Perfectly Kept in His Love
The Holy Spirit polishes and preserves the beauty Christ has placed upon His Bride.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven
Photo Credit: Unsplash
In today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson, the focus is on the Holy Spirit’s tender, protective, and purposeful work within us. His love is not passive or distant. It is the jealous love of God, intent on keeping us free from anything that would mar the beauty of our life in Jesus. This is not the jealousy born of insecurity, but the holy jealousy of a Bridegroom who treasures His Bride and will not tolerate anything that diminishes her glory.
The imagery of “spot” and “wrinkle” reveals His care. A spot symbolizes the stain of sin, while a wrinkle signifies the weakness or decay that comes with the old order of life. The Lord’s desire is that His Bride, the Church, be radiant and pure, untouched by sin’s corruption or the decay of a fading life. In His eyes, she is already beautiful, without flaw, because He has clothed her in His righteousness.
The Spirit’s role is both gentle and relentless. He is Christ’s personal agent in us, working to keep our lives aligned with God’s best. He doesn’t merely point out what is wrong; He actively applies the finished work of Jesus so that our lives express His purity and vitality. He brings us into what the devotional calls “the highest possible state of God’s will,” not through our self-effort, but through our yieldedness to His work within us.
This reality invites rest. Rather than striving to remove every imperfection ourselves, we live in the assurance that the One who indwells us has both the desire and the power to keep us spotless. Our part is to remain yielded, trusting His perfect love to do in us what we could never do on our own.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I dwell within you with a love that will not let you go. My care for you is not momentary, but constant. I have sealed you for the day of redemption, and My jealousy for you is the jealousy of perfect love. You are already washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. You are clothed in garments of salvation and wrapped in the robe of righteousness.
I am at work to present you without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless before Him. I remove what does not belong to your new life and strengthen what reflects My Son’s life in you. I do not leave blemishes unattended nor allow decay to remain, for My work in you is thorough and complete.
You are beautiful in My sight, not because of your striving, but because I have placed My own beauty upon you. I guard you, guide you, and keep you for Myself. Yield to Me in each moment, and you will see My will accomplished in you. The life I began in you is the life I will bring to full glory.
Scripture References: James 4:5, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Ephesians 5:27, Isaiah 61:10, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 1:22, Jude 24
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a skilled jeweler caring for a precious gemstone. He doesn’t simply admire it from a distance; he inspects it closely, removing any smudge, polishing away the smallest blemish, and storing it in a secure place so nothing can diminish its brilliance. The stone cannot polish itself, but it rests in the jeweler’s capable hands, confident that he will preserve its beauty.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit is actively at work within you, preserving the beauty Jesus has placed upon you. When a moment today brings irritation, temptation, or discouragement, you can quietly yield, saying, “Lord, I trust You to keep my life in Your care and to express Your purity through me right now.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that You have made me new in Jesus and clothed me in His righteousness. You are the One who preserves me without spot or wrinkle, and I rest in Your perfect love. Thank You that I do not have to strive to maintain my own purity or strength, because You are faithful to keep me. I rejoice that Your work in me is certain, and that I am already beautiful in Your sight.