Willingly Accept Truly Eternal Rivers
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5
NASB
“Ready, Mom?” “Catch me!”
When my son was young and learning to swim we were
at a summer camp pool. There were two
diving boards, one low and one high. He
was having a blast jumping off the low one and then dared to jump off the high
one. Once he stepped to the edge of the
board he became unsure about proceeding.
I was down below in the water looking up at him. I encouraged him to jump so that others could
take their turns. He didn’t budge.
Fear took over.
I treaded in the deep water beneath the diving board
and assured him that I would catch him.
After a few minutes he stepped off, landing in my arms, but the force of
the impact plunged us both beneath the water. We resurfaced, gasping for
breath. Yes, that was a really dumb
thing for me to do, and I’m surprised the lifeguard didn’t blow the whistle and
shout a reprimand, but it was an invaluable lesson for us. My son learned that he could trust me, and I
was found to be trustworthy. Would I always be able to fulfill his trust in
me? Of course not, but I think you get
the picture.
“Truly” in
the Bible has the utmost significance, unlike in our culture, where it is
commonplace to use the word rather lightly and devoid of significance. Truly
means: surely, trustworthy, so be it, amen, and verily. To say it twice together, as in John 3:5,
demonstrates the emphasis on absolute believability. Truly, truly means you can
bank on it! Jesus does not exaggerate the truth like we are prone to do.
“Verily” comes from the root word, “veritas”,
translated, truth. Not as in interpreted
truth, but absolute factual truth, of which there is only One. Jesus states, “I am the way and the truth and the life
(John 14:6). There is no disputing what follows the “truly, truly”. Jesus was adamant that the way of salvation
was by water, referring to the repentance John the Baptist preached, and the
Holy Spirit.
Lord,
may I dare to let go of fear, as I learn to trust You completely, and jump into
Your arms of safety.
Karen Sims
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