God's Holy Fire: 'Made Holy by the Spirit'

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

God roots our salvation in his never-ending circle of grace. Our hearts respond with trust in God's message about Jesus. God's grace releases the power of the Holy Spirit into our lives. The Holy Spirit transforms each of us, making us entirely holy through every fabric of our being. Our faith — that full trust in Jesus for our salvation — is part of the gift we receive from the message of the gospel. So our salvation is, from first to last, a gift of grace. God sent Jesus. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings fresh life, a new creation, infusing power, and renewed hope.

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, I thank you for your grace demonstrated to me in so many ways. Today, I am especially thankful for the grace of Jesus being sent to me and the grace of the Holy Spirit cleansing and indwelling me. I want to live out that grace in my life to reflect the character and compassion of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

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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.