God's Holy Fire: 'On His Way Rejoicing'

Saturday, November 28, 2026

As [Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch] rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?" He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

Note: The NLT translation has verse 37 only in a footnote.

— Acts 8:36-39 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus. Baptism. The Holy Spirit. Cross-cultural sharing of the Good News about Jesus. Rejoicing. These things go together. In his last words, before he ascended back to the Father, Jesus commanded that his followers share the Good News about him to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The apostles' first public declaration of the Good News was to Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 2:33-39). Now, as Jesus had commanded, the message was moving out from Jerusalem into other places and being shared with other races in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8, 25) and then with an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39). The same joyous results were produced in each case. Where the message of Jesus is received and the Holy Spirit is experienced, people are brought the joy of salvation.

Today's Prayer

O Father, use me and those in my spiritual family to make a difference in the lives of others. Help us introduce them to Jesus and unleash the power of the Holy Spirit into their lives so that they can experience the joy of your salvation. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

6 Related Resources by Heartlight

The Immersion of Joy
Devo: Unstoppable!
"As [Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch] rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"....."
Led to Another Mission
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,..."
Spurgeon PM Devo for Aug. 25th
Devo: Morning & Evening
"These words may answer your scruples, devout reader, concerning the ordinances. Perhaps you say, "I should be afraid to be baptized; it is such a..."
Servants to the Nations
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Friend, Two powerful themes from the Bible converge in this one story in today's Scripture about Philip and the Ethiopian dignitary:After My..."
See All 6 Related Resources about Acts 8:36-39

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 8:36-39 NLT — "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, November 28, 2026

Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Hebrews 2:14
"O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Following God Daily Isn't Always an Easy Path'
"Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea into the Desert of Shur. They traveled for three days in the desert but found no water. Then they came..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Observing the Lord's Supper'
"Dear Father, giver of bread and wine, When we come together as your family to partake of bread and wine, let it truly be "the Lord's supper" which we..."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us..."

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