Daily Devotional
Do You Understand God’s Purpose?

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.