Daily Devotional Details

Date

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire. 1 Thessalonians 5:19, NIV

The gift of God’s powerful presence is the key to understanding the life of the church.

If you think that the life of your church lies in the abilities of the staff, the strength of the programs, or the gifts of the people, you have not understood the nature of the Christian church.

The life of the church comes from above. Without the breathing of the Holy Spirit into everything we do, then the whole structure of ministry is nothing more than a house of cards that can fall faster than we would ever imagine.

We hang on the life that comes from above. This is true of us individually, it is true in our families, it is true in all of our ministries. You prepare a Sunday school class. You organize a small group. You practice some music. You run a Bible camp. Your church sends out another missionary. The pastor writes another sermon.

Like Elijah, we arrange the wood on the altar, but God sends the fire. Without the fire it is only another lesson, another small group, another anthem, another camp, another missionary, and another sermon. But when God’s fire comes, lives are touched and changed.

Do you feel your need of this? Do you feel your church’s need of this? Do you ever feel tired of all that we can do and sense a deep hunger and thirst in your soul for what only God can do? Can you tell the difference?