over that. But we also have no control over the length that God will go to love us. [00:55:22] (18 seconds)

Let me give you an example. One of the things that we tell ourselves all the time that turns out turns out it's false, Turns out it's not true in the least, is that we are self made people. No. We're not. No. We're not. Every single one of us every single one of us got to where we are because somebody else helped us. There's no such thing as a self made person. No such thing. But we've told ourselves this lie that we don't need anyone or anything else. [00:47:32] (41 seconds)