Complete In Your Energy, Not Mine
Grace at work within, quiet power for everyday maturity.
Devotional Credit: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones, September 28
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Paul describes the aim of ministry as presenting every person mature in the Messiah. He pairs that aim with surprising language. He toils, yet not in the push and strain of the flesh. He works in the power that Jesus energizes within. E. Stanley Jones draws our eyes to that pairing. Real growth does not come from grim effort. It comes from grace at work inside a yielded life.
Maturity in Jesus is not a badge for super saints. It is the normal fruit of abiding in Him. Being in Christ means belonging to His life now. His life expresses love, wisdom, and steady courage through ordinary people who rest their weight on Him. Jones reminds us that the energy that carries us is the energy that Christ supplies.
This keeps us from two ditches. One ditch says, do nothing, since God does everything. The other says, do everything, since God only starts you off. Scripture shows a better way. We work, yet the Source is within. We participate, yet the power is His. The body of Christ grows as each part draws from the Head.
So, today is not about white knuckles. It is about cooperation with the Lord who lives in us. We aim for maturity, not by inflating ourselves, but by relying on Jesus moment by moment. Thank you, E. Stanley Jones, for pointing us to toil that rests, effort that flows from grace, and progress that looks like love.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I dwell in you because you are in the Son. I make you alive together with Him. Set your mind on the things above where your life is hidden with Christ in God. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you, and I will shape wisdom and love in all you do.
I supply what I command. Present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and I work in you what is pleasing in His sight. My power is made perfect in weakness. Do not trust the flesh. Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. The fruit that appears is My fruit, love and joy and peace and patience, formed as you abide.
I join you to others as one body. From the Head, the whole body grows with a growth that is from God. Speak the truth in love, build one another up, and serve with the measure I supply. Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through Him.
When you grow tired, remember, your life is not sourced in your resolve. Your life is the risen Christ. I strengthen you with power in the inner person, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Continue in Him, rooted and built up, established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving. I am faithful to complete what the Father began.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a phone that looks fine on the outside but slowly drains during the day. When it is connected to a reliable charger, the screen lights up and everything runs smoothly. In the same way, maturity does not come from tapping the screen harder. It comes from staying connected to the Source. When a meeting runs long or a child needs patient attention, you can turn inward to the Presence who lives in you. Simply say, Lord, I trust You to supply Your grace in me for this moment, express Your patience through me in this conversation. Then take the next kind word or the next quiet choice with Him as your supply.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am complete. Thank You that the Spirit of the Son lives in me and energizes every good work. I agree with You that my labor is not in the power of the flesh. It is grace working in me. I rejoice that Your life in me produces real love, steady joy, and peace that lasts. I step into today counting on Your indwelling life to express itself through my words and actions. I am content to be weak, since Your power rests on me. All of this is already mine in Christ, and I give You thanks.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Colossians 1:28-29; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 3:1-4; Colossians 3:16-17; Romans 6:13; Hebrews 13:20-21; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Galatians 5:16-25; John 15:4-5; Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 2:19; Colossians 2:6-7; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 3:16-17