Christ Formed in You
Just as dough rises by hidden warmth, so Christ rises in us through quiet trust.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
There is a holy difference between Christ being born for us and Christ being formed in us. A.B. Simpson reflects on Paul’s passionate desire for the Galatians—not merely that they had been saved, but that Christ would be fully formed in them. It’s the image of new birth not as a past event but as an ongoing reality. Just as Christ was born into the world once, so He desires to be born into each heart and formed there, day by day, until His character and beauty become visible in us.
This inner formation is not about trying harder or doing more. It’s about letting the life of Christ take shape within, allowing the Holy Spirit to conform us inwardly until His thoughts become our thoughts, His desires our desires, and His actions our actions. It is a quiet Christmas morning in the soul, over and over again—a holy unfolding of the indwelling Christ.
And even now, before our final resurrection transformation, we are called to live as vessels through which Christ is seen. As those brought into His marvelous light, we shine not with our own brilliance, but with His. We are not asked to imitate Jesus in the flesh, but to manifest Jesus through the Spirit.
✨ Personalized Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit
You are not called to perform for Me—you are called to reveal Me.
My child, I formed your spirit anew in the moment you believed, and I took up residence within you. But now I am shaping your soul day by day to reflect the One who lives in you. This is not a burden; it is a miracle unfolding. Just as a child grows within the womb until the time of birth, so the life of Christ grows within your soul until He is visible in your thoughts, choices, and expressions.
Do not measure your life by external successes or failures. Look to the One who lives within. When you trust Me moment by moment, I live through you. When you yield, I express Myself freely through your words and actions. You are a living epistle—My life inscribed on your heart for others to read. As you rest in Me, I form in you the very fragrance of My Son.
Let your soul relax into the certainty that I will complete what I began. I am the One who brought you out of darkness. I am the One who brings light through you. And in time, that glory will not only reside in your spirit but will clothe your body as well, in resurrection life. Even now, eternity is being written into your present.
Scriptures: Galatians 4:19, Colossians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 3:3, 1 Peter 2:9, Philippians 1:6
🪟 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like placing bread dough into the oven and watching it rise—not by force, but by the inner working of heat that permeates and transforms it from the inside out. The ingredients are already present. The oven’s warmth doesn’t create the bread—it activates what was placed within it. So it is with Christ in you: the divine life is present. The warmth of yielded trust allows Him to rise and take shape.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that Christ already lives in me. I trust You to shape my soul until His life overflows into every word, every gesture, every moment. I rejoice that this is not my work to perform but Your joy to accomplish. Today I simply yield to the warmth of Your presence, knowing that Christ is being formed in me and made visible through me. Let others see Him and not me—for I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.