🌅 The End of Striving, The Start of Rest

Just as a made bed welcomes rest, the abiding life welcomes us into what Christ has already finished.

📖 Devotional Credit: Excerpted and adapted from Christ is All by John McCarthy, friend of J. Hudson Taylor (August 1869)
📸 Photo Credit: Unsplash

In a deeply personal letter written in 1869, missionary John McCarthy shared a revelation that would go on to reshape the spiritual experience of J. Hudson Taylor—and through him, countless others. He had been striving hard to live a holy life, painfully aware of his shortcomings, always longing for more consistent communion with Christ. But the harder he tried, the more elusive that intimacy seemed.

Then came a shift. Through a phrase from Henry Law’s Christ is All, McCarthy realized that holiness was not achieved through effort, but through abiding—through resting in the ever-present Christ. “The Lord Jesus received is holiness begun; the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness advancing; the Lord Jesus counted upon as never absent would be holiness complete.”

What changed McCarthy was not a new doctrine, but a new posture—yielding instead of striving, looking to Christ rather than looking inward, trusting that Christ’s life in him was sufficient. This rest wasn’t passivity, but a vibrant surrender that allowed the indwelling Christ to express His life through him. He no longer sought power to overcome sin from God as if from a distance, but saw that “help is laid up for you in Christ.” And the moment he stopped trying to produce faith and instead looked to the Faithful One, joy replaced exhaustion.

Holiness, then, is not a goal we climb toward. It is a Person who lives within—and He is already ours.

📓 Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

My beloved, I never meant for you to carry the burden of becoming holy in your own strength. Holiness is not your project—it is My presence. The life I placed within you is not meant to be improved upon, but unveiled as you trust Me. I am your sanctification. I do not visit occasionally—I dwell permanently.

Let your eyes rest on Me. Not on your progress, not on your efforts, not on what still feels unfinished. I am not measuring your growth by your consistency, but by your dependence. Every time you look away from yourself and gaze upon Me, you experience the truth: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

You were never called to manufacture victory. You were called to abide in Mine. In your weakness, I remain your strength. In your confusion, I remain your peace. When sin presses in, remember—you have died, and your life is hidden with Me in God. All that I am belongs to you now, and forever.

Scripture References: Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6–11; John 15:4–5; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9; 2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:15–23; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 12:2

🔍 Real-Life Analogy

It’s like settling into a perfectly made bed after a long day—where everything is already in place, the room quiet, the light dim, and nothing more is needed. You don’t strive to rest—you simply let your body sink in. That’s the life of abiding: not fixing the bed of your spiritual life, but entering the rest that Christ has already made ready.

As you face your day, instead of wondering if you're ready, pause and acknowledge: “Lord, You are already enough in me. I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.” Whether it’s returning a difficult phone call, facing a fear, or simply making dinner, allow His life—not your effort—to animate the action.

🙏 Prayer of Confidence

Father, I rest in the finished work of Christ today. I thank You that holiness is not something I chase, but Someone who lives in me. I no longer strive to grow—I trust You to express Christ through me. I rejoice that even in my weakness, He is enough. I enter today not as a servant trying to please, but as a son abiding in the pleasure of Your love.