Planted by Grace, Growing by Christ
The Seed grows because the life is already in it—grace at work beneath the surface.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling by Nick Harrison, featuring Isaac Pennington and Augustine
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional from Nick Harrison calls me to reflect not on what I can do for Christ, but on what it means to be formed in Him. Pennington’s words invite me to think deeply about the mystery of the new birth—that I have been “born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). That birth is not a one-time event to be admired but a continual life to be lived. It is a seed—God’s own grace—planted by Him, springing up by Him, growing in me by Him, and bearing fruit through Him.
And yet, this growth requires surrender. It demands that I cease striving to be something or someone great, and instead rest in becoming nothing apart from Christ. Augustine reminds me: to be great in the kingdom, I must first be small in myself. True growth—real, enduring, heavenward growth—is not self-made. Its foundation is humility. Its sustenance is divine life. Its result is fruit that endures.
There’s a temptation to chase spiritual progress through effort and appearance. But the Spirit speaks of something deeper—something inward and alive. It’s not a notion of grace, but grace itself: a living Seed planted by God. The more I allow my heart to be ploughed and softened, the more this Seed can grow. And oh, how kind the Gardener is—enclosing, watering, dressing, and delighting in the soil of my soul.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have placed My Seed within you—not a perishable idea, not a fleeting impulse, but My own imperishable life. You were born again not merely to believe, but to abide—to be formed into the image of My Son and to bring forth fruit that remains. Let that Seed grow.
Do not chase what the world calls greatness. I have not asked you to be strong, clever, or impressive. I have asked you to sink low, to become little, to know only what I give you in the moment I give it. My grace is not a concept to study—it is a living reality to experience, moment by moment, like dew upon tilled ground. The more you rest in Me, the more your life will bear the fragrance of heaven.
Let Me tend the soil of your heart. Do not resist the plough, for I use it not to wound but to make room for life. I will water you with My Word. I will prune you with My truth. I will enclose you with My peace. And I will delight in you, for you are Mine.
You are My garden. And I am faithful to bring My Seed to full bloom.
Scriptures referenced: 1 Peter 1:23; John 15:5,8; Galatians 2:20; Isaiah 58:11; 1 Corinthians 3:6–7
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like placing a small seed into a terracotta pot on your windowsill. You water it and wait. For a long time, it looks like nothing is happening—but under the surface, life is beginning. The roots dig deep before anything ever pushes upward. Eventually, a tiny green sprout breaks through. It’s not because of your effort, but because the life was already inside the seed. All it needed was the right soil, the right care, and the light.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rejoice that I have been born again by Your imperishable Word, and that Your grace is not an idea but a living seed within me. Thank You that I don’t need to strive to be great—I simply yield the soil of my heart to You. You are the One who planted, and You are the One who brings the growth. Today, I rest in Your delight, confident that You are enclosing, watering, and nurturing my heart like a garden. All that is needed has already been given in Christ—and in Him, I live.