April 8 Daily Devotional

If you tarry till you're better
You will never come at all!

There is a very simple way of testing yourself to know whether you believe that [we must look to Christ and Christ alone]. We betray ourselves by what we say.... I often had to deal with this point with people, and I have explained the way of justification by faith and told them how it is all in Christ and that God puts His righteousness upon us.

I have explained it all to them, and then I have said, "Well, now are you quite happy about it; do you believe that?" And they say, "Yes." Then I say, "Well, then, you are now ready to say that you are a Christian." And they hesitate. And I know that they have not understood. Then I say, "What is the matter; why are you hesitating?" And they say, "I do not feel that I am good enough."

At once I know that in a sense I have been wasting my breath. They are still thinking in terms of themselves; their idea still is that they have to make themselves good enough to be a Christian, good enough to be accepted with Christ. They have to do it! "I am not good enough." It sounds very modest, but ... it is a denial of the faith. You think that you are being humble. But you will never be good enough; nobody has ever been good enough. The essence of the Christian salvation is to say that He is good enough and that I am in Him!

As long as you go on thinking about yourself and saying, "Ah, yes, I would like to, but I am not good enough; I am a sinner, a great sinner," you are denying God and you will never be happy.... I try to say [this] from the pulpit every Sunday because I think it is the thing that is robbing most people of the joy of the Lord.

Spiritual Depression, pp. 33-4

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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.”

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

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