Glory Within, Our Certain Hope
Christ within, rising us into the Father’s glory
Devotional Credit: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Paul writes, Christ in you, the hope of glory. E. Stanley Jones slows us down to see how personal and how corporate that promise is. In Jesus, glory is not a distant trophy. Glory is the certain outcome of His life within His people. The phrase Christ in you is plural in context, Christ in you all, the church. The Lord does not erase persons. He redeems persons, heightens who they are in Him, and turns them into living display cases of grace.
Jones redirects our imaginations about glory. Heaven is not impressive furniture and gold streets. The glory of God is redeemed people whose lives have been made radiant by Jesus dwelling within. When the Father looks at ordinary men and women in whom His Son lives, He says, that will be glory for Me. Not spectacle, but the beauty of a people transformed from the inside.
This touches everyday life. The same Jesus who indwells you where you live indwells believers across the world. The hope is not in our polish or platforms. The hope is Christ alive in us. His life in you is not a threat to your personality. It is the making of your true personhood in Him. His presence preserves the you He designed and fills you with the fullness of God.
Thank you, Dr. Jones, for lifting our eyes from glitter that fades to the glory that lasts. I can rest. The story is not ultimately about my performance. The story is about Jesus living in His people until the Father’s joy is seen in us.
Journal Entry - Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I dwell in you because you are in My Son. I chose you in Him before the foundation of the world. I sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise. Christ in you is the hope of glory. In Him you are complete. From His fullness you receive grace upon grace. I strengthen you with power in your inner being so that the Messiah may dwell in your heart through faith, that you, rooted and grounded in love, may know the love of the Messiah that surpasses knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God.
You are joined to the Lord, one spirit with Him. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. The life you live in the body you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. Present yourself to Me as one alive from the dead. Walk in newness of life. Set your mind on things above, where the Messiah is seated. I work in you, both to will and to do for My good pleasure.
Behold, I make you like a mirror that beholds the Lord’s glory and is transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. The treasure is in earthen vessels so that the surpassing power may be of God and not from you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. My purpose is that He be glorified in you and you in Him, and that the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Real-Life Analogy
Think about a small packet of yeast folded into dough. The grains look insignificant. You cannot see the change at first. Quietly, from within, the dough rises, lightness appears, and the whole loaf is transformed. The yeast does not erase the flour. It lifts it.
Life in Jesus works like that. His Spirit within brings His character to the surface in ways you could never grind out by effort. When you are about to reply to a difficult message or step into a tense hallway conversation, you might say, Lord, I trust You to express Your glory from within me right now. Shape my tone, guide my words, and love this person through me. Then respond simply and honestly. Let the Holy Spirit lift the moment from the inside out.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that Jesus lives in me. Thank You that Christ in us is the certain hope of glory. In Him I lack nothing needed for life and godliness. I affirm that I am complete in Christ. I affirm that Your Spirit dwells in me, works in me, and reveals the life of Your Son through me.
Today I gladly receive what You have given. I walk in newness of life. I welcome the love of Jesus to fill my words, my choices, and my service. I rejoice that Your glory is the transformation of people, and that You will be glorified in me as I abide in Your Son. All praise to You for grace that makes ordinary lives radiant. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
John 1:16; John 14:17; John 14:23; John 17:22-23; Romans 6:4-11; Romans 8:10-11; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6-7; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:3-14; Ephesians 1:17-23; Ephesians 2:4-7; Ephesians 3:16-19; Philippians 1:20-21; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:25-29; Colossians 1:27; Colossians 2:9-10; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:3-9; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 4:12-13; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Habakkuk 2:14