Daily Devotional

April 03

A First Book of Daily Readings

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (selected by Frank Cumbers)
Sourced from the OPC website

The "God-fearing" man

There was a time when the designation applied to the Christian was that he was a "God-fearing" man. I do not think you can ever improve on that.... It does not mean craven fear; it does not mean "the fear that hath torment"; but it is a wonderful description of the true Christian. He is of necessity, as we are reminded very forcibly in the seventh chapter of this* Gospel, a man who lives in the fear of God.

We can say of our blessed Lord Himself that His Life was a God-fearing life.... So often modern Christians, who may be able to give very bright and apparently thrilling testimonies of some ex­perience they have had, do not suggest that they are God­fearing people; but give the impression of being men of the world, both in dress and appearance and in a kind of boisterousness and easy confidence....


Here is the life to which we are called, and I maintain again that if only every Christian in the Church today were living the Sermon on the Mount, the great revival for which we are praying and longing would already have started. Amazing and astounding things would happen; the world would be shocked, and men and women would be drawn and attracted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May God give us grace to consider this Sermon on the Mount and to remember ... that we ourselves are under judgment and that the building we are erecting in this world and in this life will have to face His final test and the ultimate scrutiny of the eye of the Lamb of God that once was slain.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, i, pp. 30-1
* Matthew

---

“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.”