A Cross In My History, A Risen Life Today
Same room, new light, walking today in the risen life of Jesus.
Devotional Credit
Open Windows, T. Austin-Sparks. Excerpt from Knowing God in Christ, Chapter 13. Theme verse, 1 Corinthians 1:18.
Photo Credit
Unsplash
We grow weary when we try to patch the old life with spiritual language. Brother Austin-Sparks reminds us that the gospel is not an upgrade to the old. It is a Cross and a grave in our history with Jesus, and then the reality of His risen life now. That is why the message of the Cross appears like nonsense to those who are perishing, yet it is the very power of God to us who are being saved. Thank you, T. Austin-Sparks, for pointing us back to the power of Jesus crucified and risen.
He describes what many of us discover after surrendering to Jesus. The world around us looks the same, yet a new consciousness dawns. We notice Him, we hear His Word in the ordinary, and the same rooms we walk through carry a different light. This is not self-improvement. This is the Spirit opening our eyes to the reality of union with Christ.
Then he speaks of new capacity. Not bigger willpower, but Spirit-given ability. In Jesus, we are not stuck with the limit lines of the old life. The Spirit indwells, and with His presence comes the capacity to know, to understand, and to act in ways we never could before. Where the old life defaulted to I cannot, the life of Jesus within quietly answers, I am with you.
For those who hear a determinist echo and worry about losing personhood, take courage. In Scripture, God calls a people into the death and resurrection of His Son. We share a corporate identity in the Messiah, and within that shared life the Spirit meets each believer personally. The Cross marks our history together, and the risen Lord lives His life in us today. This is the life of abiding in Christ, not striving from the old self, but trusting the Lord who now lives in His people.
Journal Entry - Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I point you to the Cross where the wisdom of this world is set aside and My power is revealed. In My Son you were united with His death, and in Him you were brought into newness of life. I have not asked you to repair the old. I have joined you to Jesus who lives.
You did not begin by your effort, and you will not continue by it. As you received the Lord Jesus, so walk in Him. Stand in the grace into which you have been brought, and let your roots sink into Him. I am at work in you, both to will and to do what pleases Me.
You are a new creation in My Son. Old things have passed, new things have come. You have been raised with Christ, so set your mind where He is, and let His peace govern your steps. There is now no condemnation for you, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free.
I dwell in you. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is active in you. I give you capacity to know, to understand, and to walk in what I reveal. Where the flesh once claimed mastery, remember, those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. You owe the flesh nothing.
I have given you everything needed for life and godliness. Christ in you is your hope of glory. Present your body to Me, not as a slave of fear, but as one alive from the dead. Be renewed in your mind as My Word reshapes your thoughts, and watch as Jesus is expressed through you in ordinary moments.
What I begin, I complete. Faithful is the One who calls you. He will surely do it. Rest in My faithfulness as you abide in My Son, and let thanksgiving be the sound of your steps today.
Real-Life Analogy
Think about your phone the day after a system update. The icons look familiar, but new features are available. You did not add more fingers or tap harder to gain those features. The device was brought into a new operating reality, and now you explore what is already present. Life in Jesus works like that. You are not straining to become someone else. You have been brought into a new life, and the Holy Spirit enables you to use what the Lord has already placed within you.
Try this today in a concrete moment. When a tense email arrives and you usually rush to defend yourself, pause and acknowledge the Lord’s presence within you. Pray, Lord, I trust You to express Your risen life through me in this reply. Give me words that carry Your truth and Your gentleness. Then type from that trust, concise, honest, and at peace.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I have a Cross and a grave in my history, and I share His risen life today. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me, supplying wisdom, peace, and holy desire. I affirm that I stand in grace, I walk in Christ, and I live free from condemnation. I receive the capacities You have already given, and I step forward with gratitude, trusting the Lord to express His life through me in each conversation, decision, and quiet moment today. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
1 Corinthians 1:18; Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:6-7; Romans 5:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1-4, 15; Romans 8:1-2, 9-11; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24; 2 Peter 1:3; Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:13; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 1:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; John 14:20; John 15:4-5, 7.