Fixed In Grace, Growing With Jesus

Firm foundation provided, daily building as Jesus works in and through us.

Devotional Credit: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones, October 2
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Paul says we are rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving. Dr. E. Stanley Jones slows us down to notice the two sides in that little phrase. Rooted points to receiving. Built up points to activity. The life of abiding in Jesus holds both together without tension. We draw from His life, then we step forward in that life.

Jones reminds us that being in the Messiah is not quietism. Nor is it self powered busyness. Roots keep us resting in what God has already given in His Son. Building expresses that gift in ordinary choices, words, and work. Think of it this way. Grace supplies the materials, and our daily trust becomes the site where those materials take shape.

He also keeps the focus on our union with Jesus and our place with His people. We were made for Him and for one another. As we receive from Jesus, we mature together. We are not trying to become something apart from Him. We are growing up into what we already are in Him. That is why thanksgiving sits close to this verse. Gratitude rises when we realize we are drawing from a fullness that does not run out.

Thank you, Dr. Jones, for the kind clarity. Rooted keeps us receiving. Built up keeps us participating. Both belong to a shared life in the Lord, where the center is Jesus Himself, not our discipline, not our mood, not our metrics.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

Walk in My Son as you received Him. I have set you in Him, and I am establishing you in the faith. From His fullness you receive grace upon grace. You are complete in Him. Let your roots go down in Him, and be built up together with My people in love. I supply every good thing for life and godliness, and I work in you to will and to do for My good pleasure.

You died with Jesus, and you live with Him. Count this true. Present your bodies to Me as a living sacrifice. Let the peace of the Messiah rule in your heart. Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Me through Him. I am the One who equips you with everything good so that you may do My will, working in you what is pleasing in My sight.

No other foundation can be laid than the One already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Built on Him, you are living stones being fitted together into a dwelling place for Me by the Spirit. I began a good work in you, and I will complete it. Stand firm, abound in thanksgiving, and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Real-Life Analogy

Picture a poured concrete foundation with a stack of lumber ready beside it. The slab is finished. It carries the weight. The frame grows as each board is set on that foundation. You are not making your own ground. You are building on what already holds. Life with the indwelling Spirit works like that. Jesus is the finished ground under your feet. As you rely on Him, the house rises.

A practice for today. When a project meeting starts to sprawl, settle your heart toward the Lord and say, Lord, I trust You to be the foundation under this work. Build through my words, guide my pace, and shape a clear next step. Then offer one calm recommendation, and move the team forward without rush, confident that you are building on what is already secure.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that I am rooted in Jesus and built up in Him. Thank You that You have already supplied every spiritual blessing in the Messiah. I agree with You that no other foundation is needed. I yield my plans, my effort, and my schedule to Your life within me. I receive Your peace, and I walk in thanksgiving as You express the life of Your Son through me today. Amen.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section

Colossians 2:6-7; John 1:16; Colossians 2:9-10; Ephesians 3:17; 2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 2:13; Romans 6:4-11; Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:15; Colossians 3:17; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Ephesians 2:19-22; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 2:5; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Psalm 127:1