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When a baby is born, a new life lies ahead full of firsts — first words, first foods, first steps, first tooth, and the list goes on. Even into the teen years and beyond — first car, first job, first date, and so on — life is full of firsts. There are new days, new opportunities, and new experiences.

One of the verses in today's passage may be familiar to you, John 3:16, but when Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, a teacher of God's law, this was a new way of thinking about salvation. Before Jesus, God's law graciously provided a way for people to be in relationship with God. Now, salvation would be available through Jesus, who once and for all paid the price by his death on the cross.

Salvation is a new start. Jesus described it as being born again like a baby — a new life full of firsts and fresh starts. You probably know this, but believing in Jesus doesn't mean our life will be perfect or that we will never do anything wrong again from that point on. What it does mean is that when we believe in Jesus as our savior, God sees us as forgiven and made new. Because of God's love for us, there is forgiveness, there is growing, and there is God's Spirit working in us to transform us to be more like Jesus.

Salvation looks like God's steadfast love that never ceases and mercy that is new every morning.