July 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"Therefore thus says the LORD God, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation" (Isa. 28:16).

Devotional

"A sure foundation" is the last quality of excellence specified of this precious Stone. As if to remove all lingering doubt in so momentous a matter as the salvation of the soul, as if to annihilate all imaginary and shadowy conceptions of Jesus, Jehovah—the great Builder of the church—declares the foundation thus laid to be a real and substantial one.

Here the weary may rest confidently, and here the sinner may build his hope of heaven. All is sure:

* sure that the Word he trusts is true;
* sure that the invitation that calls him is sincere;
* sure that the welcome extended to him is cordial;
* sure, in coming to Jesus, of free forgiveness, of full justification, of complete and eternal acceptance with a reconciled God;
* sure, that in renouncing all self-dependence and building high his hope of glory on this foundation, he "shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity" (Isa. 45:17).

All, too, is sure to the believer in the covenant of grace, of which Jesus is the Surety and Mediator. Every promise is sure:

* the full supply of all our need;
* the daily efficacy of the atoning blood;
* the answer to our prayers;
* though long delayed, the hope of being forever with Jesus.

All, all is certain and sure. Why? Because it is based on Jesus. And because it springs from the heart of an unchangeable God. And because it is confirmed by the oath of him who has said, "Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David" (Ps. 89:35).

O precious Jesus! I have been contemplating your glory as through a glass darkly. And yet, even for this glimpse, I thank and adore you. Dim and imperfect though it is, it endears you—unutterably endears you—to my heart. Oh! if this is your glory seen dimly, then what will it be seen face to face? Soon, soon I will gaze upon it. Then, oh glorious King, I will exclaim, "The report was true that I heard... And behold, the half was not told me" (1Kings. 10:6-7).

Seeing that I look for such things, grant me grace so that I will be "diligent to be found by [you] without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Pet. 3:14). Send to me what you will. Withhold from me what you will. Only grant to me a part in the first resurrection, and a seat at your right hand when you come to your kingdom.

Low at your feet I fall! Here may your Spirit reveal to me more of your glory! Oh, illuminate, sanctify, and cheer me with its beams!

Behold, I cling to you! You are my Emmanuel, my portion, and my all. In darkness I hurry to the fountain of your light. In sorrow, I flee to the asylum of your bosom. Oppressed, I come to the shelter of your cross. Oh, take my heart, and bind them closer and still closer to yourself!

Won by your beauty and drawn by your love, grant that there may be a renewed surrender of my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Oh, claim a fresh possession of me.

"Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning" (Ps. 119:54). "You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory" (Ps. 73:23–24). Then shall I join in with the Hallelujah Chorus, and sing in strains of surpassing sweetness, gratitude, and love. "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15)

Through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior, AMEN.

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2011.