When Life Is Not Enough

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him John 3:2

As Christians, when we witness to people, we often tell them that Jesus is the answer to what is missing their lives. We assure them that Jesus is the object of their futile search for meaning and purpose. "Jesus is the answer", we say.

In my experience, I have found that finding Jesus doesn’t end our search. He relieves us of the burden of doing it all by ourselves. By finding Jesus, I realized greater success in life than my job, family or ministry could bring me. It wasn’t because I was so eloquent (stop laughing) or because I could pushed the right buttons. I can take none of the credit. It was solely the Grace of God working in my life.

I do not feel any pressure to draw attention to myself or to prove myself to anybody. I am not exhausted in my soul or overly frustrated at all the responsibility I have. Jesus was the answer. He helped change all of that for me.

That’s essential because nothing else in life was enough. Money wasn’t enough. My career, my car, the condo, the stocks or anything else didn’t do it for me. Only in Jesus Christ is this daily grind coming together.

It would appear that Nicodemus had everything. He demonstrates that we should never envy anyone. He had many things, but the basic necessity was missing. He needed a change. He loved God and pursued Him with a passion. He obeyed all the laws of his religion to the letter. He did everything asked of him and perhaps even more. He had become a ruler; an expert on the writings of Moses; a premier statesman and more than just a Pharisee.

Nicodemus was a standout. When Nicodemus was speaking, he drew a bigger crowd than T.D. Jakes. He was guaranteed to fill up the overflow room.

But one night, Nicodemus couldn’t sleep. He had an unmet need that he couldn’t earn enough money or possess enough to fill. When he heard about all that Jesus was doing in Jerusalem, he sensed a need to go and speak with Him.

I have heard many discussions as to why Nicodemus "came by night", but when you’re a celebrity, in many ways you cannot enjoy the simple freedoms of common people. It’s not easy to just walk down the street.

We know from the scriptures that on many occasions Jesus desired to be alone. He longed for a quiet time to retreat and talk to the Father. But it wasn’t easy. Sometimes he had to wait until the rest of the world was sleeping and escape to a desert place to pray.

Whether by night or day, Nicodemus came. If it was risky, he took the risk. If it would harm his reputation or credibility, he laid it on the line. You see, we can make people think that we have it all together, but we still have to live with ourselves. And if we don’t have peace in our life, then we need to get it.

I don’t mean to imply that all of Nicodemus’ religious experiences were worthless. That is not the case. They just weren’t enough. It doesn’t meaning his position wasn’t important or that his devotions were irrelevant. It just wasn’t enough.

Many of us may be like Nicodemus. We may go to Church, read our bibles, pray, and enjoy a reputation as a good Christian. Out of all of the things that we do, we may still feel like something is wrong. Well, nothing is wrong; it’s just not enough. Jesus is drawing you ever closer to Him.

All the prayers we’ve sent forth asking for higher heights and more power, Jesus is drawing us closer to our desires. He is answering out longing for greater holiness and a more sensitive ear to follow Him.

Nicodemus told Jesus that no man could do the miracles that He did except God be with him. Nicodemus saw what Jesus was doing. He saw more than the preaching and the miracles. He saw fruit. He knew beyond doubt that there was more to Jesus than the crowds.

But Jesus was more than a "teacher from God". He was God. He could see through the wealth and education. That why Jesus didn’t say, "Oh thank you. I flattered that a great leader like you would visit me". No. Jesus said, "You must be born again". He did not enter into any social games; He dropped the bomb.

Nicodemus was shocked. He said, "I can’t do this". Exactly. This may have been the first Nicodemus understood how helpless and hopeless he was. Actually, he had been feeling it all the while, but reality set in. He reached an end to himself. Now he could get the help he needed.

There are some things that only the Spirit of God can do. Flesh cannot do the supernatural. Just like the wind blowing; we can’t see it but we know it’s there. When the Spirit comes to abide in us, we will be aware that something is going on.

Nicodemus needed what is needed in every generation. But the world just "doesn’t get it". Material things are not enough. Relationships are not enough. Position, power, pleasure is just not enough. Jesus understands just what we need. If we would put our trust in Him, He will help us find it.

God told Noah to build an ark because it was going to rain. Noah had never seen an ark or rain. But he worked on it for 120 years. When he finished God told him and his family to go inside. The only reason Noah went inside was because God told him to. You see, it wasn’t apparent that anything unusual was about to happen. But that was unlike any other day in human history.

Jesus can help us find what we need. He can take us from "tired and burnout" to a rest and peace that we never dreamed possible. It’s ours to receive today. It’s not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success comes from God 2 Corinthians 3:5.

By: Edmund Brown