Why did Nicodemus approach Jesus at night, in the dark? What do you think he was afraid of? Have you ever been afraid of being noticed as a Christ follower? I used to worry about what people think. Later I worried that if I was persecuted for my faith, would I deny Christ? But a careful reading of what Jesus says indicates that true change happens when we are born again. A transformation happens and continues to take place, changing who we are into someone new. The contrast of being in the light or in the dark of not knowing Christ is huge.
“The troubling reality is that believers can be deeply committed to being Christian without ever being deeply formed by Christ.” - Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”[1] But you and I also understand something intuitively: Things that matter most never come easy. The greater the demand, the deeper the payoff. The greater the challenge, the more profound the joy when it is met. The higher the mountain, the deeper the satisfaction when it is summited. The more we die to ourselves and yield to Jesus, the more we come alive. This is the paradox of the Jesus Way.”
Excerpt, The Narrow Path by Rich Villodas
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