The Life He Puts Within
Just as a fountain flows from a hidden spring, our lives flow from the life of Jesus within us.
Devotional Credit:
His Victorious Indwelling
Compiled by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit:
Unsplash
Today’s devotional, featuring the insights of Jessie Penn-Lewis and Hudson Taylor, reminds us that the work God desires from us always begins with the life He first puts in us. It is never about forcing ourselves to meet His commands through sheer determination, but about allowing His Spirit to produce in us what He has already planted. God does not command us to bring forth something we do not possess; instead, He fills us with His Spirit so that obedience becomes the natural outflow of His life within.
Penn-Lewis uses the example of raising a child to illustrate this truth. A parent who constantly says “you must not” can crush the child’s spirit, whereas guiding the child into a new life within will lead to a natural desire to do what is right. In the same way, the Lord leads His children into His life and then expresses that life uniquely through their personalities. No two believers are shaped exactly alike. God’s work in each person is a personal expression of Himself, not a carbon copy of someone else’s life or ministry.
This means that trying to mold ourselves—or others—into the pattern of another Christian is not His way. He did not design us to imitate someone else’s personality or calling. His Spirit in us brings forth a variety of expressions, each one reflecting Jesus through the unique design of the believer.
Hudson Taylor closes with a personal reflection: he once asked God to help him, then asked if he might help God, but ultimately learned to ask God to do His work through him. That final posture is the heart of today’s message—our life in service to the Lord is not something we muster, but something we yield to, letting Him live and work through us.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have given you My Spirit, and with Him, the life I desire to see in you. I do not ask you to manufacture holiness or love out of your own efforts. What I require from you, I first place within you. When I tell you to love, it is My love that fills your heart. When I tell you to serve, it is My strength that accomplishes the work.
You are not called to be the copy of another believer. I have shaped you with intention, and I will express Myself through you in ways that are unique to your design. Your task is not to conform to the pattern of another, but to yield to Me so that I may be all in you.
Lay aside the striving to prove yourself or to measure up to another’s calling. Let your focus be on abiding in Me, for apart from Me you can do nothing. As you rest in Me, My life will be seen in your actions, your words, and your heart. This is how I will glorify Myself in you.
Scripture References: John 15:4–5, Philippians 2:13, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, Romans 12:4–6, Colossians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 3:5–6
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine a fountain that only flows because a hidden spring feeds it from deep underground. The water you see bubbling over is not coming from the fountain itself—it is supplied by a constant source beneath the surface. If the spring stopped, the fountain would be dry.
Our Christian life is like that fountain. The visible expression—love, patience, kindness, service—comes from the unseen life of Jesus within us. Today, if you find yourself wanting to “do better” or “be more,” pause and draw from that inner spring. You can quietly affirm, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that whatever You require of me, You have already placed within me by Your Spirit. I praise You that I am not called to mimic someone else’s life, but to let You express Yourself through the person You have made me to be. I rest in the truth that You are my source for every good work and every act of love. Today, I yield myself to You for Your life to flow through me.