Good Things Need Redemption
Even good ingredients need balance—only love makes them nourishing.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones gently exposes the hidden disease within even our noblest efforts: the unsurrendered self. Wisdom, righteousness, and even sanctification—good things in themselves—can be corrupted when self sits at the center. A mind filled with knowledge but devoid of surrender is still ruled by ego. A pursuit of righteousness that depends on personal attainment becomes pride cloaked in piety. And sanctification that fixates on external separations can subtly whisper, “I am better,” rather than, “Christ is all.”
Redemption, then, is not just for outward sins or shameful behaviors—it is for the inner posture. It is the self that insists on being the source, the standard, the savior. Only in Christ is that self crucified and replaced with a new center—love. Not sentimental love, but self-giving, Christ-indwelling love that builds rather than boasts.
Paul captured this distinction when he said, Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). The Spirit redirects our focus from acquiring insight to abiding in the One who is Love. In Him, redemption reaches even into the places we thought were already good, and purifies them with His life.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I do not condemn your desire to know, to be right, to live purely. But I desire more for you than effort or attainment—I desire union. The mind that seeks knowledge apart from Me becomes inflated. The soul that tries to establish its own righteousness wanders from grace. The heart that builds sanctification around rules rather than relationship grows cold in its zeal.
Come to Me—not as one who has something to prove, but as one who has already been redeemed. In My love, you are free to let go of what once seemed valuable but now pales in comparison to knowing Me. I have already exchanged your self-effort for My indwelling life. What I build in you is not puffed up by pride, but rooted in love.
Let Me redeem your thinking, not by removing wisdom but by infusing it with My mind. Let Me redeem your longing for righteousness, not by dismissing discipline, but by becoming your righteousness. Let Me redeem your sanctification, not by ignoring holiness, but by being your holiness within.
Every good thing is transformed when I am the source. When self is no longer central, love flows freely. And when love flows freely, I am glorified.
Scriptures referenced: 1 Corinthians 8:1; Philippians 3:8-9; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; Romans 6:6; John 15:5
🥣 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like adding salt to a soup—just a little too much, and even the finest ingredients are overshadowed. The soup had good things: fresh vegetables, tender meat, rich broth. But the excess salt—the self—taints the whole pot. Only when the overpowering element is neutralized can the true flavors come through. Redemption is not about discarding the good—it’s about removing what overwhelms it.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I no longer have to be the source of righteousness, insight, or holiness. You have already given me all these in Christ. I rest today in the redemption You’ve completed—one that reaches even into the good things I once claimed as my own. I rejoice that You are now my source, my center, and my sufficiency. In Your life, I live. In Your love, I serve. And in Your presence, I am at rest.