Day 6, Year 1 The Words of the Lord are Life

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63 NKJV)

Yesterday’s verse reveals that Jesus Christ has the “words of eternal life” (John 6:68 NKJV). “Word” is rhema in Greek, referring to “word, thing spoken,” which particularly means “an utterance.” “Eternal” in Greek is aionios, and also means “without beginning and end, everlasting.”

Today’s verse clearly states that the words that Jesus speaks are “spirit and life.” The word “life” here is also translated from the Greek word zoe, the same in John 6:68. It is important to note that when we ponder upon the crucial topic of “choosing life,” it rarely touches on the matters of the worldly, transient life such as choosing what to study or how to make money. Rather, “choosing life” mostly refers to the spiritual and eternal life in the Bible. Of course, those who choose eternal life would usually receive revelations and guidance from God on how to live in the present world according to His will.

Therefore, from Moses’ urge for the Israelites to choose life, as well as the words of the Lord Jesus, we could understand that humans are invited to plug into God’s eternity, which would profoundly influence our earthly life. In today’s verse, Jesus states clearly that where humans live with spirit and flesh, spirit is the foremost. God’s words come from His Spirit and primarily empower the human spirit, and indeed, His words are life. Naturally, for those who accept Him, His words could give us the true life. Conversely, for those who do not accept His words, there is no promise of such eternal life. Hence, the Bible’s words are the most significant. Similar to the previous days, we are going to reflect upon the Bible’s words and absorb life from it in this devotional.

One interpretation of “the flesh profits nothing” is that a person’s body is primarily influenced by the spirit. When a person’s spirit receives the Lord’s words and His life, the body would be benefited. On the contrary, if the spirit does evil, the body will be harmed. This truth does not negate the benefits of caring for our bodies, eating healthy food, exercising, etc. We should take proper care of our bodies by following God’s words, as our bodies carry our spirits and souls in this life.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think that the decision of our spirit holds great influence while our spirit is more crucial than our body? 

2) Are you willing to accept the Lord’s words continuously to receive true life? Why?