Imperishable

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)

Do you remember the day you were born? Of course not, because birth isn't something you accomplish. Birth is something that happens to you.

Think about your first moments on earth. You didn't crawl out of the womb saying, "Here I am!" No, you were brought into this world by forces completely beyond your control. Your mother did the hard work, and God provided the miracle, but you received the gift of life.

Jesus uses this exact same analogy to describe salvation. He tells Nicodemus, "You must be born again." Notice He doesn't say, "You must work your way to heaven" or "You must earn God's approval." He says you need a second birth—something that happens to you, not something you make happen.

The Apostle Peter takes this further by explaining two types of birth. Your first birth came from "perishable seed." Though it was wonderful and miraculous, it carried the shadow of death; the day you were born was also the first day you began dying. Your second birth, however, comes from "imperishable seed," from God's living Word.

When you receive Jesus, you experience a second birth that death cannot touch. You're not just forgiven, you're literally made new from the inside out.

This means you can't behave your way into heaven any more than you could birth yourself into this world. The striving to earn God's approval can finally stop, because you already have everything for life and godliness through Him.

Here’s what that means for you right now: the same Word that gave you new birth continues shaping you every day. God's Word began the good work in you, and His Word keeps transforming you into the person He created you to be.

Since God's living Word is actively working in your life, spend five minutes today reading Psalm 1 and ask yourself, 'How does His Word continue to shape the new person I am?' Let Scripture remind you of your true identity as you pray today. 

Read Psalm 1:1-6, and turn it into a prayer:

“Thank you, Father, that through Your word, I do not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but my delight is in the law of the Lord,

and I meditate on Your law day and night. 

As I do this, Lord, I will be like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers. 

Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Let Your Word continue to shape me into a person with a heart like Jesus. In His Name and for His sake, Amen.”