Holy Spirit

VerseFor there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

— Ephesians 4:4-6 nlt

ThoughtUnity is more than just getting along. At the core of maintaining unity and keeping the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), there is ONE core reality. Paul emphasizes this by using the "one" seven times. These seven immutable and...

 

VerseSome of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

— 1 Corinthians 12:13 nlt

ThoughtRather than offering my insight on this passage, the paraphrase of this passage in Eugene Peterson's "The Message" is quite to the point. "By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but...

 

VerseMake every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

— Ephesians 4:3 nlt

ThoughtWhen we open the book of Acts, we hear Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit to empower the early disciples as they go to all nations to share the good news of Jesus. In addition, we see the Holy Spirit at work to break down every barrier — geographical, cultural, racial, economic, political, and social — to make the people who come to Jesus into one new...

 

Verse[Epaphras is] the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit.

— Colossians 1:8 msg

ThoughtEpaphras had told Paul about the Colossians growth in Jesus. One vital element of this growth was in their love for each other. Paul recognized that the Holy Spirit is what had inspired, empowered, and worked this love into the fabric of their daily lives. One of the reasons seeking the Spirit's presence in our lives is so important is that the Spirit...

 

VerseThe amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.

— 2 Corinthians 13:14 msg

ThoughtWhile most translations of this verse say "fellowship of the Holy Spirit," I find the phrase "the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit" to be powerful and exciting. We are brought into close fellowship with God through "the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit." Think about the implications of this. Our...

 

VerseIf you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

— Philippians 2:1-2 msg

ThoughtWe have so many blessings being in Jesus. One of those blessings is the fellowship we have based on the Holy Spirit — "being in a community of the Spirit." This...

 

VerseAnd this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

— Romans 5:5 nlt

ThoughtEndless supply? It's hard to believe that there is an endless supply of anything! Yet the promise of this passage, even in the context of suffering and difficulty, is that we have an endless supply of love as the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with this love. It is as big as God and is supplied by the...

 

VerseTherefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don't need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:8-9 nlt

ThoughtGod keeps on giving us the vitally empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the great blessings about this presence is that God pours love into our hearts...

 

VerseSamuel took his flask of oil and anointed him [David], with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.

— 1 Samuel 16:13 msg

ThoughtThroughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would come on leaders for a time and empower them in special ways. David was led and empowered by the Spirit for his whole life, although his sinful time with Bathsheba made him question whether God would remove...

 

VerseThey [the Gentiles] were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

— Romans 15:19 nlt

ThoughtThe proclamation of Jesus was empowered by the miracles and signs that accompanied the message (Heb. 2:3-4). Acts shows this happening, first among Jews and then through Paul among non-Jews. Paul's message was accompanied by the same kinds of...