February 11 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"Every one who practices righteousness has been born of him" (1 John 2:29).

Devotional

Negative holiness—abstaining from outward sins—does not alone show that a soul has been regenerated.

There must also be positive evidence. "Every one who practices righteousness has been born of him." Where there is life, there is action, movement, energy. The life of a regenerate believer is a life of the highest activity. The principles that influence him are divine and heavenly. Their bent is to holy activity.

The more you resemble Christ "in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:24), the stronger the evidence to yourself and to others that you are born again.

You professedly possess—and if not self-deceived, actually do possess—the life of Christ. That life is holy in its tendency. It is vigorous in its acting.

The renewed soul longs for holiness. You want to be conformed to God.

You do not rest in the mere longing. You get up and seek the blessing. You "work out [your] salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). You prayerfully and diligently use the means of grace—the means of faith—which the sanctifying Lord has given you for attaining holiness. You are active in pursuing the blessing.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him you shall be;
your friends in your conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let him be your Guide,
do run not before him, whatever betide;
in joy or in sorrow, still follow your Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in his Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in your soul;
each thought and each motive beneath his control;
thus led by his Spirit to Fountains of Love,
you soon shall be fitted for service above.

(William D. Longstaff, 1887; mod. LEW, 2009)

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 2025.