A Conversation About Spiritual Practices and the Exchanged Life

“Abide in Me, and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:4–5
“Train yourself for godliness.” – 1 Timothy 4:7

A Grace-Oriented Conversation on Discipleship, Effort, and Union

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” – Galatians 2:20

For many believers, the idea of imitating Christ seems noble—read the Gospels, observe Jesus, and try to copy Him. After all, didn’t Paul say, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1)? Shouldn’t we strive to walk as Jesus walked, love as He loved, speak as He spoke?

Today’s reading takes us deeper into what it really means to have been justified by faith. Bob Hoekstra reminds us that justification is not simply a legal declaration—it is a resurrection. We weren’t just forgiven; we were made alive. In God's eyes, when we placed our trust in Jesus, something supernatural occurred. We were united with Christ—not just in His death, but also in His burial and resurrection. This wasn’t symbolic; it was spiritual reality.

In today’s reflection, Oswald Chambers draws a sharp distinction between being interested in Christ and being identified with Him. Paul doesn’t say he admires Christ or intends to model his life after Him. He declares that he has been crucified with Christ. This isn’t metaphorical—it’s positional and spiritual reality. Paul understands that his old self, with all its independence and self-ownership, was put to death on the cross.

Today’s devotional speaks to the divine sequence of our transformation: crucifixion comes before consecration. The Cross is not just the place where Christ died for us—it is also the place where our old self was put to death in Him. We are not called to consecrate the flesh, nor to bring our uncrucified selves before God for use in service. Instead, it is the new creation—alive from the dead, joined with Christ in resurrection life—that is called to present itself to God.

This morning’s devotional guides us into a deeper understanding of spiritual progression. In Acts 13, Paul encouraged new believers to continue in the grace of God—meaning to remain in the enjoyment of the Triune God as their source of life. But by Acts 14:22, the message matures: Paul and Barnabas now entreat these same believers to continue in the faith.

Paul flips the boasting of his opponents upside down. They flaunt their triumphs, their spiritual experiences, and their strength, but Paul boasts in his sufferings and weaknesses. He recounts a remarkable vision of paradise but refuses to exalt himself over it. Instead, he shares how God humbled him through a "thorn in the flesh," a torment that kept him from pride. He pleaded three times for the Lord to remove it, but God’s response was not to remove the affliction but to give Paul more of Himself.

Luke 22 draws us into the final hours before Jesus' crucifixion, revealing both the darkest intentions of man and the most radiant obedience of Christ. The religious leaders are thrilled to have found a traitor in Judas, allowing them to arrest Jesus quietly. Yet Jesus is no victim. He arranges the Passover, controls the details, and transforms the old covenant meal into a new covenant celebration—His body and blood given for us.

E. Stanley Jones offers a grace-filled lens through which to view humility—not as a degrading attitude of self-effacement, but as a natural outflow of knowing one’s true greatness in Christ. The world often confuses humility with inferiority. But Scripture shows us something altogether different: true humility flows from inward security. Jesus, fully aware that everything had been given into His hands, stooped to wash feet. His greatness wasn't diminished by menial service—it was expressed through it.

Paul’s transformation wasn’t just about conversion; it was about losing all confidence in the flesh. He had every reason to boast—his ancestry, his morality, his religious zeal—but none of it made him effective for Christ. Even after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul spent years still clinging to fleshly confidence, though now directed toward Christian service. His effectiveness didn’t come until he abandoned all reliance on self and stepped into the fullness of Christ’s life within him.

Many believers find themselves in an exhausting cycle of striving for righteousness, especially when they face temptation or feel distant from God. The battle intensifies when they attempt to regain their footing through self-effort, trying to obey the law as a means of restoring their sense of closeness to God. The harder they try, the more condemnation weighs on them, and discouragement sets in like an unshakable burden.

The mercy of God is abundant beyond measure, and in that mercy, He has given us new birth—a birth that ushers us into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is not mere optimism but an unshakable certainty rooted in the finished work of Christ. We have been justified, declared righteous before God, not by our efforts but through faith in Jesus. His resurrection sealed our redemption, proving that sin was conquered, death was defeated, and eternal life was secured.

Oswald Chambers presents friendship with God as a journey of increasing intimacy. True friendship with Him is not merely sensing His presence in fleeting moments of prayer, but walking in such harmony with Him that our desires align with His will. This kind of relationship brings freedom and delight—where we no longer struggle to discern His will, but move with confidence, knowing that unless He redirects us, we are walking in His purposes.

The journey of Israel from the wilderness to Canaan illustrates a spiritual progression in the believer’s life. While wandering, the Israelites survived on manna—a provision from God that sustained them but did not bring them into the fullness of the land’s abundance. But once they entered Canaan, they ate from the "old corn of the land," representing a deeper, more mature provision directly from God.

An article from eManna presents a fascinating typological interpretation of the ashes of the red heifer in Hebrews 9, emphasizing the eternal and unchanging efficacy of Christ’s redemption. It draws a parallel between the red heifer’s ashes and Christ’s finished work, emphasizing that believers do not need repeated sacrifices but must appropriate the cleansing through faith. My mentor’s question raises an important theological connection: how does this concept relate to 1 John 1:9?

Ezra 5 records a turning point in Israel’s history when, after a decade and a half of stagnation, the people finally resumed rebuilding the temple. The prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah were instrumental in this revival, calling God’s people to repent and step forward in obedience. Haggai, ever direct, confronted their misplaced priorities, asking why they lived in luxurious homes while God’s house lay in ruins (Hag. 1:4). Zechariah’s ministry complemented Haggai’s, offering not only a call to repentance but also a vision of hope—the promise of the Messiah and a future expansion of God’s kingdom.

Tyre, a powerful maritime city-state, rejoiced when Jerusalem fell, seeing it as an opportunity for greater trade and prosperity. But the Lord, who sees the motives of the heart, declared judgment upon Tyre for its arrogance and selfishness. Tyre saw Jerusalem as an obstacle removed, but God saw their pride and would bring them low. Just as He allowed Babylon to overtake Judah, He would send Babylon against Tyre, reducing it from a wealthy center of trade to mere ruins, a place where only fishermen would spread their nets. The city that had navigated the seas so skillfully would find itself overtaken by the very waters it once controlled. Tyre’s downfall would send shockwaves through the nations, a warning to those who place their trust in wealth, power, and human ingenuity rather than in the Lord.

Job 28 presents a striking contrast between human effort to unearth precious metals and the search for wisdom. The chapter opens with a poetic description of mining—one of the earliest in recorded history—highlighting the toil, danger, and ingenuity required to extract gold, silver, iron, and jewels from the depths of the earth. Despite humanity’s ability to uncover hidden riches, the true treasure—wisdom—remains inaccessible by human means.

Pride is often condemned as an enemy of humility, something to be uprooted entirely. But E. Stanley Jones challenges us to consider whether pride can be redeemed. When pride is rooted in an unsurrendered self, it is self-centered and destructive. But when pride is surrendered to Christ, it is transformed into something life-giving—a deep gratitude that boasts in the Lord rather than in self.