July 14

Morning

Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it. — Exod 20:25 BSB

God commanded that His altar be built from unhewn stones so that no trace of human skill or effort would be seen on it. Human wisdom tends to reshape and alter the doctrines of the cross to fit more neatly with the corrupted tastes of fallen nature. But rather than improving the gospel, human wisdom corrupts it, turning it into something false and no longer the truth of God. Any attempts to alter or amend God’s Word are nothing but pollution.

The proud heart of man is eager to play a role in the justification of the soul before God. We imagine we must prepare ourselves for Christ, rely on our own repentance or good works, and boast in our natural abilities. By doing so, we try to bring human tools to God’s divine altar. But sinners must remember that their efforts only defile and dishonor Christ’s finished work. The Lord alone must be glorified in the work of atonement, and He will not tolerate any attempt to add human effort. It’s blasphemy to try to add to what Christ declared to be finished or to improve upon what God sees as perfectly complete.

Trembling sinner, put down your tools. Fall to your knees in humble prayer, and accept the Lord Jesus as the only altar of your atonement. Rest in Him alone. Professing Christians should also take a lesson from this truth about the doctrines they believe. Too often, we try to reconcile and smooth out the truths of revelation to make them more palatable, but this is a form of unbelief and disrespect. Let us fight against it and embrace the truth as it is. Let us rejoice that the doctrines of God’s Word are unhewn stones, perfectly suited to build an altar for the Lord.

Evening

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. — Matt 28:1 BSB

Let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to draw near to the Lord Jesus in fellowship. Consider how she sought Him.

She sought the Savior early in the morning. If you can wait for Christ and be content to have fellowship with Him at some distant time, you will never have true communion with Him. A heart that longs for fellowship with Christ is one that hungers and thirsts for it now.

She also sought Him with great boldness. While the other disciples fled from the tomb in fear, Mary stayed. If you want Christ’s presence, seek Him boldly. Don’t let anything hold you back. Defy the world and press on when others turn away.

Mary sought Christ faithfully—she remained by the tomb. Some struggle to stay near a living Savior, but Mary stayed even by His grave. Let us seek Christ in the same way, holding fast to even the smallest things connected to Him, remaining faithful even if everyone else abandons Him.

Notice also how earnestly she sought Him—she stood there weeping. Her tears were like a magnet that drew the Savior to her. If you long for Jesus’ presence, let your heart cry out for it! If you cannot be satisfied without hearing Him say, “You are My beloved,” then you will soon hear His voice.

Finally, she sought the Savior alone. She had no interest in angels—she turned away from them to continue searching for her Lord. If Christ is your only love, and your heart has cast out all rivals, you will not be long without the comfort of His presence.

Mary Magdalene sought Jesus like this because she loved Him deeply. Let us stir up the same kind of love in ourselves. Let our hearts, like Mary’s, be filled with love for Christ, and our love, like hers, will be satisfied with nothing less than Christ Himself. O Lord, reveal Yourself to us this evening!