May 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Col. 3:2).

Devotional

How solemn is this command! How full of meaning! To set your mind on heavenly things is to realize the ardent desire of the apostle, that he might "know Christ and the power of his resurrection" (Phil. 3:10).

Oh, there is a mighty, elevating power in the resurrection of Christ! It is the great lever of a child of God. It lifts him above earth, heavenward. To know that he is closely and inseparably one with the risen Head of the church is to be the subject of a continuous, enlivening influence. It raises him up in spirit from the dust and darkness and pollutions by which he is surrounded. It fixes his heart with greater ardency of devotion and supreme attachment on things above.

Oh, nothing will more sanctify and elevate your heart than to have it brought under the power of Christ's resurrection. Following him by faith from the dust of earth to the glory of heaven, your affections will ascend with their Beloved. Where he—your heart's most precious treasure—is, there it will also be. Oh, to have your heart with Christ in heaven, what an unspeakable mercy!

And why should it not be? Does earth have more that is attractive and lovely—holy and worthy of its affection—than heaven? Here, you are surrounded by and in combat with spirits of darkness and pollution, principalities and powers; there, are "innumerable angels in festal gathering" (Heb. 12:22). Here, you are much separated from the church of God; there, is the "assembly of the first-born" (Heb. 12:23) from whom nothing shall divide you. Here, God's presence is often withdrawn and you are taunted and accused by our foes; there, is "God the Judge of all" (Heb. 12:23), whose presence will be your eternal glory, and who will "bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noon-day" (Ps. 37:10). Here, you often hang your head in sorrow at the imperfections you notice in the saints; there, are "the spirits of the righteous made perfect" (Heb. 12:23), "without fault before the throne" (Rev. 14:5 KJV). Here, you often lose sight of your beloved Lord; there, is "Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant" (Heb. 12:24), never more to be veiled from your view.

Oh then, how much richer and more attractive to a renewed and holy mind is heaven than earth! Each moment it grows even richer and more attractive by the attainment of its happiness by those holy and loved ones who have—for a little while—preceded us into that world of perfect bliss! How rapidly your treasure in glory accumulates! Death impoverishes you here by snatching the objects of your love from your embrace, but by that very same act it only increases your riches in heaven! In its appointed time, it can only translate you into the full possession and enjoyment of them.

But, never forget, the sweetest and most powerful attraction of heaven is that Jesus is there! Ah! what would heaven be if he were absent? If you were to rush into the fond embrace of the dearest of the glorified ones and not meet the Chief among ten thousand, the altogether lovely One (Song 5:10, 16)—who on earth was more precious to your heart than life itself—oh, how soon would its glory fade from your eye and its music go sour to your ear! It would not be heaven without Christ. Even on earth his presence and his smile constitute the first dawnings of that better world. And he who lives most in the enjoyment of this—and oh, how much more there is to enjoy than we have even the faintest conception of!—has most of the element of heaven in his soul.

Aim, then, to cultivate heavenly affections by a life of high communion with God.

The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days, and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM! By earth and heav'n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred Name forever blessed.

The God of Abraham praise, at whose supreme command
from earth I rise—and seek the joys at his right hand;
I all on earth forsake, its wisdom, fame, and pow'r;
and him my only Portion make, my Shield and Tow'r.

The God of Abraham praise, whose all sufficient grace
shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways.
He calls this worm his friend, he calls himself my God!
And he shall save me to the end, thro' Jesus' blood.

He by himself has sworn; I on his oath depend;
I shall, on eagle wings upborne, to heav'n ascend.
I shall behold his face, I shall his pow'r adore,
and sing the wonders of his grace forevermore.

Tho' nature's strength decay, and earth and hell withstand,
to Canaan's bounds I urge my way, at his command.
The wat'ry deep I pass, with Jesus in my view;
and thro' the howling wilderness my way pursue.

The goodly Land I see, with peace and plenty bless'd;
a Land of sacred liberty, and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.

There dwells the Lord our King, the Lord our Righteousness,
triumphant o'er the world and sin, the Prince of Peace;
on Zion's sacred height his kingdom still maintains,
and glorious with his saints in light forever reigns.

He keeps his own secure; he guards them by his side;
arrays in garments, white and pure, his spotless bride:
with streams of sacred bliss, with groves of living joys—
with all the fruits of Paradise, he still supplies.

Before the Three-in-One they all exulting stand;
and tell the wonders he hath done, through all their land:
the list'ning spheres attend, and swell the growing fame;
and sing, in songs which never end, the wondrous Name.

The God who reigns on high the great archangels sing,
and "Holy! Holy! Holy!" cry, "Almighty King!
who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be:
Jehovah—Father—great I AM, we worship thee!"

Before the Savior's face the ransomed nations bow;
o'erwhelmed at his almighty grace, forever new:
he shows his prints of love—they kindle to a flame!
and sound thro' all the worlds above the slaughtered Lamb.

The whole triumphant host give thanks to God on high;
"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," they ever cry.
Hail, Abraham's God and mine! (I join the heav'nly lays,)
All might and majesty are thine, and endless praise.

(Thomas Olivers, ca. 1765, slightly alt. 2007, LEW)

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.