Holy Spirit

Verse
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.

— 1 Peter 1:2 NLT

Thought
The story of the prophet Isaiah's calling by God is glorious and moving (Isaiah 6:1-8). He recognizes his sinfulness and unworthiness to be used by God and is cleansed by seraphim who came from the very presence of God himself. This...

 

Verse
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called....

— Ephesians 4:3-4 NIV

Thought
I love the Greek word Paul uses for "make every effort" — try to say it, "spoudazow"; it even sounds passionate! Why is this "effort" so necessary? Well, there are many reasons, but the one that the Holy Spirit wants us to recognize from this passage is this: we all share in the...

 

Verse
Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

— 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT

Thought
As beautiful as the promise of yesterday was (Ephesians 2:22), the underlined part of today's scripture is a chilling and ominous warning. If God builds us together into his dwelling place in the Spirit and makes us his holy temple...

 

Verse
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

— Ephesians 1:17 NIV

Thought
Paul is praying this prayer for new followers of Jesus, and I love the language, "I keep asking..." This thought is his ongoing and constant prayer for them. And this prayer isn't asking for stuff, strength, or even forgiveness. Paul keeps asking that the Father send the Spirit in such a way...

 

Verse
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

— Ephesians 2:22 NIV

Thought
"Where can I go to find God?" Mortals have asked this question ever since they were driven from the garden and from their daily walks with God in "the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8-24). Nations have had wars over this question. Families have been split over this question. People have spent countless amounts of money to go on pilgrimages to answer this...

 

Verse
He [Jesus]  brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

— Ephesians 2:17-18 NLT

Thought
Assured grace means equal access! Because of Jesus' sacrifice and because of the work of the Holy Spirit, we are all welcomed at the throne of grace regardless of gender, social standing, financial status, race...

 

Verse
It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free — signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

— Ephesians 1:13-14 MESSAGE

Thought
When I read this passage, I can't help but remember the line in the old song that goes, "Signed, sealed...

 

Verse
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

— 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 NLT

Thought
Two forces are at work within us as children of God. They work in opposite directions at the same time. Our bodies are...

 

Verse
God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge — a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

— 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 MESSAGE

Thought
The test of genuine disciples and true followers of Jesus is the presence of the Holy Spirit living in them. The Spirit transforms the followers to become like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit helps produce the fruit of Jesus' character and...

 

Verse
At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."

— Mark 1:9-11 MESSAGE

Thought
I hope you can look back on your baptism and remember it as a precious and powerful moment. What great joy to know that we can share in an event...