Life-Making Words
Life-Making Words
Reading: 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6
The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. (John 6:63 MSG)
There was quite a buzz over Jesus’ miracle-feeding of 5000 men and hundreds of women and children with just a few biscuits and some sardines – a pretty amazing thing when you think of it! Anyhow, Jesus used the excitement over the miracle as a starting point for one of his most difficult and challenging messages ever.
He first talked about the difference between bread that nourishes the body temporarily and bread that feeds the spirit and gives eternal life. Then he began to tell the people that if they wanted real life they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. You can’t talk like that in church!
Well, these difficult and controversial words really caused a stir! Many of his followers disassociated themselves from him at this time. Others were challenged to decide if they were still in or were they going to drop out.
These were Spirit-words, life-making words, but they weren’t easy words.
Sometimes the words that move us forward, that get us off the fence, that bring us to life-choice decision points are hard to hear and challenging to our assumptions. Spirit-words can push us right out of our comfort zone! Spirit-words challenge us to choose between the long-term values of the spirit and the short-term desires of our humanity.
Whether the Spirit-words that challenge me to move toward God come from a friend, from my wife, from my contemplation of scripture, from the pain of a difficult situation, or from a legitimate prophetic expression, I’m determined to hear and respond. I purpose to hear and respond to Christ’s life-making Spirit-words even when it’s hard, uncomfortable, and challenging, and I purpose to speak life-making Spirit-words to others.
Prayer:
Father, Help me to embrace the life-making Spirit-words you have for me from my daily Bible reading, devotional time, and journaling. I determine to hear and respond. I purpose to choose long-term life and not short-term comfort. Amen.