June 21

Morning

You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever. — Ps 45:2 BSB

The person of Jesus is like a single, flawless gem, and His life is one perfect impression of divine beauty. He is complete in every way, not only in His individual qualities but as a whole. His character is not a mix of random colors or a pile of precious stones thrown together carelessly. No, He is a masterpiece of beauty, a breastplate of glory. In Him, all virtues are perfectly balanced, each one enhancing the others. No single feature of His glory stands out at the expense of others. He is entirely and completely lovely.

Oh, Jesus! Your power, grace, justice, tenderness, truth, majesty, and unchanging nature combine to make You the most glorious of all beings. Your infancy, Your eternal nature, Your sufferings, Your triumphs, Your death, and Your resurrection are all woven together into a seamless tapestry of divine beauty. You are music without discord, many parts yet united in perfect harmony. Just as all the colors of the rainbow blend into one radiant arc, so all the glories of heaven and earth come together in You, blending so wondrously that there is none like You. Even if all the virtues of the greatest saints were gathered into one person, they could not compare to You, O mirror of perfection! You have been anointed with holy oil, a fragrance that God has reserved for You alone. Your scent is like a divine perfume, the likes of which no human apothecary could ever recreate. Each individual spice is fragrant, but the combination is heavenly.

“Oh, sacred symmetry! Oh, rare combination
Of many perfects to make one perfection!
Oh, heavenly music, where all parts do meet
In one sweet strain to make one perfect sweet!”

Evening

Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.” — 2 Tim 2:19 BSB

The foundation of our faith rests on this truth: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them.” The great truth on which true faith relies is this: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and that “Christ suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.” He “bore our sins in His body on the tree,” and “the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” In one word, the great cornerstone of the Christian’s hope is the substitutionary atonement of Christ. Christ took our place, bearing our sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He offered up a true and proper sacrifice, taking the place of those whom the Father gave Him, whose names are known to God and whose hearts are marked by their trust in Jesus. This is the central truth of the gospel.

If this foundation were removed, what hope would we have? But it stands firm, as sure as the throne of God itself. We know it, we trust in it, and we rejoice in it. Our greatest joy is to hold fast to this truth, to meditate on it, and to proclaim it. We desire that gratitude for this truth would motivate and direct every part of our lives. In these days, many attack the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. Some can’t bear the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sins of mankind, but those of us who know the preciousness of this truth will continue to proclaim it boldly. We will not water it down, alter it, or compromise it in any way. We will always hold fast to the truth that Christ, our substitute, bore our guilt and suffered in our place. We cannot and will not give it up, for it is our life. No matter the opposition, we stand firm knowing, “Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure.”