When “I” Ends, He Begins
When self is poured out, Jesus fills us with His Spirit and does what only He can do.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers reflects on the deep meaning of John the Baptist’s words, “I indeed baptize you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Chambers presses us to ask whether we have come to that place in our lives where we truly say, “I indeed, but He.” That simple phrase captures the dividing line between self-effort and Spirit-filled living. Until we reach the end of ourselves, we do not truly grasp what it means to be baptized with the Spirit.
Chambers reminds us that Jesus does not come to make slight adjustments to our lives. He comes to drag everything into His light. Where we thought ourselves unclean, He puts His feet to cleanse. Where we thought ourselves good, He withdraws, showing us that our righteousness cannot be the ground of His presence. Repentance, then, is not merely sorrow over sin but the recognition that we are utterly unworthy, helpless, and unable to carry even the sandals of Jesus.
This is not meant to leave us in despair. It is meant to move us into the wonder of Jesus Himself. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an emotional moment or a dramatic experience. It is the work of Jesus filling us with His life, bringing us to the margin where our “I” ends and His “He” begins. When we step into that reality, life ceases to be about managing ourselves and becomes about yielding to Him.
Chambers brings us to the joyful conclusion: the Christian life is not about trying harder but about receiving fully. It is about knowing that while “I indeed” am unworthy, “He” comes, and in His coming, He does everything. That is the baptism of fire, the Spirit’s presence burning away self-sufficiency and filling us with the life of Jesus.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, I call you to the end of yourself, not to diminish you but to fill you. When you say, “I indeed,” you reach the point of your own limits. But when you look to Jesus, you step into the fullness of My Spirit. The baptism of fire is not your striving, it is My presence burning within you, cleansing, purifying, and empowering.
I do not ask you to present yourself as worthy, for in Jesus you are already accepted. I ask you to lay aside every defense, every claim, and every pretense, so that you may know the richness of His life within you. Repentance is not your endless groaning, but the turning of your gaze to the One who has already borne your unworthiness and given you His worth.
You are no longer called to carry the sandals of Jesus. You are called to walk in His steps, not by effort but by His Spirit. Yield, and you will discover that the life you live is no longer your own, but the life of Christ expressed through you. Where you end, He begins. Where you are weak, He is strong. Where you are unworthy, He is your righteousness.
Scripture References: Matthew 3:11, John 3:30, Romans 6:6-11, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:9-11, Philippians 3:3, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-6.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a glass jar filled to the brim with sand. You want to pour water into it, but the sand leaves no room. It is only when the sand is poured out that the water can fill the jar completely. Our lives are often like that jar, filled with “I indeed”—our self-effort, our qualities, our imagined worthiness. But when those are emptied out, space is made for Jesus to fill us with His Spirit.
Today, when I am tempted to depend on my own sufficiency, I can whisper, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.” That simple surrender turns the empty jar into a vessel filled with His living water.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that where my “I indeed” ends, Your “He” begins. I rejoice that I no longer need to depend on myself, for You have given me Your Spirit to live in me. I rest in the truth that I am unworthy in myself, yet fully accepted in Jesus. Today I walk not in panic or striving, but in the confidence that You are doing everything in and through me.