DAY 1 — Nicodemus: The Confused Believer

Scripture — John 3:1–21 (NLT):

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony.

But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Passage Summary:
Nicodemus, a religious leader, comes to Jesus privately with questions. Jesus explains that salvation isn’t about religious knowledge but spiritual rebirth through the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is received by believing in Jesus, not earning God’s approval.

Devotional:
Nicodemus knew the Bible. He knew theology. He knew the rules.
What he didn’t know… was how to be alive.

So Jesus cuts straight through religion and says, “You must be born again.” Not improved. Not upgraded. Reborn.

This is foundational Christianity:
You don’t enter God’s Kingdom by trying harder — you enter by surrendering deeper.

Jesus points Nicodemus to the cross before it even happens. Salvation would come not through effort, but through belief. Not through light performance, but light exposure.

God isn’t afraid of your confusion. He just refuses to let confusion replace transformation.

Pause + Reflect:
“The new birth is not the improvement of the old nature, but the creation of a new nature.” — A.W. Tozer

Think About:
Am I trusting Jesus, or just understanding Him?
Where am I resisting being fully changed?

Pray:
Jesus, I don’t want religion without rebirth. Make me new from the inside out.

Dig Deeper:
Ezekiel 36:26 |
Titus 3:5

💡 Live It Out — “Turn On the Light”
Ask God today to change you, not just teach you.

Comment:
Drop a 🌙 if you’ve ever believed but still felt confused.