Alive To God, Settled In The Son
Warmth already in the house, a vent opened to receive what the furnace supplies.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above, Miles J. Stanford
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Position before condition. That is the gracious center of today’s reading. Miles J. Stanford reminds us that the Father has placed us into Jesus, and in Him our standing is complete, secure, and unalterable. From that settled place, daily growth unfolds. We are not trying to climb into favor. We are learning to live from favor already given in the Beloved.
This matters when our feelings swing and our performance wobbles. There are days when our condition seems thin. Yet the Father has not moved us an inch out of His Son. The Spirit keeps pointing our eyes to what is already true. We died with Jesus. We were raised with Jesus. We are alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. From there, real transformation becomes possible, not by white knuckle effort, but by sharing the life of the risen Lord.
Thank you, Mr. Stanford, for putting sturdy language under weary feet. You help us see that our practical condition may affect our fellowship, joy, and witness, but it never edits our position. The Spirit uses this truth like a steady hand on our shoulder, guiding us away from self-preoccupation toward rest in Jesus and responsive obedience.
Some of us were taught to read the Bible mainly as private destiny. Today, receive this through the lens of corporate salvation. The Father has placed His people into His Son. In Him we share one life, one righteousness, one acceptance. Then, as members of His Body, each of us personally learns to rely on that shared life moment by moment. Union first. Expression second. This is how Paul could say, for to me to live is Jesus.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I remind you that the Father has already placed you in His Son. You are alive to God in Jesus Christ your Lord. Your old man was crucified with Him, and the body of sin lost its claim to rule you. You do not live in the flesh, you live in the Spirit, and I dwell in you. Your standing is not fragile. It rests on the finished work of Jesus and the Father’s choice to make you complete in Him.
Lift your eyes. You were raised with Jesus and seated with Him. Set your mind where He is. Your life is hidden with Jesus in God, and when Jesus who is your life is revealed, you will be revealed with Him in glory. I am conforming you to His image. I am faithful to complete what the Father began. Nothing can separate you from His love.
Do not measure your position by today’s condition. Present yourself to God as one alive from the dead. Walk by Me. Abide in Jesus and bear fruit that matches your new identity. You are not under law, you are under grace. In Jesus you are righteous, accepted, and beloved. Therefore, yield your members to righteousness for holiness. I am your indwelling sufficiency for today.
When accusation whispers, stand in what is true. There is now no condemnation for you in Jesus. The Father has canceled the record against you, He has nailed it to the cross, and Jesus triumphed. You are a new creation. I keep you. I sanctify you wholly. He who calls you is faithful. I will present you faultless with great joy.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a house with central heating already running on a cold morning. The furnace is on, the supply is steady, and the warmth is yours by design. Yet each room has a simple vent you can open. Opening the vent does not create heat. It receives what is already flowing. Your position in Jesus is the running furnace, full and constant. Your daily choices are the room vents. When you trust the indwelling Spirit and present yourself to God, you are not generating heat by effort. You are opening to the warmth that is already supplied in the Son.
Try this today. When that familiar frustration rises in a conversation, pause internally and open the vent. Quietly say, Lord, I yield this moment to You. Live Your patience and truth through me with this person. Then respond from that reliance, not from habit.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am alive to You. Thank You that my standing is settled, my acceptance is secure, and my life is hidden with Jesus in You. I rejoice that Your Spirit dwells in me and leads me. Today I present myself to You as one alive from the dead. I affirm that I am not under law, but under grace. I celebrate that nothing separates me from Your love. From this place of rest, I welcome the life of Jesus to express Himself through my words, my work, and my relationships. All glory to You for what You have already provided in Your Son.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 6:6-7, 6:11, 6:13, 8:1, 8:9, 8:33-39, 12:1. Galatians 2:20, 5:16-18. Ephesians 1:6-7, 2:4-7. Colossians 1:13-14, 1:27, 2:9-15, 3:1-4, 3:12. 1 Corinthians 1:30. 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17, 5:21. John 15:4-5. Hebrews 10:14. Philippians 1:6, 1:21, 2:13. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. 1 John 5:11-13. Jude 24.