God's Holy Fire: 'Full of Faith and of the Holy Spirit'

Friday, May 21, 2021

[The apostles to the church in Jerusalem concerning ministering to the widows:] "Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty." ... And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
— Acts 6:3 ESV, Acts 6:5 ESV

Key Thought

At this crucial moment in the life of the early church, the people agreed to look for servant leaders to help take care of the needy widows among them. While the task appears to be a physical task — taking care of hungry widows, the men chosen to take care of this task had to be spiritual men. Spiritual in this context means "men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom." Let's see this situation as a reminder that all of God's work is spiritual and all who serve need to be spiritual as well!

Today's Prayer

O Father, forgive us for segmenting our lives into spiritual and secular categories. Deep in our hearts, we know that all of our lives are to be lived under the influence and guidance of your Holy Spirit. Help us be discerning as we try to find those to lead and serve. As your people, we want what we do and how we do it in every area of our lives and the lives of our servant leaders to reflect your holy character and your gracious compassion. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Friday, May 21, 2021

Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Growth Despite Previous Opposition'
"When the believers heard about [the attempts to murder Saul], they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. The church....."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Commissioned!'
"Dear Disciple, The two passages below tell about My commissioning the disciples right before My ascension to the Father. You cannot ask for a more..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Forceful Kingdom' (Mt. 11:12)
"[Talking to the crowds about John the Baptist, Jesus continued:] "And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven...."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Ready to Forgive' (2 Co. 1:23-2:11)
"Dear Father, God of forgiveness, Father, help me, when someone sins, to encourage him or her to repent, then to forgive and comfort that person in..."

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 6:3 ESV, Acts 6:5 ESV — "Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty."

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.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations