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April 9 Daily Devotional

A First Book of Daily Readings

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (selected by Frank Cumbers)

The Beatitudes: a wonderful harmony

... All Christians are meant to manifest all of these characteristics. Not only are they meant for all Christians, but of necessity, therefore, all Christians are meant to manifest all of them.... It is not right to say some are meant to be "poor in spirit," and some are meant to "mourn," and some are meant to be "meek," and some are meant to be "peacemakers," and so on. No; every Christian is meant to be all of them and to manifest all of them, at the same time.

Now I think it is true and right to say that in some Christians some will be more manifest than others; but that is not because it is meant to be so. It is just due to the imperfections that remain in us. When Christians are finally perfect, they will all manifest all these characteristics fully; but here in this world, and in time, there is a variation to be seen; ... the character of this detailed description is such that it becomes quite obvious the moment we analyze each Beatitude, that each one of necessity implies the other.

For instance, you cannot be "poor in spirit" without "mourning" in this sense; and you cannot mourn without "hungering and thirsting after righteousness"; and you cannot do that without being one who is "meek" and a "peacemaker." Each one of these in a sense demands the others. It is impossible truly to manifest one of these graces, and to conform to the blessing that is pronounced upon it, without at the same time inevitably showing the others also.

The Beatitudes are a complete whole, and you cannot divide them; so that, whereas one of them may be more manifest perhaps in one person than in another, all of them are there. The relative proportions may vary; but they are all present, and they are all meant to be present at the same time.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, i, p. 34



“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.”

Comments on D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, A First Book of Daily Readings

"These gems of evangelical truth, biblically based, help the reader to understand this world in the light of the Word." —Church Herald

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