Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerThe Pastor’s Role in the Praising Church
Selected ScripturesHow can we sing God’s praise when we don’t feel like it? Maybe we’ve had a difficult week, or we sing off-key, or we just don’t like the songs? On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg explains how our hearts, like musical instruments, need to be “tuned” for worship.
From the Sermon
The Pastor’s Role in the Praising Church
Selected Scriptures Sermon • Includes Transcript • 50:47 • ID: 3083
Audio PlayerSpiritual Perception
When we struggle to understand a new model or theory, we are not helped by a teacher who leaves us on our own if we don’t grasp the concept the first time. Instead, we need a teacher who patiently, encouragingly explains the idea again and again until we get it.
When He called Samuel to be His prophet, God dealt graciously with His servant who didn’t get it—in fact, with two of His servants who didn’t get it!
Samuel was involved at the temple, ministering and engaged. But there was a personal dimension of faith which he had not yet experienced. God’s word hadn’t been revealed to him—and so God took the initiative and was gracious enough to persist by calling to Samuel repeatedly. In this quadruple call of God, we have a reminder of His tenderness and His kindness.
Yet while Samuel is the focus of this passage, Eli also needed God’s patient interactions. Even as a priest, he did not think in the first or second instance that the Lord was speaking to Samuel. Then, suddenly “Eli perceived…” And when there is perception, it is an indication of the work of God.
This gradual perception was true of Jesus’ disciples as well. He told them He still had many things to say to them, but they weren’t ready to understand yet (John 16:12). He didn’t give up on them, though. Instead, He patiently explained again and again.
Some of us may be able to relate to Samuel: perhaps you have read books and listened to sermons many times without experiencing any true impact. Or you may be like the disciples: you’ve begun to understand, but you still find so many matters of faith confusing. No matter how many years we follow Christ and read God’s word, there will always be more to understand and enjoy. Sometimes we may even feel we have gone backwards! But we can be confident that in God we have a gracious teacher to guide us. So, join the psalmist in praying, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). And then work hard to understand God’s word and perceive its meaning for your life, prayerfully confident that as you find yourself grasping more and more of what it says, God is at work in you.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
A Living Sacrifice
1zI appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, ato present your bodies bas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2cDo not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by dthe renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ediscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4
Gifts of Grace
3For fby the grace given to me I say to everyone among you gnot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, heach according to ithe measure of faith that God has assigned.
Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.
My Beloved
My beloved.
This was a golden name that the ancient church in her most joyous moments ascribed to the Anointed of the Lord. When the time of the singing of birds was come, and the voice of the turtledove was heard in her land, the church’s love-note was sweeter than either, as she sang, “My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies.” Ever in her song of songs she calls Him by that delightful name, “my beloved.” Even in the long winter, when idolatry had withered the garden of the Lord, her prophets found space to lay aside the burden of the Lord for a little season and to say, “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard.”
Though the saints had never seen His face, though as yet He was not made flesh, nor had dwelt among us, nor had man beheld His glory, yet He was the consolation of Israel, the hope and joy of all the chosen, the “beloved” of all those who were upright before the Most High. We, in the summer days of the church, are also able to speak of Christ as the best beloved of our soul and to feel that He is very precious, the “distinguished among ten thousand, and altogether desirable.”
Since the church loves Jesus and claims Him as her beloved, the apostle dares to defy the whole universe to separate her from the love of Christ and declares that neither tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or the sword have been able to do it; nay, he joyously boasts, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”1
My sole possession is Thy love;
In earth beneath, or heaven above,
I have no other store;
And though with fervent heart I pray,
And plead with Thee day after day,
I ask for nothing more.
1) Romans 8:37
Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. Used by Truth For Life with written permission.
Daily Bible Reading for March 20
Oholiab and Bezalel
1The Lord said to Moses, 2“See, I have called by name xBezalel the son of Uri, son of yHur, of the tribe of Judah, 3and I have zfilled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6And behold, I have appointed with him aOholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men bability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7cthe tent of meeting, and dthe ark of the testimony, and ethe mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8fthe table and its utensils, and gthe pure lampstand with all its utensils, and hthe altar of incense, 9and ithe altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and jthe basin and its stand, 10and kthe finely worked garments,1 the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11and lthe anointing oil and the fragrant mincense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”
The Sabbath
12And the Lord said to Moses, 13“You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. nWhoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15oSix days shall work be done, but pthe seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. nWhoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17qIt is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that rin six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and son the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
18And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the ttwo tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with uthe finger of God.
I Am the Good Shepherd
1“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5yA stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6This figure of speech Jesus zused with them, but they adid not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, bI am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, che will be saved and will go in and out and dfind pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and ekill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11fI am the good shepherd. The good shepherd glays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is ha hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ileaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and jscatters them. 13He flees because khe is a hired hand and lcares nothing for the sheep. 14mI am the good shepherd. nI know my own and omy own know me, 15pjust as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and qI lay down my life for the sheep. 16And rI have other sheep that are not of this fold. sI must bring them also, and tthey will listen to my voice. So there will be uone flock, vone shepherd. 17wFor this reason the Father loves me, xbecause yI lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18zNo one takes it from me, but yI lay it down aof my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and bI have authority to take it up again. cThis charge I have received from my Father.”
19dThere was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said, e“He has a demon, and fis insane; why listen to him?” 21Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. gCan a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple, hin the colonnade of Solomon. 24So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are ithe Christ, jtell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. kThe works that I do lin my Father's name bear witness about me, 26but myou do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27nMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28oI give them eternal life, and pthey will never perish, and qno one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, rwho has given them to me,1 sis greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of tthe Father's hand. 30uI and the Father are one.”
31vThe Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but wfor blasphemy, because you, being a man, xmake yourself God.” 34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in yyour Law, z‘I said, you are gods’? 35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be abroken— 36do you say of him whom bthe Father consecrated and csent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because dI said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37eIf I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38but if I do them, feven though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that gthe Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39hAgain they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40He went away again across the Jordan to the place iwhere John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but jeverything that John said about this man was true.” 42And kmany believed in him there.
Warning Against the Adulteress
1hMy son, keep my words
and htreasure up my commandments with you;
2ikeep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as jthe apple of your eye;
3kbind them on your fingers;
kwrite them on the tablet of your heart.
4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5to keep you from lthe forbidden1 woman,
from lthe adulteress2 with her smooth words.
6For at mthe window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7and I have seen among nthe simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man olacking sense,
8passing along the street pnear her corner,
taking the road to her house
9in qthe twilight, in the evening,
at rthe time of night and darkness.
10And behold, the woman meets him,
sdressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.3
vher feet do not stay at home;
12now in the street, now in the market,
and wat every corner she xlies in wait.
13She seizes him and kisses him,
and with ybold face she says to him,
14“I had to zoffer sacrifices,4
and today I have apaid my vows;
15so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16I have spread my couch with bcoverings,
colored linens from cEgyptian linen;
17I have perfumed my bed with dmyrrh,
aloes, and ecinnamon.
18Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19For fmy husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with gher smooth talk she compels him.
22All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast5
23till an arrow pierces its liver;
as ha bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24And inow, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are ja mighty throng.
27Her house is kthe way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
Bear One Another's Burdens
1Brothers,1 oif anyone is caught in any transgression, pyou who are spiritual should restore him in qa spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2rBear one another's burdens, and sso fulfill tthe law of Christ. 3For uif anyone thinks he is something, vwhen he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4But let each one wtest his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5For xeach will have to bear his own load.
6yLet the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7zDo not be deceived: God is not mocked, for awhatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For bthe one who sows to his own flesh cwill from the flesh reap corruption, but dthe one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9And elet us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, fif we do not give up. 10So then, gas we have opportunity, let us hdo good to everyone, and especially to those who are iof the household of faith.
Final Warning and Benediction
11See with what large letters I am writing to you jwith my own hand. 12kIt is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh lwho would force you to be circumcised, and only min order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14But far be it from me to boast nexcept in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which2 the world ohas been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15For pneither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but qa new creation. 16And as for all who walk by this rule, rpeace and mercy be upon them, and upon sthe Israel of God.
17From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18tThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be uwith your spirit, brothers. Amen.
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