The Danger of Seeking Jesusਨਮੂਨਾ

I used to think my smartphone was a helpful tool until, one day, my battery died while I was out. The panic I felt was immediate and disproportionate. That's when I realized this gift had become something more in my life—something I couldn't imagine living without.

It's funny how it happens. The things we initially receive as gifts—technology, relationships, success, even religious knowledge—subtly transform into something we worship, depend on, and find our identity in. What begins as a blessing becomes a false god.

This is precisely what happened to Nicodemus. He had received many gifts from God—religious knowledge, social status, leadership position, and respect from others. But these gifts had subtly become his gods—the things he trusted, rooted his identity within, and refused to surrender.

Consider the Apostle John’s words. "For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God."

When we cling too tightly to God's Gifts—religious knowledge, church involvement, material blessings, or status—we risk making those Gifts our gods. We come to Jesus wanting blessings without His Lordship, solutions without His Transformation, and comfort without His Challenges.

However, seeking Jesus is riskier than we realize precisely because He loves us too much to let us settle for the Gifts when He offers us Himself.

Let's review what we've learned from Nicodemus's encounter:

1. Being religious is not the same as being born again. Jesus didn't come to make us more religious but to transform us entirely. Church activities might be helpful, but they're not the goal—becoming a new creation is.

2. Jesus's Words don't always make sense to our natural minds. When His Teachings challenge our comfort or contradict our culture's values, we face a choice: Will we adjust our thinking to align with Jesus, or will we try to adjust Jesus to fit our preferences?

3. Jesus came to bring Salvation, not condemnation. We were already condemned for our sins, but Jesus offers us a way out—not by being "good enough" but by being born again through faith in Him.

So how do we respond? How do we seek Jesus without making His Gifts our gods?

First, come to the Light. Stop hiding in darkness. Acknowledge the parts of your life you've kept hidden, the sins you've minimized, the ways you've trusted in God's Gifts rather than God Himself.

Second, surrender your religious identity. Like Nicodemus, many of us find security in being "the good Christian" or the knowledgeable church member. Jesus calls us to find our Identity not in what we do for Him but in what He's done for us.

Third, embrace the risk of transformation. Seeking Jesus will take you places you never expected to go and make you someone you never imagined becoming. It's risky—but infinitely worth it.

Nicodemus's story doesn't end with this nighttime conversation. We see him again in John 7:50-51 defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin. In John 19:39-42, Nicodemus helps to bury Jesus's body. Both events are signs that this initial encounter led to genuine transformation. He sought Jesus, risks and all!

If you want practical guidance on how to seek Jesus without making His Gifts your gods or running from the risks, I've created a unique resource for you. The "Seeking Jesus Action Plan" provides specific steps to help you identify where you might be clinging to Gifts rather than the Giver, along with Biblical practices to reorient your heart toward Jesus Himself. Click here for complimentary access.

Remember: seeking Jesus is risky, but a life transformed by His Love is the Greatest Gift you've ever been given.