Year of the Bible: Part Nine of TwelveSample

The Body is of No Help

When Jesus spoke about Himself being eternal life, people got offended. He belittled the manna from heaven their fathers ate in the desert—that bread only fed the body. Jesus spoke of Himself as being real sustenance; He was the bread from heaven, and whoever lives in Him will live forever!

Jesus reiterated that the Spirit of God is the one that grants life. We spend so much time, effort, and money on upkeep for our bodies so we can live longer and better lives, yet sometimes we neglect the very thing that we need to be truly alive in mind, spirit, and body.

The words Jesus speaks to us are Spirit and life. When Jesus said the Spirit is the one who gives life, this is what the original word for “life” means:

1. To produce alive, begat, or bear living young.
2. To cause to live, make alive, give life, by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate, to restore to life, to give increase of life: thus of physical life, and of the spirit, quickening as respects the spirit, and endued with new and greater powers of life.
3. Metaphorically, of seeds quickened into life, i.e., germinating, springing up, growing.

While the body has value, we cannot obtain spiritual life from physical things. In contrast, we can liven our bodies if our spirit has the breath of God and the sustenance Jesus gives. It is profitable not only for eternal life but also for our daily lives.

Question: Do you give as much attention to spiritual things as you do to your physical well-being?

Prayer: Spend time daily asking God for your life to be enriched in every way through Jesus.