The Only Pattern That Fits

Just as dough takes the shape of the mold, so we are conformed into the image of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash

E. Stanley Jones reflects on the truth that the Holy Spirit is only given "in Christ." This is not exclusionary in a rigid sense, but rather, it is a matter of divine necessity. Just as mathematical truth does not change to fit opinions, spiritual truth does not bend to other molds. God gives the Holy Spirit only in Jesus because He is the one and only true pattern of divine life. To place the Spirit into any other form would misrepresent His character.

Jones illustrates this by pointing to the Spirit’s timing. According to John 7:39, the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Only once Jesus had lived, taught, died, risen, and ascended was the “mold” ready. That mold, Jesus Himself, became the trustworthy vessel through which the Spirit could be poured out. God entrusted power only to that which perfectly revealed His truth and love.

Jones’ devotional contrasts the purity of Jesus with counterfeit spiritual experiences. A disturbing newspaper clipping is cited, describing a girl thought to be an incarnation of a false goddess. Jones uses this as a clear reminder that power without truth leads to distortion. The Spirit was not given to dazzle with spectacle, but to conform us into the image of Jesus—the only image worth bearing.

Ultimately, his devotional celebrates that the Spirit lives in us because we are in Jesus. We do not receive the Spirit for our own purposes. He is given so that the life of Jesus may be lived in and through us.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

My child, I dwell in you because you are in the One who is glorified. The mold has already been set. The image of Jesus, raised in power, exalted in righteousness, and seated in glory, is the only image into which I conform you. You have not received a spirit of confusion, but the Spirit of truth, love, and self-control. I do not fill you for display. I fill you for transformation.

In Jesus, the truth has come. In Jesus, you are made new. I did not seal you with uncertainty, but with certainty. My presence in you is the guarantee that you belong to God, that His inheritance is already yours. You were chosen in Him, and because of Him, you have the fullness of Me within you.

Do not look to signs and wonders to prove My presence. Look to the life of Jesus being formed in you—humble, gentle, obedient, joyful. I do not lead you into fear or frenzy. I lead you into fellowship. I produce in you what Jesus modeled: love that serves, faith that trusts, peace that anchors, joy that endures.

Because you are in Him, you are safe to trust Me. I will not act outside of His character. The pattern has already been revealed. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I will conform you to Him from the inside out.

Scripture References: Ephesians 1:13–14, Romans 8:9–11, Galatians 5:22–23, John 7:39, John 16:13–14, 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:21–22, Colossians 1:27, Romans 12:2, Titus 3:5–6, 1 John 4:13, Galatians 2:20

Real-Life Analogy

Think of how cookie dough fills a cookie cutter. The cutter doesn't change shape for the dough. Instead, the dough conforms to the shape of the cutter. If you want star-shaped cookies, you don’t press the dough with a circle. The shape determines the outcome.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit only conforms us to the shape of Jesus. He doesn't mold us into our own idea of goodness, power, or influence. Instead, He presses us gently into the pattern of the risen Son. And that’s the only shape He trusts with His life.

So today, if you are tempted to act out of fear, to seek validation, or to showcase spiritual zeal, pause and yield. Say to the Lord, “I trust You to conform me to Jesus in this moment. Shape my response, my thoughts, and my actions to reflect Your presence and not my performance.”

Prayer of Confidence

Father, You have already given me the Spirit of Your Son. I lack nothing. I don’t have to guess or grasp for more of You. I am sealed. I am Yours. And because the mold is Jesus, I can rest in knowing that the work You began will be true to His life in me.

Thank You for making the pattern so clear. Thank You for shaping me day by day in the likeness of the One who saved me. I yield to the Spirit's forming work in me, knowing that it will never contradict the beauty of Jesus. May my life reflect the truth that You now dwell in me, because I dwell in Him. Amen.