Seated with Christ, Sharing His Throne
An empty throne prepared—not for a monarch above us, but for a co-heir beside Him.
In today’s reading from In Christ, E. Stanley Jones invites us to consider the unimaginable intimacy and authority we share with Christ. He reflects on Revelation 3:21, where Jesus says to the overcomer, “I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne.” This staggering promise isn't merely symbolic—it reveals the very heart of God’s self-giving love. The God who stooped low to wash our feet also raises us to reign beside Him, not as passive subjects, but as those redeemed and restored to shared rulership in Christ.
Jones stresses that this is not about becoming dependent, passive recipients of grace. Christ doesn’t merely dominate us as Host—He first comes to us as Guest, inviting us to relate to Him freely. Only then does He become Lord, not by subduing us, but by capturing our hearts. His rule is not harsh or hierarchical; it is the rule of love, the rule of One who conquered by submitting, who ruled by serving, who drew the world to Himself by being lifted on a cross. This is the kind of King who invites us to reign with Him.
Jones beautifully describes this reality as the ultimate redemption from weakness—not through human strength, but through union with Christ. We are not only saved by Christ, we are invited to share in His very authority and presence. Christ did not grasp for power—He gave Himself away, and in doing so, found the fullness of life. So too, we lose ourselves in Him and, in turn, find who we truly are—seated with Him, loved by Him, and invited to reign with Him.
Personalized Journal Entry – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms because you have been raised with Him. You are no longer bound to the realm of the earth, for your life is hidden with Christ in God. As Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, so too have you been brought near—not merely as a guest in the courts of heaven, but as a sharer in His authority, His inheritance, His very life.
This invitation to reign is not a reward for self-effort—it is a gift of grace, born from union. You reign not over others, but with Christ, in the same spirit by which He rules—by giving, by loving, by laying down. The throne He shares with you is not built on conquest through force, but on surrender through love. It is from this throne that rivers of living grace pour into you and through you, blessing those around you.
You are a new creation, fashioned for glory, made to be a vessel through which Christ expresses His rule on earth. He conquered through obedience, through death, through self-giving—and now you, united with Him, share in that same overcoming life. You reign by resting in Him. You lead by yielding to Him. You rise by bowing low in love.
Let your heart rejoice in this: you are not beneath. You are not barely surviving. You are seated with Me. Your authority flows from your union, not your striving. Rest in it. Walk in it. Let My peace rule in your heart, and My word dwell richly in you. As I have loved you, love others. As I have given Myself, give. As I reign, reign—by letting Me live through you.
(References: Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:1–3, Romans 5:17, 2 Timothy 2:11–12, Revelation 3:21, John 13:14–15, Galatians 2:20)
Prayer of Trust and Confidence
Father, how could I ever grasp the height of what You’ve done? You didn’t stop at saving me. You raised me. You seated me with Your Son. And now, You invite me to share in the very life, authority, and love that flows from Your throne. I don’t come timidly to this invitation—I come with reverence, yes, but also with joy. I receive this place—not earned, but given.
Today I walk not as a beggar longing for crumbs, but as a beloved child who knows he’s already home. I choose to live this day from the throne, not from the pit. From union, not from striving. From love, not from fear. Christ in me reigns—and that is enough. Amen.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Devotional Credit: E. Stanley Jones, In Christ