Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights Archives - Page 2 of 3

Denying Direct Dealings

By Andrew YoungOctober 16, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“There are, unfortunately, even many evangelical Christians who deny that God has any direct dealings with men today…” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: Acts 10:19, 20 Another hindrance to experiencing the presence of Christ and his love in our hearts is the belief that God doesn’t have direct dealings with people any longer. In this devotional we quote at length Lloyd-Jones comments on this. A fifth hindrance to experiencing the reality of Christ dwelling in our hearts is the belief that God doesn’t have direct, personal dealing with people any longer. Some people hold that now that the Scriptures are […]

Obsession with Experiences

By Andrew YoungOctober 15, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“Many people live on ‘meetings’ and not on the Lord Jesus Christ.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: Colossians 2:18, 19 Knowing Christ living in the heart and manifesting his love to us is a rich blessing. It is something that does involve an experience of God. Yet, there is a difference between enjoying legitimate experiences of God’s grace and living simply for “experience” itself. That can be like addiction to the “kick” of a drug. This is the point Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes in this devotional. Sometimes, Lloyd-Jones believed, people react to the dry sterility of a theoretical Christianity by going […]

A Fear of Mysticism

By Andrew YoungOctober 14, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“The presence of Christ in the heart is something real.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: John 14:15-21 We are continuing to look at hindrances to experiencing Christ living in the heart through faith. So far we have seen that a wrong absorption with doctrine for its own sake, and a mistaken view of biblical knowledge, can contribute to this. In this devotional we consider a third obstacle to a life of rich, experienced fellowship with the Jesus Christ. A third hindrance to experiencing Christ living in the heart through faith is the fear that this leads to – or is […]

A Mistaken Notion of Knowledge

By Andrew YoungOctober 13, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“This word ‘knowing’ as used in the Scriptures is always personal and experimental.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: 1 John 4:13-18 In this devotional we look at a second hindrance to experiencing Christ living in the heart through faith. Closely related to the danger of an excessive focus on doctrine for doctrine’s sake is the hindrance, that can arise from a mistaken notion of “knowing.” We can be robbed of the blessing of having Christ dwell in our hearts by being satisfied with a shallow view of what it means to know him and his love. In our Western culture […]

A Doctrinal Danger

By Andrew YoungOctober 12, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“Truth is not something merely for the mind or the intellect.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: Philippians 3:7-11 Are there things that keep us from experiencing Christ living in our hearts through faith, filling us with the love and power of God? Yes, there are. Martyn Lloyd-Jones identified six common hindrances to this kind of life. The first of these is the danger of over-emphasising doctrine. While this may not be a problem threatening most Christians (and churches) today, it is nevertheless a danger of which we need to be aware. Lloyd-Jones was not against the study of doctrine – […]

Filled with the Fullness of God (2)

By Andrew YoungOctober 11, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“I argue that there is nothing more practical than this experience.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: Psalm 63:1-5 As Christ lives in our hearts through faith, and we come to comprehend and experience his love, we are “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). That is to say, we are filled with God’s love, since love belongs to his very essence. In this devotional, we explore further what Martyn Lloyd-Jones says about this experience. The experience of “being filled with all the fullness of God”, Martyn Lloyd-Jones insists, is no “vague, abstract, mystical contemplation.” On the contrary, he […]

Filled with the Fullness of God (1)

By Andrew YoungOctober 10, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“When the Lord Jesus ‘dwells in our heart’… it can be truly said that we are being ‘filled with all the fullness of God.’” Bible Reading: Colossians 2:6-12 In this devotional we pick up on the second result of having Christ dwell in our hearts by faith. When we experience the love of Christ as he manifests himself within us, we are, according to the Apostle Paul, being “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). How are we to understand this majestic phrase? Lloyd-Jones likens it to a fragrance that can’t be defined or dissected into parts. […]

Experiencing Christ’s Love

By Andrew YoungOctober 9, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“…love is an essential and inevitable part of the life of all in whose hearts Christ has taken up his abode.” Dr M. Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: 1 John 4:7-12 The past four devotionals have explored ways in which can come to have Christ dwelling in our hearts. In this one, we begin to look at the results that follow. The apostle Paul goes further than just describing the means of experiencing Christ dwelling in the heart. He also depicts the results that flow from this. He wants the Ephesian Christians to experience Christ dwelling in their hearts through faith in […]

Never Mechanical

By Andrew YoungOctober 8, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“…we are dealing with personal relationships, and that in the realm of personal relationships mechanical methods not only do not count, but they can even be the greatest possible hindrance…” Dr M. Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 In this devotional we look at a fourth requirement for having Christ dwell in the heart by faith, namely, rejecting any notion that we can manipulate God through our actions. As important as it is to pray, read the Scriptures, and rid ourselves of self-interest, we must never imagine that we can control the Lord’s activity within us. Experiencing Christ in […]

Dying to Self

By Andrew YoungOctober 7, 2017Devotionals: Miscellaneous Insights

“While we love ourselves, Christ will not come into our hearts.” Dr M. Lloyd-Jones Bible Reading: Luke 14:25-34 In this devotional we look at a third requirement for having Christ dwell in the heart by faith, namely, dying to ourselves. Basic to experiencing Christ dwelling in us is readiness to die to ourselves. As noted earlier, Christ lives in us to control and direct us. He wants us to present ourselves to him as his servants, ready to do his bidding. But we will never be able to do that if at heart we are intent upon our own interests […]