Here are daily devotional on how do we receive the Holy Spirit, finding peace of mind and let the dead bury the dead for your family bible study.
How Do We Receive The Holy Spirit
The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. 1 Corinthians 12:13 declares, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”
These three passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation” - Ephesians 1:13-14, if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior. Best Morning Devotion for Today on I am the Light of the World, Dancing as a Form of Worship and Cast the First Stone
This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior - John 3:5-16. When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit becomes our permanent possession the moment we believe.
Finding Peace of Mind
Most people would define peace of mind as the absence of mental stress and anxiety. The expression "peace of mind" conjures up images of Buddha-like composure wherein calm, comfort, and composure are so prevalent that nothing can disturb the one who has peace of mind. An imperturbable, placid person is said to have peace of mind. The only time "peace of mind" is found in the Bible is in the NIV translation of 2 Corinthians 2:13 where Paul says he found no "peace of mind" because he didn't find Titus in Troas. The literal translation of this phrase is "rest of my spirit."
The Bible uses the word peace in several different ways. Peace sometimes refers to a state of friendship between God and man. This peace between a holy God and sinful mankind has been affected by Christ's sacrificial death, "having made peace through the blood of his cross" - Colossians 1:20. In addition, as High Priest the Lord Jesus maintains that state of friendship on behalf of all who continue to "come to God by him, seeing he always lives to make intercession for them" - Hebrews 7:25. This state of friendship with God is a prerequisite for the second kind of peace, that which sometimes refers to a tranquil mind. It is only when "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ'' - Romans 5:1, that we can experience the true peace of mind that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, in other words, His fruit exhibited in us - Galatians 5:22.
Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will keep us in "perfect peace" if our minds are "stayed" on Him, meaning our minds lean on Him, centre on Him, and trust in Him. Our tranquillity of mind is "perfect" or imperfect to the degree that the "mind is stayed on" God rather than ourselves or on our problems. Peace is experienced as we believe what the Bible says about God's nearness as in Psalm 139:1-12, and about His goodness and power, His mercy and love for His children, and His complete sovereignty over all of life's circumstances. But we can't trust someone we don't know, and it is crucial, therefore, to come to know intimately the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
Peace is experienced as a result of prayer. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" - Philippians 4:6-7.
A peaceful mind and heart are experienced as a result of recognizing that an all-wise and loving Father has a purpose in our trials. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose" - Romans 8:28). Family Bible Study Devotions on Gambling, Superstitions and Christian Liberty
God can bring a variety of good things, including peace, from the afflictions that we experience. Even the discipline and chastening of the Lord will "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness" in our lives - Hebrews 12:11. They provide a fresh opportunity for "hoping in God" and eventually "praising Him" - Psalm 43:5. They help us "comfort" others when they undergo similar trials - 2 Corinthians 1:4, and they "achieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" - 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Peace of mind and the tranquillity of spirit that accompanies it are only available when we have true peace with God through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross in payment for our sins. Those who attempt to find peace in worldly pursuits will find themselves sadly deceived. For Christians, however, peace of mind is available through the intimate knowledge of, and complete trust in, the God who meets "all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" - Philippians 4:19.
Let the Dead Bury the Dead
Jesus said to a man, "'Follow me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God'" - Luke 9:59-60. In response to a disciple who wanted to spend time at home before committing himself to the Lord. This man may have wanted to fulfil the oldest son's duty to bury the father, to be near the father in order to obtain an inheritance or to remain near the body of his father for up to one year to rebury the bones, a practice of some Jews at the time. Or to perform some custom to be entitled to the father's properties. In any event, Jesus' answer makes clear that this request would have involved putting tradition or the disciple's own desires ahead of serving Jesus.
But who are "the dead" whom Jesus referred to as being the ones to bury their own dead? In the Jewish setting, the word dead is often used to express indifference toward a thing or to express that something has no influence over us. To be dead to the law - Romans 7:4, and to be dead to sin - Romans 6:11, means that the law and sin have no influence or control over us. We are free from them and act as though they are not.
So people of the world are dead to Christ. They do not see His beauty, nor do they hear His voice or desire to follow Him. Only His "sheep" will do those things - John 10:27. The people of the world are those whom the Savior describes here as the (spiritually) dead who should bury the (physically) dead. Let people, He says, who are not interested in My work, and who are "dead in sin" - Ephesians 2:1, take care of the dead. Your duty is now to follow Me. Morning Devotion for Today on the Old Testament and the New Testament
While Scripture, and Jesus, are clear that we are to honour our parents - Ephesians 6:2, we have to understand that Jesus is to come first, and this would have been especially so in this instance, that is, with a direct command from the Lord. Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew recognized the Lord and followed Him at once - Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9. The thing to which the man who wanted to bury his father was called was of more importance than any earthly consideration, and, for that time, Christ chose to require of the man a very extraordinary sacrifice to show his sincere attachment to Him.
As regards the people of the world, nothing is more important than responding to the gospel. This requires that the gospel be preached - Romans 10:14, so once we make the decision to follow Jesus and preach His good news, we must deny dead, worldly pursuits and comforts, and do the Lord's work. Jesus wants followers, not professors, and those who are spiritually alive will be instruments in the Lord's hands to call others to new life in Christ.
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