Hidden With Christ in God
Just as a phone comes alive when connected to its source, so our hidden life in Jesus flows when we rest in Him as our true life.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above by Miles Stanford
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Miles Stanford draws us to the heart of the believer’s growth in Colossians 3:3, reminding us that we have died, not merely changed. This distinction is crucial. Our old Adamic life was not improved or modified. It was crucified with Jesus. Realizing what the first Adam is prepares us for the greater realization of who the Last Adam is.
Stanford notes how many believers struggle in this stage of growth. They rejoice in being declared righteous through the risen Jesus, yet they feel disheartened when they stumble and discover the same failures surfacing. They long to meet the standard of holiness but find themselves frustrated that their progress seems small and their setbacks frequent. This cycle can rob them of joy, unless they come to see the deeper truth.
The Lord allows continual discoveries of the old man’s corruption so that we become increasingly repelled by it. At the same time, He repeatedly reveals Jesus to our hearts, and we are drawn with delight to Him. These two realities move together until the believer accepts that the crucified old man was hopelessly bad and could never have been reformed. Only then does the wonder of the cross shine brightly: we were severed from the old Adam through the death of Jesus, and now His resurrection life is our very own.
This is not a call to focus on producing fruit by striving or measuring progress. As H.S. wisely put it, fruit is not produced by trying to make fruit the goal. True fruit springs out of having Jesus as our focus, resting in Him as the True Vine, and letting His life bear the outcome. The old Adam is behind us, crucified. The new life is hidden with Christ in God, safe and secure.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My beloved, I want you to see with clarity what I have already done for you. Your old life in Adam has been crucified with Jesus. It is not waiting to improve, it is finished, and you no longer live in that old identity. Your life is now hidden with Christ in Me.
Do not measure your joy by your performance. You will discover the corruption of the old man again and again, but this is to remind you that he has no claim over you. The cross severed his rule, and Jesus now lives as your true life. Each failure only magnifies the sufficiency of His death and resurrection.
Keep your eyes fixed on My Son. He is your holiness, your righteousness, and your life. Fruit will never be produced by straining after it. Fruit comes by resting in Him, drawing your nourishment from the Vine, and yielding to His Spirit. You are not under the domination of the old man, but under the liberty of the new creation life.
Walk in the freedom of knowing that Jesus is your life, your source, and your strength. Every discovery of weakness in yourself is an invitation to rejoice in His fullness. You are hidden with Him in Me, secure and supplied forever.
Scripture References: Colossians 3:3, Romans 6:6-11, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:4-6, John 15:4-5, Romans 8:1-2, Philippians 1:11, Philippians 3:9, 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine a phone that is completely out of power. No matter how much you press the buttons or swipe the screen, it remains unresponsive. The only way it functions is when it is connected to a power source. The moment it is plugged in, the energy flows, and the phone operates as it was designed to. The focus is not on the phone’s ability to generate its own energy, but on remaining connected.
In the same way, when I face moments of weakness or discouragement, I can say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.” My focus is not on producing fruit but on staying yielded to Jesus, who is my life and my source.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that my old Adamic life was crucified with Jesus and that I now live hidden with Him in You. I rest in the truth that I do not need to improve the old, for You have given me new life altogether. I rejoice that Jesus is my holiness, my righteousness, and my fruitfulness. Today I walk in the confidence that my life is secure in Him and that Your Spirit produces in me what I could never achieve on my own.