Eternally Nigh
In the brightness, you no longer focus on the dust—you enjoy the warmth of the light.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford leads us into the marvelous mystery of our position in Christ—no longer far off, but forever brought near by His blood. The author points out that true spiritual maturity hinges on this reality. Only when we know our position—hidden with Christ in God—can we safely confront the depth of our old sin nature without being consumed by it.
Rather than trying to clean up the flesh or pretend it's not as bad as Scripture declares, we are free to face it honestly because we are no longer in Adam—we are in Christ. Our union with Him becomes the lens through which we view both our depravity and our deliverance. In fact, the more we behold Jesus, the more clearly we perceive just how unlike Him the flesh is—and yet, from that very place of awareness, we are shielded by grace.
Spiritual growth, then, is not about sin management. It is about Christ enjoyment. The deeper our longing for Him, the more quickly the things that don’t resemble Him fall away. There is no striving in this—it’s the natural shedding of what no longer belongs. What once felt comfortable begins to feel foreign, not because we exert more control, but because we are captivated by a better life. We grow by seeing Him, not by fixing us.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have brought you near—not by your striving or sincerity, but by the precious blood of Christ. You were once far off, but now you are hidden with Me in Him, forever secure. Your life is not anchored in the instability of the flesh, but in the unchanging nearness of My Son.
From this safe place, I reveal to you the old nature—not to shame you, but to show you how far I’ve brought you. The more you see My holiness, the more the old ways appear distant and undesirable. But you need not fear that distance, for you are already set apart from it. I did not call you to fix the flesh, but to walk in the Spirit who already dwells in you.
This is the rhythm of your transformation: as the beauty of Christ fills your vision, the things unlike Him fall away. You do not have to prune the old man—I have already crucified him with Christ. Instead, look unto Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith, and I am working in you both to will and to do according to My good pleasure.
Let the Word dwell in you richly. It discerns, divides, and directs. It pierces through the fog of self-effort and invites you to abide in the clarity of grace. I am not asking you to climb upward toward Me—I have placed you at My side. Your joy will deepen as your gaze remains fixed not on yourself, but on your Savior.
Scriptures referenced: Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 12:2; Colossians 3:3; Romans 8:9; Philippians 3:3; Hebrews 4:12
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like opening the blinds in a dark room. As the sunlight pours in, the dust particles floating in the air become visible—but the light doesn’t cause the dust, it only reveals it. And in that brightness, you no longer focus on the dust—you enjoy the warmth of the light.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rejoice that I am no longer far from You. I have been brought near—not by effort, but by the blood of Christ. From this place of nearness, You lovingly expose what no longer belongs to me. I rest in the truth that I am not condemned by the sinfulness You reveal, for I am already in Christ. Thank You for the clarity Your Word brings and for the way Your Spirit quietly draws me to Jesus, moment by moment. I delight in being Yours and trust You to continue forming Christ in me as I behold Him.