Holy Spirit

Then I [John]  saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.

—Revelation 5:6 NLT

Key Thought
I have lived my life away from the overt persecution of the church. Sure, we face a more covert pressure and ridicule, but I've never faced death or...

 

As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation — a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

—2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT

Key Thought
God roots our salvation in his never-ending circle of grace. Our hearts respond with trust in God's message about Jesus. God's grace releases the power of the Holy...

 

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

—1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT

Key Thought
Yesterday, we were reminded of the Spirit's power to help us overcome sin, including strongly rooted sin and addictive sin. Today, we see a prayer from Paul for new followers of Jesus. These people had been convicted by the Holy Spirit and made holy by the Holy Spirit when they came to Christ...

 

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

—Romans 8:13 NIV

Key Thought
"Try harder!" That's the dominant message a lot of folks hear out of religion, especially as religion deals with chronic misbehavior and addictive sin. Yet nearly all of us know from experience that trying harder is only part of what we need. Oh yes, many do need more passion to live for Jesus, but simply trying harder...

 

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,]  "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. ... Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

—Revelation 3:20, 22 NIV

Key Thought
Jesus tells us that he stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to open up to him. His invitation is for believers, for Christians, for those who claim to follow him. We can...

 

As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

—1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV

Key Thought
As we have seen the last few days, we as the church are being built into the temple of the living God. God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. But unlike the temples built during Biblical...

 

Together, we are his [God's]  house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

—Ephesians 2:20-22 NLT

Key Thought
In the reading for yesterday and today, we have been reminded that the church, God's family, is something precious and holy and...

 

You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred — and you, remember, are the temple.

—1 Corinthians 3:16-17 MESSAGE

Key Thought
What often gets lost in this passage is that the "you" is plural — "Y'all" in southern parts of the USA. The congregation, the local church, is the temple of God. God lives in us and among us. So when damage is done to...

 

[In his revelation to John, Jesus said,]  "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

—Revelation 3:13 NIV

Key Thought
Jesus urges us to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. In this context, the focus is on his promise to make those who are battling strong opposition to their faith into a permanent and heavenly temple for God. While earthly buildings will crumble and fall, the disciples are promised a permanent place in a permanent...

 

For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

—Philippians 1:19-20 NLT

Key Thought
The Spirit of Christ helps us in so many ways. Paul, as he was writing to the Philippians from prison, knew that this help could be...