Built For What Lasts
When the scaffolding falls, what remains is workmanship that lasts.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling, compiled by Nick Harrison. Grateful acknowledgement for Alexander Maclaren and G. B. W.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Psalm 31 lifts a simple confession. I trust You, Lord. My times are in Your hands. The entry in His Victorious Indwelling asks us to think about what is being formed inside the scaffolding of our days. Jobs, schedules, and milestones are temporary frames. What remains is the inner house that love is building.
Alexander Maclaren reminds us that the great end of life is to be like Jesus and pleasing to Him. If that is taking shape, we have the best of life, whether our days are many or few. Quality over quantity. I appreciate the nudge. It is easy to count hours and miss the heart.
G. B. W. adds a second grace. Rushing is not the way of fellowship. Keeping company with God produces careful work that does not need to be undone. Slow with the Lord is not lazy. It is accurate, free, and fruitful long after the moment passes.
As a fellow traveler, I hear a gentle invitation. Let the temporary frameworks do their job, but do not mistake them for the house. Stay near to Jesus in the ordinary pace of a day. He knows how to form a life that will stand when the scaffolding comes down.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the One who holds your times. I have set my love upon you in my Son. You are crucified with Him and you live in Him, and the life you now live is by faith in the Son of God. Reckon yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus, and yield your members to Me as instruments of righteousness. Abide in Me, and you will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. I work in you to will and to work for My good purpose, and I finish what I begin. As you behold the Lord, I transform you from one degree of glory to another. My workmanship in you is created in Christ Jesus for good works that I prepared beforehand, so that you should walk in them. Walk as a child of light. Redeem the time. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart, and let His word dwell in you richly. I am with you always.
Real-Life Analogy
Set a pot of water on the stove and turn the flame too high, and pasta turns out sticky and underdone. Bring it to a steady simmer, and the texture becomes right through and through. In the same way, rushing through tasks can look productive but leaves things half formed. The Holy Spirit within is not a stopwatch. He works at the pace that brings things to completion without waste.
Today, when a task or conversation pushes you to hurry, you might quietly say, Lord, I entrust the pace of this moment to You, express Your steady wisdom through me as I proceed. Then answer the email with clarity, or meet the client with patience, or guide your child with calm words. Let Jesus supply the timing and tone while you take the next simple step.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that my times are in Your hands. Thank You that in Jesus I am a new creation, and that Your Spirit lives in me to form what lasts. I agree with You that the goal is likeness to Your Son, not hurried results that fade. I receive Your peace for the pace of this day. I welcome Your workmanship in my thoughts, words, and choices. Thank You that nothing done in union with Jesus needs to be redone. I walk forward grateful, rested, and ready for whatever You have prepared.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Psalm 31:14 to 15. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:11 to 13. John 15:4 to 5. Philippians 2:12 to 13. Philippians 1:6. 2 Corinthians 3:18. Ephesians 2:10. Ephesians 5:8 to 16. Colossians 3:15 to 17. Matthew 28:20.