Seen Through the Firstborn

When the noise fades, the song remains, Jesus lives in you

Devotional Credit, Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
Photo Credit, Unsplash

There is a daily tug to stare at ourselves, to measure progress, and to replay old struggles. T. Austin-Sparks invites us to shift our gaze. He reminds us that the Spirit turns our attention from self to Jesus, not to ignore our lives, but to let the life of the Son define who we are and how we live. Thank you, T. Austin-Sparks, for calling us to look away from self-management and to look unto the Firstborn.

The enemy loves to keep our shortcomings in the foreground. The Spirit moves those aside by bringing Jesus into view. In Him, God has already drawn a clear line between what we are in ourselves and who we are in Jesus. That line matters. It keeps us from blending our old patterns with the new life we share with the risen Lord. We are not trying to upgrade the old. We are learning to live from the new.

God begins with His Son, the Firstborn from the dead. That is corporate good news. In union with Jesus, we are included in what the Father says about Him. He sees us in His Son, and He works in us on that basis. Death and resurrection are not distant ideas. They are the doorway into our everyday, because the Spirit who raised Jesus now lives in us to express His life through us.

So today we gladly accept the Spirit’s gentle correction. When old habits try to crowd the view, we turn again to the Lord within. We agree with God that our old man was crucified with Jesus, and we count on His life to be seen in us. That is not passive. It is responsive dependence. It is the posture of abiding.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I point you to My Son. In Him you are alive to Me, and My Spirit dwells in you. You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since I live in you. I have united you with the Firstborn from the dead, and I am conforming you to His image. Set your mind on things above where the Messiah is seated, because your life is hidden with Him in Me.

The old man was crucified with Jesus so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to Me in Christ Jesus. Present yourself to Me, and I will express the life of Jesus in your mortal body. This is not your energy. I work in you to will and to do for My pleasure. I have given you every spiritual blessing in Him, and I supply all that pertains to life and godliness.

I write on your heart, not on tablets of stone. As you behold the Lord, I transform you from glory to glory. Abide in Him, and you will bear much fruit. I complete what I begin. I am forming a people who share His life together, His body, created in Christ Jesus for good works that I prepared beforehand. Walk in them with a steady trust, and let the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus be evident in every place.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of noise-canceling headphones in a busy room. The chatter does not vanish, but the unwanted noise fades so you can clearly hear the music that is already playing. In the same way, the Holy Spirit does not ask you to silence every distraction by willpower. He tunes your attention to the risen Jesus who lives in you, and the noise loses its power.

A simple moment, you open an overflowing inbox and pressure rises. Instead of bracing and pushing harder, turn to the Lord within and say, Lord, I entrust this next email to You, express Your clarity and kindness through me as I reply. Then answer the first message with honesty and grace, trusting His life to flow through your words and choices.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not defined by what I am in myself. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me. Thank You that my old man was crucified with Jesus, and that I am alive to You in Him. Today I present myself to You with gratitude. I rely on Your indwelling life to be seen in my work, my conversations, and my quiet moments. You began this good work, and You will bring it to completion. I rest in Your sufficiency and rejoice to honor the Name of Jesus in ordinary minutes.

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

Romans 8:9-11, Colossians 1:18, Romans 8:29, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 6:6-11, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 1:3, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, John 15:4-5, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, Romans 5:10