Daily Devotional

February 12

A First Book of Daily Readings

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (selected by Frank Cumbers)
Reproduced from the OPC Website

Going all out? ... but where are you going?

We can say of sincerity what is said of fire.... "Fire is a good servant but a bad master." So long as it is under control, nothing is more valuable than fire.... But once fire ceases to be under control and itself becomes the master, it leads to nothing but destruction and havoc.

Or we may take the illus­tration of a well-bred, powerful, spirited horse. Nothing is more enjoyable than to be seated on such a horse as long as one is firmly in the saddle and has a solid grip on the reins. But should such a horse take the bit between his teeth and bolt, the position would become precarious and the incident end in disaster.

Now, the case is precisely the same with sincerity.
Given knowledge in the saddle, given knowledge and truth in control, nothing is finer or more important than sincerity. But if we hand over the control to sincerity itself, it may well lead us hopelessly astray and land us in disaster. That is what had happened to St Paul before his conversion…. Given knowledge and right direction, there is nothing that is so essential as sincerity. But when one relies upon the pressure of steam in the engine rather than on the compass for the right direction, there can be but one result, shipwreck.

At the present time masses of people are steaming ahead in this supposedly great quest for truth and reality ... but in the name of God we ask them, "Where are you going? Have you the knowledge? Is your compass working? Are you still keeping your eye on the north star? Do you not think it is time for you to take your bearing and to discover your exact position? Are you not aware of certain grave dangers which are liable to meet you at any moment...? Stop for a moment. Realize the danger of trusting only to power. Realize the all-importance of knowledge and truth, of information and direction."

Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 62-4

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“Text reproduced from ‘A First Book of Daily Readings’ by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, published by Epworth Press 1970 & 1977 © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. Used with permission.”