Forgetting Ourselves in the Father’s Love
Forgetting self in the warmth of the Father’s love.
Devotional Source: Abide Above by Miles Stanford
Photo Credit: Unsplash
To rest in the Father’s love is to lose sight of ourselves. The old tendency is to measure humility by how lowly we think of our own worth. Yet true humility does not come from rehearsing our failures. It comes from gazing upon Jesus until we forget to look at ourselves at all. J. N. Darby reminds us that it is not by thinking about our sins that we are humbled, but by beholding the excellencies of our Lord. When our hearts are filled with His goodness, there is no room for the self-life to linger in self-condemnation.
In the abiding life, humility is not self-effacement but Spirit-born rest. We are not called to despise ourselves but to trust the indwelling Spirit to keep our eyes on Jesus. As we live before the Father’s face, His glory becomes the atmosphere of our hearts. There, in His love, we are free from self-analysis, free from striving to appear spiritual, and free from the endless loop of guilt and pride.
Darby said we are entitled to forget ourselves because we are now in Christ. The Father has already dealt with the old man through the cross. It is not humility to rehearse what He has already crucified. It is faith to rest in what He has finished. When the Spirit reminds us of the Lord’s beauty, our souls quiet down, and humility ceases to be a discipline. It becomes the natural fragrance of resting in His love.
As the apostle Peter wrote, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Grace flows where self has stepped aside. In that yielding, Jesus expresses His own meekness through us. The Father’s hand becomes our place of peace, not punishment. The more we trust His heart, the more His gentleness and strength shape our words, our reactions, and our countenance.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My beloved, rest your eyes on Me and not upon yourself. You have already been made new in My Son. Your old self was crucified with Him, and you now live by His life within you. When you look at yourself, you see only fragments. When you look at Me, you see completion.
I do not call you to rehearse what I have already forgiven. I invite you to dwell in My love, where shame loses its voice. Walk with Me in humility, not by effort but by fellowship. As you abide in My presence, you will find that humility is not thinking less of yourself but losing yourself in Me.
Let My grace quiet your heart. Let My peace steady your steps. In the moments when pride whispers or condemnation presses near, turn your gaze to My Son. There you will find that your life is hidden with Christ in Me, and all that remains is joy in My nearness.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section:
1 Peter 5:5-6, Romans 6:6, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3-4, John 15:4-5, Philippians 2:13
Real-Life Analogy
It is like walking past a mirror and realizing you no longer need to check your reflection. You trust that the light you stand in reveals what matters. When the heart abides in the Father’s love, it no longer turns inward for approval or outward for validation. It simply walks in quiet confidence, aware of His indwelling presence.
Today, when the temptation arises to evaluate yourself, pause in trust and say, “Lord, I rest in Your sufficiency to live through me right now.” Allow His Spirit to respond through you with gentleness and calm. He will make His humility visible where yours once faltered.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that my life is hidden in Jesus. You have already crucified my old self and raised me to walk in newness of life. I rejoice that humility is not something I must create but something Your Spirit expresses in me. I rest in Your grace, confident that Your love keeps me from self-focus and fills me with peace.