Centered At The Cross
First light on a simple wooden cross, a quiet picture of staying centered where the heart holds steady.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Philippians 4 calls us to stand firm in the Lord. E. Stanley Jones points us to the place that steadies the stance, the cross of Jesus. He reminds us that some try to live in Christ while sidestepping the cross, and that never holds. The cross is not a side note. It is the center where the heart is kept steady.
Jones walks us through Paul’s lesson in Athens and Corinth. In Athens the message drifted toward ideas, and there was little fruit. In Corinth Paul chose a different center. I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. From that emphasis a church was born. Thank you, E. Stanley Jones, for the nudge back to what matters most.
Here is the encouragement for a fellow traveler. The cross tells me what God is like, self giving love that paid the price to bring me home. The cross also tells me what my old way of living was, independence that could not save itself. At the cross I rest in what Jesus finished, and I say yes to His life in me. That is not harsh. It is freedom.
So today I choose the simple road. Put one point of the compass at the cross, then walk out every other direction from there. That posture keeps me honest, gentle, and at peace. It keeps the story centered on the Lord, not on me.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I set your feet where they will hold. Stand firm in the Lord. Fix your gaze on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I have reconciled you through the blood of His cross. By the cross I put to death the hostility and brought you near. I canceled the record of debt that stood against you and nailed it to the cross.
You were crucified with Christ. You no longer live as if you belong to yourself. The life you now live in the body you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Present yourself to Me. Walk by the Spirit. Glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to you and you to the world.
I keep you in perfect peace as your mind stays on Me. Set your mind on things above where Christ is seated. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Hold fast to the word of the cross. My power is made perfect in weakness. From this place of union, you will bear fruit that remains.
Scripture references: Philippians 4:1, 1 Corinthians 2:2, Colossians 1:20 to 22, Ephesians 2:13 to 16, Colossians 2:13 to 15, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6 to 11, Romans 12:1, Galatians 5:16, Galatians 6:14, Isaiah 26:3, Colossians 3:1 to 3, Colossians 3:15, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 12:9, John 15:4 to 5.
Real-Life Analogy
On a phone camera you tap the screen to set the focus. Before the tap, the image jitters and the colors smear. After the tap, the subject snaps clear and the rest of the scene arranges around it. Centering life at the cross works like that. The Holy Spirit brings Jesus into clear view, and the rest of the day finds its place.
Try this today. Before a decision or a tense conversation, pause for a brief moment and turn your heart toward the cross. Say, Lord, I trust You to center me in what Jesus finished and to love through me as I step into this. Then move forward expecting calm honesty and patient kindness to flow.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You for revealing Your heart at the cross and for uniting me with Your Son. Thank You that the record against me is canceled, that I am reconciled, and that Your Spirit lives in me. I receive this day as a gift. Keep my attention on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, not as a slogan, but as the center of how I think and live. Lord, I trust You to express Your self giving love through me in every task and relationship today.