The Cross That Follows Us Home
The cross that came all the way home—applied daily, not displayed distantly.
Devotional Credit:
Abide Above: “His Cross—Our Cross”
Photo Credit:
Unsplash
The cross was never meant to be a symbol we revere from a distance. It’s not just about what happened outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago—it’s about what’s happening right now, in us, as the Holy Spirit applies that finished work moment by moment. When Jesus said to take up our cross daily, He wasn’t calling us to self-effort or performance—but to identification. His cross didn’t just forgive us; it also brought an end to the old man. And now, by faith, we live not by patching up the flesh, but by yielding to the life of the risen Christ within.
The Reformation restored the truth of justification by faith—a glorious rediscovery. But as J.B.S. points out, it often stopped short. Many recognized the corruption of legalism but still tried to live by the energy of the very flesh that was judged and crucified at Calvary. When the focus is on forgiveness alone, we can miss the fuller invitation: to walk not only with pardon but with power, not merely as saved people but as crucified and risen ones in union with Christ.
Today’s devotional by Miles Stanford presses us not to define the cross only by what it does for us, but by what it does in us and to us. We’re not asked to carry a replica of Christ’s burden; we’re called to agree with what His cross already accomplished—that the old life has no claim and no place. Daily cross-bearing, then, isn’t morbid or self-deprecating—it’s freedom. It’s daily dying to the illusion that our flesh can serve God, and daily yielding to the indwelling Christ who alone is our life.
This isn’t about striving, but about faith. If we are instructed in Christ Jesus and Him crucified—and embrace by faith that we have died and risen with Him—we will live in the power and joy that only resurrection life can supply. The call of discipleship is not harsh—it’s the invitation to rest in the One who already bore the weight, and now lives in us to express His life.
Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Beloved, I am not asking you to carry a cross in your own strength. I have already carried it for you. But I invite you now to agree with what My cross accomplished. The life you once lived in Adam—the striving, the shame, the self-effort—that life was brought to an end in Me. You were crucified with Me, and now it is no longer you who live, but I who live in you.
Each day, My invitation remains the same: not to struggle, but to yield. Not to offer your flesh for reformation, but to trust that it has already been judged and set aside. Your old life is not your burden to fix. It is a history that has been buried, and your true life is now hidden with Me in God.
Take up your cross daily—not as punishment, but as participation. You are walking in the reality that sin has no dominion, that the world has no hold, and that the flesh has no power unless you revive it. You are free to walk in the Spirit, free to live by grace, free to enjoy unhindered fellowship with Me because you are united to the Risen One.
So today, let this be your posture: agreement with My death, and dependence on My life. Walk with Me—not to prove your devotion, but because you are already Mine. And as you walk, My Spirit will apply Calvary to every step. My cross has come all the way home to you.
Scripture References: Luke 9:23; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6-11; Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Luke 14:27; Philippians 3:10; Romans 8:1-4; John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 1:18
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like walking through your house with a smart thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature based on your needs. You don't reset it each hour—it just adapts, moment by moment, responding to your presence and activity. But you do have to trust it and stop fiddling with it.
In the same way, the cross isn’t something we keep reapplying manually. It’s a truth we walk in by faith, letting the Spirit apply Christ’s finished work to every thought, word, and action. Rather than trying to fix our flesh, we can trust the indwelling Christ to express His life as we yield. For example, when you're tempted to respond defensively in a conversation today, pause. Don’t “try” to be patient—simply trust Christ in you to be your patience, and walk away from the old way of reacting. His cross has already addressed the flesh. You are free to respond with His life.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that the cross wasn’t just for forgiveness, but for freedom. I trust that I have already died with Christ, and I now live by His risen life. I don’t need to fight the flesh today—it’s already been judged and set aside in Christ. I thank You that the Spirit applies the cross to my experience as I rest and yield. In every moment today, I walk in agreement with You: that Christ is my life, and His life is enough.