The Spiritual Reality

John 3:1-8

​There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”   Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”   Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”   Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

There is a spiritual reality that exists beyond, but which is connected to, our physical reality. The spiritual reality is harder to understand because it is not something we can physically interact with.

Any created thing world's best when it is functioning according to its design. Our bodies work best when we feed them the right fuel. Our relationships work best when we love and forgive.

We were created as spiritual beings. This means that in order to be the best we can be, we need to be right spiritually.

Jesus says that we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we have been born spiritually. We need to experience a spiritual birth. This happens when we place or trust in Jesus Christ.

This not only has eternal consequences, it also has an impact on us here and now.


Questions:
1. How would you describe God?
2. Have you had any significant spiritual experiences in your life? If so, would you be willing to describe one of them?
3. When you think of the word "spirituality", what comes to mind?
4. How important do you think the spiritual area of life is for you?  In what waits are you seeking to grow in this area?
5. In what way(s) do you think growing spiritually might help you as a student and an athlete?