An Attitude Carried About by Earthen Vessels
Like a sweatshirt that carries the scent of someone you love, the life of Christ rests on us — soft, present, and always near.
Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection from Day by Day by Grace centers on the sacred tension between death and life — not physical death, but the spiritual surrender that allows Christ’s life to be revealed through us. As believers, we are not merely vessels of clay; we are vessels that carry a divine treasure — Christ Himself. The “attitude” we carry daily is one of identification with the dying of Jesus. It’s not morbid; it’s liberating.
To walk in the life of Christ, we must renounce the self-generated life we inherited from Adam. Jesus didn’t merely die for us — He included us in His death, and therefore in His resurrection. When we reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, we are living out a reality that has already been accomplished.
This isn’t about grim determination. It’s about joyful agreement with God: the self-life has nothing to offer, and Christ’s life is everything. As we yield to this truth each day, the risen life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies — not in polished perfection, but through the humility and availability of our fragile earthen frames.
Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Beloved, you are not asked to die to yourself through strain or striving. You have already died with Me. That old life — the one that tried so hard to be good, strong, wise, or holy — was crucified with Christ. Now, in your body of clay, I dwell. I am the Treasure that makes your vessel holy.
Carry this attitude today: the cross is not a burden you bear but a reality you walk in. It is the assurance that your self-life has no hold over you. Denying yourself is not a bleak task — it is the gateway to abiding in Me. Each time you say “no” to your old self, you are saying “yes” to Me.
You do not need to cling to what was. I am your life now. I raised you with Me, and I dwell in you to reveal Myself through you. Let this be your quiet confidence: that even in weakness, even in ordinary moments, I am being seen. You walk in newness of life — not because you have produced it, but because I am living it through you.
Let your soul rest in this: the excellence is Mine, not yours. The glory is Mine, not yours. And yet, because you are Mine, that glory flows freely through you.
Romans 6:4, 6:11; Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:7, 4:10
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like wearing a soft, worn-in sweatshirt that still carries the scent of the person you love most. You didn’t create the warmth or the fragrance — you simply slip it on and carry it with you. In the same way, when you carry the attitude of the cross, you are wrapped in the presence of Christ. His life clings to you, even in the most mundane moments.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that the old life I once lived — the one built on self-effort and insecurity — has been crucified with Christ. I no longer need to strive to produce a life that only You can give. I rest in the truth that I have died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in You.
Thank You for being my life within — vibrant, holy, sufficient. I rejoice that I don’t have to carry the burden of self; I carry the reality of resurrection. Let the life of Jesus be seen in me today, as I trust You to live through this earthen vessel You now call home.