God's Holy Fire: 'The Spirit Who Makes You Holy!'

Sunday, August 1, 2021

God's Relentless Pursuit to Bless Us

Feeling hopeless? Our faithful Shepherd will never abandon us!

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As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation — a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.
— 2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT

Key Thought

Salvation is connected to two central realities — one is that we believe the truth about Jesus, placing our trust in him, and the other is that the Spirit of God comes into our lives, making us holy and making his home inside us. Paul uses these realities as confirmation to the Thessalonians to help remind them of their salvation. Jesus talks about these two central realities with Nicodemus as he explains the new birth (John 3:1-21). Those who responded to the first message after Jesus' resurrection and ascension experienced these two realities (Acts 2:33-41). When these two realities are part of a person's life, there is a reason to rejoice and give thanks!

Today's Prayer

O Father, my heart is pulled in different directions as I think about these two realities. First, I rejoice and give thanks for those I know who have confessed Christ, have been baptized, and have received the Holy Spirit. Second, my heart aches for several that I love deeply that need to experience these realities. O dear Father, please use me to encourage the first group and to lead the others to know Jesus. It is in the name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, that I pray. Amen.

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Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Sunday, August 1, 2021

Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Romans 8:1-2
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law....."
What Jesus Did!
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'Little Faith People' (Mt. 16:7-12)
"At this [the disciples] began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, "You have...."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'People Were Divided' (Acts 14:4-7)
"But the people of [Iconium] were divided in their opinion about [Paul and Barnabas and their message]. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the....."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Psalms 65:11
"All the year round, every hour of every day, God is richly blessing us; both when we sleep and when we wake his mercy waits upon us. The sun may leave..."

Illustration

Illustration of 2 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT — We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation — a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

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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