God's Holy Fire: 'Through the Spirit'

Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.

— Hebrews 9:15 MESSAGE

Key Thought

Jesus' sacrifice, his offering of himself as an "unblemished sacrifice," was not an accident. Yes, evil men put Jesus to death, but it was also part of God's plan (Acts 2:23). The Holy Spirit guided, prophesied, directed, and led God's redemptive story through history and brought Jesus to the time of his sacrifice and through his sacrifice to free us from all of our dead-end efforts trying to make our lives lasting and meaningful. This story, Jesus' triumph, and our part in this story are no accidents! They are because of the work of God's Spirit, who has been present every step of the journey.

Today's Prayer

Righteous Father, thank you for your plan and for the Holy Spirit who helped proclaim it and carry it out. Thank you for Jesus who accepted it and won my freedom from sin, death, and uselessness. I praise you from the bottom of my heart. In Jesus' name, I praise you. Amen.

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Comments

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.