Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
A play on words - breath and Spirit. Both mean the same, with one referring to oxygen and the other to the presence of God. Both are needed for life. Without oxygen, there is no physical being, and without the Spirit, there can be no everlasting life.
When God the Spirit breathes, there is life.
The same miraculous power of the Spirit which breathed life into Adam breathes life into all who are born to this day. We've inherited Adam's DNA, and with it, we only know physical life because of the Spirit's breath.
Sure, you're not born of the dust of the earth, but just as surely as Adam found physical life through the breath of the Spirit, so does every new born baby.
Surely you know by now that life becomes precious from even before that first breath. Just ask any pregnant woman and they will tell you of the life within them. From your conception, the Spirit knew you and prepared you for that first breath.
No man or woman is hidden from the presence of God. The Spirit was there at the first breath, and he greatly desires to be there for a new breath, that which brings everlasting life.
Believers get a brand new start at eternal life, one not corrupted in sin. John's gospel records that Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Unless one is born of the again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Actually, it was more than just a telling of facts. It's more like warning with a sense of urgency. You who have life by the Spirit's first breath, now is the time accept the life-giving presence of the Spirit's second breath.
We all need a new breath of the Spirit. Not for oxygen anymore, but for God's everlasting presence. This is the second birth. The touch of the Spirit is the breath of God and the life he brings. Not just once, but a second breath for all who will believe.
Lord Jesus
I thank you for two breaths of the Spirit. I know my physical life is a miracle of you. Every new life born today I claim as a miracle from above. And in your grace, you've touched my life again. This time, it was a second breath of the Spirit, one bringing everlasting life with you. Amen.
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