Ever Upward With Jesus
Doors opening to a higher floor, a quiet picture of the upward call in Jesus that turns endings into beginnings.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Philippians 3:14 pictures a heart leaning forward. Paul calls it the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. E. Stanley Jones takes that phrase and gently shakes off complacency. He says life in Jesus is never a museum of yesterday’s victories. It is a fresh beginning that keeps beginning again in Him.
I needed that reminder. It is easy to treat being in Christ like a safe harbor that asks for nothing new. Jones helps me see that union with Jesus is safe and it is also alive. The Spirit makes room in us for a holy longing. Satisfied in the Lord, yet never finished knowing Him. Restful in His love, yet ready for the next step He reveals.
This upward call is not about frantic effort. It is about a Person. Jesus meets us where we are, then draws us along in His likeness. Old patterns give way to better ones. Fixed ruts become growing places. Endings turn into beginnings, again and again, because the Living One keeps leading.
So here is how I am holding it today. Stay rested in grace. Stay reachable in heart. Keep saying yes to Jesus as He opens the next door. One step at a time, with a smile that says, He is enough and He is not done.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I call you upward in Christ Jesus. Forget what lies behind, reach forward to what is ahead, and press on to know the Lord. You are risen with Christ, so set your mind on things above where He is seated. I renew you day by day. I change you from one degree of glory to another as you behold the Lord.
I remind you that you are a new creation. You walk in newness of life. I live in you, and Christ is your life. Abide in Me, and you will bear much fruit. Grow up in all things into Him who is the Head. Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. I give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowing of Him, the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know the hope of His calling.
I steady your race. Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings. Run with endurance, looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith. I pour the love of God into your heart. I begin the good work and I carry it to completion. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. I make all things new.
Scripture references: Philippians 3:12 to 15, Hosea 6:3, Colossians 3:1 to 4, 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4, Galatians 2:20, John 15:4 to 5, Ephesians 4:15, 2 Peter 3:18, Ephesians 1:17 to 19, Hebrews 12:1 to 2, Romans 5:5, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 6:10, Revelation 21:5.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of an elevator that keeps opening to higher floors when you press the up button. You step in, stand still, and let the lift carry you. The next floor is not earned by straining. It is received because you are inside the right elevator. The Holy Spirit is that faithful lift. As you trust Him, He carries your heart into fresh rooms of knowing Jesus, and new capacity appears for the day in front of you.
Try this today. Before you start a project or conversation, pause at the doorway and choose the up button in your heart. Say, Lord, I trust You to carry me into the next step in You, and to express Your life through me as I go. Then enter expecting quiet courage, clear words, and willing love.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You for calling me upward in Christ Jesus. Thank You that every ending with You becomes a beginning, and that Your Spirit renews me day by day. I receive this day as a fresh floor of grace. I rest in union with Your Son, and I gladly move forward as You lead. Lord, I trust You to keep me centered in Your Son and to make my steps a simple yes to Your heart.