The Tough Call

"We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.” - John 6:69 NIV

Faith must be in the person and work of Yeshua Messiah, the Son of God and it is by that faith in HIM that we have life in His Name. The disciples of the Lord Yeshua placed their faith in HIM. They trusted HIM. They believed in HIM. And Peter voiced the faith they all shared. "We believe and have come to know that YESHUA is the Messiah, the Son of the living God - the Holy One of Israel."

It is important to notice that believing comes before knowing. The first step they took was to place their faith in Him. But once they had TRUSTED in Him, they then came to KNOW that Yeshua was exactly Who He said He was - the Son of the living God Who was and is and is to come - the Almighty.

Following Yeshua is a tough call. And yet, at the same time, it is the way to life in all its fullness. This fullness of life comes, Yeshua explains, from the Holy Spirit.

The teaching of Yeshua is not easy. The disciples said, ‘This is a hard and difficult. Not only was this teaching ‘hard’, it was ‘hated’. Yeshua says, ‘The world...hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil’ (John 7:7). He was accused of being a deceiver (John 7:12). There was a very high cost in following someone who was hated in this way.

When many turned back and no longer followed Him, apparently, deeply wounded in His heart, Yeshua asked the Twelve, ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Simon Peter, the spokesperson for the group, answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God’ (John 6:67–69).

This is such a powerful truth. Yeshua has the Words of eternal life. He is the Holy One of God. He is the only One to go to.

Yeshua is unique. He embodies the holiness of God. He is divine. He speaks about the Father (John 6:65). He also speaks of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63).

Yeshua says, ‘The Spirit gives Life’ (John6:63). Just as physical flesh gives birth to physical life, so the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. He says, ‘The Words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life’ (John 6:63).

When Yeshua speaks of eternal life, He is speaking of a quality of life that starts now and goes on forever: ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). This is the kind of life that the Holy Spirit brings. That is why, although there is a cost in following Yeshua, the benefits far outweigh the cost. In fact, there is no real alternative. Only Yeshua can give you the Holy Spirit. Only Yeshua can give you fullness of life.

Lord, I need Your Holy Spirit to give me life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that the words I speak today may be ‘spirit’ and ‘life’ to those who hear. Amen.