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

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

[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.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

7 Related Resources by Heartlight

Full of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"[The apostles to the church in Jerusalem concerning ministering to the widows:] "And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the....."
The Power and Importance of Delegation
Devo: Unstoppable!
"[The Twelve said,] "And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this..."
Committed to Their Calling
Devo: Unstoppable!
"[Because some widows were being neglected in the food distribution,] the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, "We apostles should...."
Transparent, Mission-guided, Spiritual Leadership and Care
Devo: Together in Christ
"But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking..."
See All 7 Related Resources about Acts 6:3

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."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God’s Weapons Win Over Worldy Strongholds'
"We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Joel 2:8
"Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion......"
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'A Great Mission, A Junior Partner'
"Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem,...."
Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by Rachel Joy Scott:
"I have this theory that if one person shows compassion to another then that person will start a chain reaction of the same."

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