Only the Hungry Grow

Like a blocked charging port, self-effort clogs the place where Jesus longs to pour in His life. Only hunger opens the way.

Devotional Credit: Abide Above
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s devotional from Miles Stanford explores a key distinction in our spiritual journey. While Romans 1 through 5 contain the birth truths of salvation, it is Romans 6 through 8 that reveal the growth truths essential for maturity. The Reformation rightly reclaimed the truth of justification, but it often stopped short of ushering believers into the indwelling life of Jesus as their functional source for living. That inner dependence is where transformation takes place.

Many Christians settle into the comfort of forgiveness without entering the deeper intimacy that grows through abiding. They may maintain the habits of religion, but without a heart set on dwelling in the Holiest place, where Jesus is life. This can often be traced back to a history of failed efforts. When self-effort ends in repeated disappointment, some retreat into passivity. The outward shell of faith may remain, but the inner hunger fades.

Yet God, in His mercy, sometimes allows that struggle to serve a purpose. The ache of inadequacy is not a punishment, but a divine invitation. As C.A.C. reflects, despair can lead to discovery. Honest striving, though rooted in law, can become the soil for surrender. And it is the surrendered soul, not the casual or complacent one, that is prepared to receive. Psalm 107:9 affirms this timeless pattern: the Lord satisfies the longing soul.

We are not meant to strive forever. We are meant to hunger and then feed on what only Jesus provides. Spiritual maturity is not gained through more effort, but through more dependence.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

You are not failing because you are weak. You are invited because you are hungry. The journey you are on was never meant to be powered by your own effort. You were not called to strive toward Me, but to abide in Me. I humbled you so you would hunger. I allowed the wilderness so that you would look to the Bread of Life.

You were never meant to live in Romans 5 alone. You are meant to walk in the truths of Romans 6, to know that you died with Jesus, to reckon yourself alive in Him, and to yield to Me moment by moment. The life you live now is not yours to maintain. It is Mine to express through you.

I am not waiting for your performance. I am drawing you to the inner place, the Holiest, where you may rest in Me. Those who long for Me will be filled. Those who bring their emptiness find My fullness. If you feel hunger, rejoice. It is the sign that your heart is alive.

I do not despise your honest struggles. I see the ache behind the effort, and I am using it to turn your gaze upward. You are not meant to fall back. You are meant to step in. Come dwell in Me.

Scripture References: Hebrews 6:1, Romans 6:6–14, Romans 7:4–6, Romans 8:1–11, Psalm 107:9, Galatians 2:20, Deuteronomy 8:3, Colossians 3:3, John 6:35, Hebrews 10:19–22, Matthew 5:6, 2 Corinthians 3:5–6

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a phone that runs out of battery just when you need it most. You plug it in, but it doesn’t charge. You try another cord. Nothing. Only when you look closely do you see that dust has filled the charging port. The power source is available. The cord is good. But the connection has been blocked.

When we try to grow in our own strength, we clog the place where divine life is meant to flow. We read, pray, serve, and strive. But if the heart is not open, if the soul is not yielded, we cut ourselves off from the life that only Jesus can live through us.

So today, pause. Acknowledge the hunger. Say to the Lord, “I trust You to live Your life in me and through me in this moment, where my striving ends and Your supply begins.” Maybe it’s in the middle of a meeting, a quiet drive, or a decision you’re weary of making. In that place, let your emptiness be the very reason you trust.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, You have satisfied my soul before, and You will again. Thank You that my hunger is not a failure, but a gift. You allowed it so that I would return to You. I confess that self-effort only made me tired. But even in my weariness, You have been patient.

I thank You for the truths of Romans 6 through 8. Thank You that I have died with Jesus and that now His life is my life. I am no longer alone in this journey. I do not need to perform. I only need to trust. You are the One who satisfies, and You never withhold Yourself from the one who longs for You.