Open Hands, Full Heart
Resting on the source, receiving what Jesus already supplies.
Devotional Credit: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones, October 1
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Colossians says, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in Him. Dr. E. Stanley Jones lingers on that simple line and makes it wonderfully clear. We began by receiving, so we continue by receiving. We met Jesus with surrender and receptivity, so we walk with Jesus the same way, not with clenched teeth, but with open hands. This is not passivity. This is trusting dependence that expects the Lord to be Himself in us.
Jones keeps the focus on Jesus as Lord. Not merely example, or worker of wonders, or moral guide. Lord. When we agree with His rightful place, something quiet and steady happens. The heart that yielded now receives without shame. Grace does not embarrass us. It fills us. He cleanses our tangled self life, then gives us back to ourselves as those who are at home in God.
He also speaks to the atmosphere of the Christian life. Life in Jesus is give and receive, but the giving is not our attempts to earn. We give Him ourselves, the one thing that unlocks all the rest. When He has us, He has all. The way is clear for Him to pour in what He has already secured for us. This is the life of abiding in Christ, the life of daily trust that draws from His fullness.
Thank you, Dr. Jones, for keeping the center so simple. The Lord is not asking us to take the wheel and impress Him. He invites us to live today as we began, surrendered and receptive, confident that He is Lord in us, and that He delights to share His life with His people.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I called you to receive My Son as Lord, and I call you to walk in Him the same way. You are Mine. I set you in the Beloved and sealed you with My Spirit. From His fullness you receive grace upon grace. I have given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Jesus. You are complete in Him.
You were crucified with Christ, and now you live through faith in the Son of God. Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to Me. Present your bodies to Me as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing. Abide in My Son, and fruit comes in season. Apart from Him you can do nothing. In Him you lack nothing for life and godliness.
I work in you to will and to do for My good pleasure. My Spirit dwells in you. The life of Jesus is made plain in your mortal body. Draw near with confidence. Receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, and reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. I am faithful to sanctify you completely, and I will surely do it.
Real-Life Analogy
Think about setting a phone on a wireless charger. You do not squeeze the phone to make power. You simply place it on the pad, and connection does the rest. Life with the indwelling Holy Spirit is like that. Jesus is Lord, the source is present, and as you trust Him, His life flows.
Try this when a demanding request arrives by text. Before you answer, turn to Him. Say, Lord, I trust You to govern my yes and my no. Express Your honesty and love through my reply. Then answer with plain words, neither overpromising nor retreating, confident that His life is guiding the moment.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I began by receiving Jesus as Lord, and I continue by receiving from His fullness. Thank You that You have already given me every spiritual blessing in Him. I agree with You that I am dead to sin and alive to You. I yield myself to Your indwelling life. I welcome Your grace to be expressed through my thoughts, my words, and my choices today. In Jesus I rest, and from His fullness I live. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 1:6-7; John 1:16; Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 2:9-10; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:11-13; Romans 12:1; John 15:4-5; 2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 2:13; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11; Hebrews 4:16; Romans 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Colossians 1:27; Philippians 4:19