God's Holy Fire: 'Spirit-Led Conclusions'

Saturday, June 13, 2026

[The apostles and elders in Jerusalem writing to Gentile Christians:] "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements ..."
— Acts 15:28 NLT

Key Thought

Acts 15 is a remarkable reminder of the power of the Holy Spirit to work within a group of people seeking to honor God. Today's verse is from the conclusion of the gathering of apostles, elders, and believers in Jerusalem where they were seeking to address questions about how much of Judaism would be required of Gentile converts to Christianity. There were radically different opinions on what should be done. Some of those opinions were wrong. Others were right. But as God's leaders - in the presence of the other members of Jesus' church in Jerusalem - prayed and discussed and listened, they came to a conviction they understood as the word of the Holy Spirit. Why is it so hard for us to come to such consensus and to a similar conviction?

Today's Prayer

O Father, give the leaders of your people Spirit-led insight and wisdom. Give us courage as your people to insist that our leaders be Spirit-filled. And, dear Father, please help us honor the work of your Spirit to lead us in the direction you want us to go. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

3 Related Resources by Heartlight

Spirit-led Communication
Devo: Unstoppable!
"[At the end of the meeting about whether Gentile Christians had to follow Jewish customs,] the apostles and elders together with the whole church in...."
Guidance from the Holy Spirit
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Precious Disciple, The conference that you read about in the verses below occurred in Jerusalem. The focus of that conference was what should be..."
Generous Like Our Father
Virtual Worship by Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware
'Keep on helping the poor...' was a core commitment that came out of this history-changing moment in Jesus' church! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to celebrate our blessings in Christ and our need to reflect our Father's values by being generous and gracious ourselves.

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 15:28 NLT — [The apostles and elders in Jerusalem writing to Gentile Christians:] "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements ..."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, June 13, 2026

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'The Coming Glory' (Ro. 8:15)
"Dear Father, creator and re-creator of the world, Whatever I may have to suffer is nothing compared to the glory you will reveal in your people, and...."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Prayer + Touch Has Extra Healing Power'
"Publius’ father was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, and put his hands on the man and healed him."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'The Messiah's Resurrection' (Acts 2:29-31)
"[Referring to David's prophecy he just quoted, Peter continued his sermon:] "Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David..."

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