Holy Spirit

Verse
[Jesus:]  "So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven — except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come."

— Matthew 12:31-32 NLT

Thought
While rejecting the Jesus is sad, he states that it is forgivable. However, attributing his power to Satan rather than the Holy...

 

Verse
[Jesus:]  "But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you."

— Matthew 12:28 NLT

Thought
Jesus healed broken people. The results of his miracles were beyond dispute, even to his critics. His miracles forced everyone in his day — and they should in our day — to make a very clear decision. Either Jesus accomplished what he did by the power of Satan or by the power of God's Spirit. There was and is no middle ground. He is...

 

Verse
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations."

— Matthew 12:18 NIV

Thought
Matthew is quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 42, applying it to Jesus in a time of rising conflict. In spite of the conflict, Jesus refuses to stop ministering even though he was under intense scrutiny and faced fierce opposition. Instead, he takes his closest followers and teaches them his will and...

 

Verse
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

— Matthew 4:1 NIV

Thought
We sometimes miss part of the significance of this verse because some of the wording is different from Mark and Luke. Notice carefully, Jesus was LED INTO the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED by the devil. Jesus' temptations were no accident. Clearly, the evil one wanted to derail Jesus' ministry before it began. But Jesus defeating the devil in his temptations were part of God's...

 

Verse
The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit — it looked like a dove — descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."

— Matthew 3:16-17 MESSAGE

Thought
This moment is one of incredible holiness and transcendence. The Father looks down and delights in the Son. The Spirit descends from the Father to rest on and in the Son (Luke 4:1). The...

 

Verse
[John the Baptist:]  "I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

— Matthew 3:11 NLT

Thought
There are two sides to baptism: (1) what happens to the one being baptized based on that person's intentions, and (2) what Jesus does through the Holy Spirit. While...

 

Verse
Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced [when she became pregnant].

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant."

— Matthew 1:19-20 MESSAGE

Thought
Joseph was not only concerned about his righteousness when Mary became pregnant; he was...

 

Verse
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Matthew 1:18 NLT

Thought
While we try to understand how the Spirit of God works in our lives, a deep sense of mystery, wonder, and awe remains. How could God love us so much as to be present in us through his Holy Spirit? This inexplicable miracle is a miracle...

 

Verse
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Romans 15:13 NIV

Thought
We live in the overflow of God's grace. David said it well in Psalm 23, "My cup overflows." Because of the Spirit's presence, our hope overflows! In addition to goodness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17 NLT), the presence of the Holy Spirit brings deep, abiding, and personal hope! But let's not get overly focused on...

 

Verse
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.

— Romans 14:17-18 NLT

Thought
Who can argue with goodness, peace, and joy? These three virtues are not obtained just by human effort. Yes, a passion to possess these godly qualities is necessary, but the source of these qualities is the Holy Spirit...