Established in Christ
Standing firm only happens when anchored deep in the unshakable Christ.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones reminds us that only one foundation holds steady: Christ Himself. Not doctrine. Not a beloved preacher. Not even the most reverent worship service. All these can shift like sand, but in Christ, we are firmly established.
He then unpacks four realities that are ours in Christ from 2 Corinthians 1:21–22:
God establishes us in Christ.
God commissions us in Christ.
God seals us with His ownership.
God gives us His Spirit as a guarantee.
When we try to root our stability in anything other than Christ, even good things like doctrine or giftedness, we end up tossed and unsteady. But in Christ, we are both anchored and alive. We are not just made firm—we are sent. Not only secure—we are also significant. The Christian life beats with a rhythm: established and commissioned, fixed and sent, resting and moving forward. And in every moment, Christ remains fresh, vital, sufficient, and redemptive.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have established you—not in an idea, not in a system, not in a season of inspiration—but in My Son. The Rock beneath your life is not shifting sand. When winds blow and opinions swirl, when even church traditions divide, you remain unmoved because you are rooted in Christ, who does not change.
Your stability is not your own doing. I am the One who placed you there. And because I established you in Him, I also commission you from Him. You do not serve Me in your own strength, nor with your own message. You are sent not with something to prove, but with Someone to proclaim. You are not preaching an experience—you are proclaiming a Person.
I have sealed you as Mine. That seal cannot be revoked, edited, or reversed. And to remind you that My promise is not temporary, I have placed My very Spirit within your heart—a down payment of eternity, a whisper of My voice, a witness of your belonging.
You do not need to search for significance, strive for security, or wait for affirmation. I have given you all in Christ. Stand firm. Move forward. Christ is enough.
Scriptures referenced: 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Ephesians 4:14; Matthew 7:24–25; 2 Timothy 1:9; John 6:27
🧷 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like pressing a thumbtack into drywall—it wobbles, shifts, and eventually falls. But screw a hook into the stud behind the wall, and it holds solidly under weight. We often try to hang our lives on surface-level supports—people, performance, spiritual habits—but only when anchored deep in Christ do we truly hold steady and become useful.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rejoice that You have already placed me on solid ground. I am not building my life upon opinions or emotions, but upon Christ Himself. Thank You that I’m not left to figure this out or fuel my mission on my own. You’ve established me in Him, commissioned me through Him, sealed me as Yours, and filled me with Your Spirit. I walk today with nothing to prove and no ground to fear. My footing is firm because Christ is unshakable.