Daily Devotional
Do You Understand God’s Purpose?
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
John 14:16-18
September 25, 2023
Ponder This
You can go deeper into Jesus, but you’ll never go beyond Jesus. A Spirit-filled person, a Spirit-filled church, will make much of Jesus Christ. That’s what it’s all about. You’ll never go beyond the Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit has come to promote the worship of Jesus. And, by the way, this is the key to being filled and staying filled. Some of you pray, “Dear God, fill me with the Holy Spirit.” Why do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, I want to be a great preacher. God says, “I’m not interested.” You may pray “God, fill me with the Holy Spirit. I want to understand the Bible,” or “I want to be a soul winner,” or “I want to live a holy life.” Again, God says, “I’m not interested.” Even though all those things sound noble and important to God there is still something wrong. The prayer needs to be “Lord, I want Jesus Christ to be glorified in my life.” He says, “Is that what you want? That’s what I want too. Let’s get together.” God will fill you with the Holy Spirit. And, by the way, He may make you a great preacher, help you understand the Bible, help you to be a soul winner, and guide you to live a holy life. But all of those are subsets of the main thing, and that is the glory of Jesus Christ. That’s why the Holy Spirit has come. “He will not speak on His own authority. . . . He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (See John 16:13-14.)
- What does it look like to glorify Jesus with your life?
- What reasons have you asked God to fill you with the Holy Spirit?
Practice This
Share with another Christian why you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray together to ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
