God's Holy Fire: 'Never Again!'

Sunday, March 6, 2022

ToGather: Freed to Serve

Jesus paid the price to free us from sin, death, and hell so we could serve others in love.

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"And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"
— Ezekiel 39:29 NLT

Key Thought

God speaks of the coming of his New Covenant relationship with his people. One dynamic of that Covenant is that the Spirit will be part of a permanent relationship with them. Paul speaks powerfully of this relationship in Romans 8 (especially Romans 8:32-39). God's leaders before Jesus had the Spirit for a time for specific challenges or until they rebelled against him. However, unlike those leaders, God's new covenant people have his Spirit permanently and continually, and they all have the Spirit — read Acts 2 to see the emphasis on the Spirit at Pentecost. Never again will God turn his face from his people. His Spirit will never depart from us. We can oppose, resist, grieve, and quench the Spirit, but God's Spirit stays to soften our hearts, mold our wills, and transform our characters to be more and more like Jesus. Our job is to be open to the Spirit's leading and to keep our eyes on Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Today's Prayer

Hold my focus, dear Father, on your Son. I know as I look to him and seek to know him and be like him, your Spirit will mold me and transform me. Thank you for the assurance that you will never leave me or forsake me and that nothing can separate me from your love. I pledge to keep my heart open to you and your Spirit's influence in my life. Thank you! In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of Ezekiel 39:29 NLT — "And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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