Perfect Provision, Growing Up Into Jesus

Provision already in the pot, steady presence brings the flavor together

Devotional Credit, Abide Above by Miles J. Stanford
Photo Credit, Unsplash

There is a quiet relief that comes when we discover that Jesus is not only our Savior, He is also our supply. Miles J. Stanford reminds us that the Father has placed us in His Son and has made full provision there. We are not asked to manufacture wisdom, righteousness, or growth. We are invited to draw from the One who is wisdom for us, righteousness for us, sanctification for us, and redemption for us.

This changes how we see our ups and downs. The Lord is not cramming information into us. He is forming Christ within a people. He uses real life to work the old patterns loose and to release the new life that is already ours in the risen Jesus. The aim is not a shinier version of the self-life. The aim is participation in the life of the Son by the Spirit in the everyday.

Stanford’s picture is pastoral and practical. The Father is wise and patient. He does not rush us past lessons we only half know. He plows deeper, not to shame us, but to root us more securely in Jesus. When we think we are ready to sprint ahead, He kindly keeps us where fruit can actually grow, where love and discernment take shape in ordinary minutes.

This is not private heroism. It is corporate grace. The Spirit forms a people who learn together, who depend on the same Lord, and who share in the same provision. In Him we already have every spiritual blessing. In Him we grow from milk to solid food. In Him we learn to discern good and evil, not by straining, but by abiding.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I have set you in My Son, and I have set My Son in you. In Him you lack nothing necessary for life and godliness. I am the One who makes Him to be your wisdom. I clothe you in His righteousness. I advance you in sanctification. I will complete redemption. I train you as a child I love. I lead you from milk to solid food so that your senses are exercised to discern what pleases Me.

When you face the tug of the old ways, remember that you were crucified with the Messiah, and you now live by His life. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to Me in Jesus. Present yourself to Me, and I will express the life of Jesus in your mortal body. I work in you to will and to do. I change you from one degree of glory to another as you behold the Lord and remain in Him.

You are not an island. You are My workmanship with My people, created in Christ Jesus for the good works I prepared. I equip you through Scripture. I prune you to bear fruit. Trials are not waste. They produce steadfastness. My goal for you is maturity in the Son, unity with His body, and the fragrance of His love in daily places. Set your mind on things above where the Messiah is. Let His word dwell richly in you. As you abide, I make you complete in Him.

Real-Life Analogy

Think about setting a slow cooker in the morning. You place the ingredients, set the temperature, and let steady heat do the work through the day. You do not stand over the pot stirring every minute. The unseen warmth draws out flavor that rushing could never produce. That is how the indwelling Spirit of Jesus works in a believer. The provision is already in the pot. The steady presence brings it together over time.

A simple, specific practice, when I face a task I want to avoid, I pause my scrambling and turn to the Lord within. I say, Lord, I entrust this moment to You, express Your patience and clarity through me as I make this call and finish this work. Then I take the next small step. The pressure eases. The doing flows from being with Him.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not running on empty. You have already blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Him. You have united me with Your Son, and Your Spirit lives in me. Today I gladly reckon myself alive to You. I receive the wisdom, righteousness, and growth that are mine in Christ. I step forward trusting Your faithful provision to be expressed in my words, my choices, and my service. I rest in Your patient love and rejoice that You complete what You begin.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section

Hebrews 5:12-14, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Peter 1:3-4, Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 2:9-10, Colossians 1:27-29, Romans 6:6-11, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:12-13, Romans 8:13, Romans 8:29-30, John 15:4-5, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Ephesians 4:13-16, Hebrews 12:5-11, James 1:2-4, Psalm 32:8, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 3:1-3, Colossians 3:16