No Cross, No Christ!
When the clutter is cleared, something nourishing can finally be prepared. The Cross clears the way for the indwelling Life of Christ.
Devotional credit: Abide Above
Image sourced from Unsplash
Miles Stanford doesn’t mince words. There can be no true experience of Christ’s life flowing through us apart from the Cross. The Cross is not merely Christ’s alone—it is also the doorway into a life where His Spirit can minister through us. Stanford reminds us that no form of church—no technique, no structure, no polished system—can substitute for a life shaped by the Cross. True ministry and true church life don’t emerge from patterns but from people in whom the Cross has done its deep, interior work.
When Stanford says, “Where there is no Cross there is no life,” he isn’t calling for suffering for suffering’s sake. He’s pointing out that ministry rich with life—real life—must be born out of death to self. We don’t go looking for pain or hardship, but the Holy Spirit gently leads us into experiences that draw us into Christ’s own dying, so that His life may be manifest through us.
Our modern appetite for “body life” and “authentic gatherings” sometimes veers toward performance or perfect form, but Stanford confronts us with a clarifying truth: unless the members are spiritual—unless they are crucified with Christ—there is no true manifestation of the Head. Just activity.
The Cross is not a burden; it is the end of self and the beginning of real life. A crucified person doesn’t seek personal glory, power, or recognition—but rests in the reality that Christ now lives within. This is not a call to morbid introspection. It is an invitation to yield—to let the indwelling Christ be seen more clearly as our self-life fades away.
📓 Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit:
My beloved, I did not redeem you to perfect your old life, but to crucify it—so that Mine may flow unhindered through you. You were never meant to manage or improve what was crucified with Me. That which was born of Adam cannot bear the life of heaven. Only My Spirit in you can carry the weight of divine life.
There is no shortcut to this fullness. The Cross is not a cruel interruption to your plans—it is your freedom from needing a plan of your own. In every place I call you to bear it, I carry it with you. I do not ask for your strength; I give you Mine. But My strength comes through the way of the Cross. My joy flows through surrender. My ministry flows through yieldedness. Death to self is not the end—it is the beginning of overflowing, Spirit-born ministry.
Church life is not meant to be formed like a sculpture, measured by symmetry or system. It is meant to be born, like breath, from those who live in Me and not in themselves. Systems are safe, predictable, and dead. But My life is uncontained. And where I live unhindered, the Church becomes radiant—not because of form, but because My people are filled with My life.
Do not resist the daily cross, child. I will show you how to bear it lightly, with Me. Not in gritted teeth, but in gentle trust. I will bring life out of what you surrender—life far greater than what you held onto.
📖 Referenced Scriptures:
Luke 14:27; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6–11; 2 Corinthians 4:10–11; John 12:24–26; Galatians 6:14; Colossians 3:3–4; Philippians 3:7–10; Romans 8:13; Ephesians 4:15–16; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Romans 5:10
🪞 Real-Life Analogy:
It’s like clearing off a cluttered kitchen counter so you can finally cook a real meal. Every old thing left sitting there—junk mail, crumbs, unopened boxes—limits the space for something nourishing to be prepared. In the same way, the Cross clears the clutter of self so the life of Christ can be expressed freely. It’s not punishment—it’s preparation for something far better.
Today, perhaps you face a situation where your opinion, your preference, or your timing wants to take center stage. This is a moment to quietly turn to the indwelling Spirit and whisper in trust, “Lord, You live in me. Let it be Your words, Your tone, Your response, not mine.” Maybe it’s a tense meeting, a weary conversation, or a moment of invisible sacrifice. Whatever the scene, you are not the actor—Christ is the Life within the vessel.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence:
Father, I thank You that the Cross was not the end, but the entrance into life—Your life. I’m not left to carry burdens of performance, preference, or pride. You’ve already carried the Cross and now live in me. I gladly count my old life crucified with Christ, and I rejoice that today is not mine to manage but Yours to express. In every surrender, I find You. In every letting go, I discover more of the Life that has no end. Thank You that You are enough—Christ in me, the only Life worth living.