The teachings of Jesus were permeated with the concept that God wants to give good gifts to those who love Him. Jesus was always clear about the fact that He was going to die, and after His resurrection He would return to His Father where He had been before His human birth in Bethlehem. But He wanted His followers to know that God would continue to give good gifts to them. He said, “At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name… Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:23-24).

Take time to pray…

Thank Jesus that He came not to judge you but to save you (see John 3:17);

Thank God for the direct access you have to Him because of Jesus (see John 16:23);

Ask God to help you come fully into the light so that others can see that you are doing what God wants (John 3:19-21).

Reflect..

What do you think Nicodemus found most shocking in this covert conversation with Jesus?

What are some of the good gifts. God wants to give His children?

In Jesus’ teaching on prayer in John 16:23-24, is He issuing a blanket promise to give you everything you want? If not, then what is He teaching you about prayer?

Read these passages for further study on God’s gifts:

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Matthew 7:7-11

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

2 Peter 1:3

 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

John 3:1-21

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^[g]

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

The power of God’s love shows how easy it is to love him. Respect and lean on him more!

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

We now have spiritual life because the Spirit of Christ lives within us, and we have the potential to grow in Christlikeness. It is impossible to live the Christian life without the Spirit of Christ. There must be birth before there can be life and growth.

Many who are trying hard to live good Christian lives are not in fat Christians at all. Such efforts to be Christlike without the Spirit of Christ are futile. Sooner or later, such a person will become frustrated with his or her efforts and will fall by the wayside.

Spiritual growth is much like marital growth. It takes time, open communication, and commitment. Spiritual growth is the result of our cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s work within us and allowing the attitudes of Christ to become our attitudes. In our own efforts, we cannot attain to Christlikeness. Only as we allow God’s Spirit the freedom to work in our lives can He produce the qualities of Christ in us.

For maximal spiritual growth, our daily prayer should be, “Father, I yield my life to Your Spirit today, to work in me the things that will make me more like Christ. Give me a clearer understanding of Your ways as I read the Scriptures, and give me power to follow Christ’s teachings.” This is not a mechanical process. It is a genuine, growing relationship with God that satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart. And when you pursue personal spiritual growth, you create a climate for spiritual intimacy in your marriage.

Take time to pray…

Ask God what specific area of your heart/life He is targeting right now;

Yield your will to His Spirit today, to make you more like Jesus.

Discuss

What is your part in your own spiritual growth, and what is the Holy Spirit’s part?

When have you felt frustrated with your lack of spiritual progress?

When have you clearly seen the Holy Spirit at work in you?

Consider these passages for further study on Spiritual Growth:

Psalm 51:9-11

Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

Romans 8:9-11

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.”

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing local election and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

What are you doing to grow Spiritually?