God's Holy Fire: 'Spirit Appointed'

Thursday, June 18, 2026

[Paul, to the Ephesian elders at Miletus:] "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."
— Acts 20:28 NIV

Key Thought

Paul reminds the Ephesian elders of three heavenly truths about leaders:
  1. Leaders are to watch, feed, protect and care for (or shepherd) the people of God.
  2. The Holy Spirit is involved in putting leaders into their leadership role.
  3. Those who lead must always realize that those they lead (called "the flock" and "the church of God" in today's verse) never belong to them but to God, who purchased them at such a high cost.
These truths give leaders a powerful and sobering reminder of their call as leaders and give followers a reminder to follow. For each of us, these truths give us a reminder of just how precious the church is to God!

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, please be at work in our churches today through the Holy Spirit's calling those you want and we desperately need in leadership roles in your church. I ask forgiveness, dear Father, for not valuing your church more highly, and I pledge to cherish it as you do. In Jesus' name, I offer these petitions and this commitment. Amen.

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4 Related Resources by Heartlight

Shepherds of God's Sheep
Devo: Unstoppable!
"[Paul continued his talk to the Ephesian elders, saying,] "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock — his church,..."
Church
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The word In the end, the church is the group of people that belong to God. Other meanings may cloud our understanding, but we need to see that that's what the church is.
Helping Churches on the Brink
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"Dear Beloved, On Paul's last visit with the Ephesian elders, he warned them:Here are my instructions: diligently guard yourselves, and diligently..."
The Heart of a Shepherd
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"Dear Precious Disciple, Paul was finally on his way back to Jerusalem. His trip had been delayed because of the plots against his life. So he had..."

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 20:28 NIV — "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, June 18, 2026

Quotemeal
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"The word of God hidden in the heart is a stubborn voice to suppress."
What Jesus Did!
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'Bottom Line Faith' (Jn. 9:24-25)
"So for the second time [the Jewish leaders] called in the man who had been blind [and was healed by Jesus] and told him, "God should get the glory for..."
Daily Wisdom
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Proverbs 2:6
"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."
Unstoppable!
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'Generosity and Wisdom' (Acts 11:29-30)
"[Because of the prophesied famine,] the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as...."

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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