KDY

"We are unable to do good and are bent toward evil, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, the phrase "born again" has become just another sociopolitical category. We have forgotten where it comes from. Jesus, borrowing from the prophet Ezekiel, is the one who first used the phrase. "You must be born again," He told Nicodemus (John 3:7).
We must not forget this command from Jesus. Yes, Jesus wants us to love, to forgive, to pray, to be humble, to do justice, and to love mercy. But we must not forget the fountainhead command from which the river of obedience flows. Trying to live a Jesus life won't help us get into heaven and it will only discourage us over the long haul if we are not born again. This is where well-meaning socially minded Christians sometimes get off track. They want the world to live like Jesus, but forget that we can't live like Jesus unless the Spirit of Jesus first changes us.
We must be given a new heart. We must be regenerated. We must be converted. We must be changed. The Christian life--the life of faith in God, hope in Christ, and love for others--necessitates, first of all, a life that has been given a supernatural new start by the Holy Spirit. We must be born again."
-Kevin DeYoung, "The Good News We Almost Forgot," pg. 31
seriously good stuff (reflections on each Lord's Day from the Heidelberg Catechism). and my devotional for this first part of the year.