Betterman Daily Devo: Scripture:  "Nicodemus said to him, 'How can these things be?' Jesus answered him, 'Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’” — John 3:9–16   Thought: Nicodemus had spent his life studying the Scriptures, teaching God’s law, and practicing religion. Yet when Jesus explained the new birth, Nicodemus asked, “How can these things be?”   He knew the words of Scripture, but he had missed its central message.   Jesus pointed Nicodemus to a story he would have known well. While Israel wandered in the wilderness, the people rebelled against God, and poisonous snakes entered the camp. The people were bitten and dying.   God instructed Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived.   They could not heal themselves.   They could not earn the cure.   They simply had to look toward the provision God had made.   Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Jesus was speaking about the cross.   Like the Israelites, we have been poisoned by sin. The venom runs through every part of us. We cannot educate it out of ourselves, work it off, or overcome it through religious effort.   We are not merely wounded people in need of improvement. We are dying people in need of rescue. God has provided the rescue.   Jesus was lifted up on the cross, bearing the judgment our sins deserved. He became our substitute. Our guilt was placed upon Him, and His righteousness is credited to everyone who believes.   The message of the gospel is not “work and live.” It is “look and live.”   “For this is the way God loved the world, he gave his one and only Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life..."   God did not merely tell us that He loved us. He demonstrated His love by giving us His Son. The cross declares that God is both holy and loving. He does not ignore sin; He judges it. But in love, He placed that judgment upon Christ so that sinners could be forgiven.   Jesus did not come to make salvation possible for good people. He came to rescue condemned people.   You do not have to clean yourself up before coming to Jesus.   You do not have to overcome the poison before receiving the cure.   Look to the Son.   Trust His finished work.   And live.   Reflect: Are you resting in Christ’s finished work or your own religious performance? Where are you still trying to earn what Jesus freely gives? Do you truly believe that Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient to save you?   Right Next Step: When you recognize your sin or failure today, resist the urge to defend yourself or work your way back into God’s favor. Look to Christ and thank Him that His finished work is enough.   Prayer: “Father, thank You for loving sinners like me and giving Your Son for my salvation. Forgive me for trusting my goodness, effort, and religious performance. Fix my eyes on Jesus and teach me to rest completely in His finished work. Thank You that everyone who looks to Him in faith will live. In Jesus’ name, amen.”