Daily Devotional

June 27

A First Book of Daily Readings

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

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

If we only spent more of our time in looking at Him we should soon forget ourselves ... stop looking at yourself and begin to enjoy Him.

What is the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian? Paul in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 3, says it is this, that the non-Christian is a man who looks at Christ and God with a veil over his eyes and therefore cannot see. What is the Christian? This is his description (v. 18): "But we all"—every one of us as Christians—"we all with open face (the veil has gone), beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory." That is the Christian. He spends his time in looking at Christ, in gazing upon Him. He is so enraptured by the sight of Him that he has forgotten himself.

If you were to feel more interest in Christ you would be less interested in yourself. Begin to look at Him, gaze upon Him with this open, unveiled face. And then go on to learn that in His Kingdom what matters is not the length of service but your attitude towards Him, your desire to please Him.... He does not count service as other people do. He is interested in the heart. We are inter­ested in time, we all clock in and count the time we have spent, the work we have done.

Like the first men in the parable (Matthew 20:1-16) we claim to have done all, and boast of the time we have spent in the work. And if we are not among those who went in at the beginning we are concerned because we have not done this and that, and because we have missed all this time. Our Lord is not interested in our work in this way. It is the widow's mite He is interested in.

It is not the amount of money, it is the woman's heart.... That is also the case that Paul puts here (1 Corinthians 15:8-10). "Last of all he revealed himself unto me also." But thank God that does not make any difference ... He is not interested in time, He is interested in relationship.

Spiritual Depression, pp. 88-9

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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.”