Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
How do we live according to God’s instruction in today’s world? While you may seek advice from self-help books or a Google search, you’re not likely to find the solution there. But there is a right answer! Listen as Alistair Begg explains on Truth For Life.
From the Sermon
Teaching That Accords with Sound Doctrine — Part Two
Titus 2:11–15 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 23:25 • ID: 2878
The Folly of Favoritism
Favoritism in relationships is folly.
We see this throughout the story of God’s people in the Old Testament, but it is perhaps writ largest in the life of Joseph, for he was the object of his father Jacob’s special interest. Joseph “was the son of [Jacob’s] old age” and of his great lifetime love, Rachel. So Jacob, whom God had renamed Israel, loved this son more than the others. From this root of partiality sprang much bad fruit in this family.
Jacob expressed his favoritism through a gift, a “robe of many colors” which he himself had made. It was clearly a token of favoritism—one that Joseph obviously enjoyed wearing. This controversial coat provoked intense hostility from Joseph’s brothers. From their hostility sprang malice and murderous intent. They eventually went as far as selling their own brother into slavery and faking his death.
If the gift of a coat could incite such a response, then surely the problem was far greater than the coat itself. There must have been deep-seated sin behind the scenes. And that’s exactly what we find with Joseph’s brothers. Their issue was not so much that the coat was very valuable; it was that it set Joseph in a different class from them. In giving him this gift, Jacob had elevated Joseph above his siblings, and this gnawed away at them. The choice of a favorite always necessitates the implicit choice of a non-favorite, which is a trigger for both arrogance and pride in the one chosen as the favorite and for resentment and bitterness in those who are not. You may have seen around you, or even in your own life, the corrosive effects of either being a favorite or being passed over for that status.
Jacob should have known better for he himself had been the object of undue favoritism—his own mother had preferred him over his brother, Esau, and it had led to chaos. His relationship with Esau, like Joseph’s with his brothers, was damaged for years.
Let us not be too quick, though, to distance ourselves from the mindset and actions of Jacob or of his sons, as if we could never be guilty of something similar. We must all beware the folly of favoritism in relationships and the fury which so often accompanies it. Partiality is a common and understandable error, but it casts deep, dark, destructive shadows.
Rather than simply shake our heads at Jacob’s foolishness, let’s learn from it. Every relationship is a unique gift from God. To the degree that we show favoritism to those around us, for whatever reason it might be, we can be assured that it will fracture and devastate relationships. If, however, we cherish each friend, family member, and neighbor with obvious love and affection, we honor God and encourage the hearts of those He has placed around us.
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?
Joseph's Dreams
1Jacob lived in gthe land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought ha bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was ithe son of his old age. And he made him ja robe of many colors.1 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, kmy sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and lbowed down to my sheaf.” 8His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and myour mother and your brothers indeed come nto bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11And ohis brothers were jealous of him, pbut his father kept the saying in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near qShechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of rHebron, and he came to Shechem. 15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to sDothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at sDothan.
18They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them tthey conspired against him to kill him. 19They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20Come now, ulet us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.2 Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21But when vReuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—wthat he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, xthe robe of many colors that he wore. 24And they took him and ythrew him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a zcaravan of aIshmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing bgum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it cif we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and dlet not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28Then eMidianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and fsold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels3 of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he gtore his clothes 30and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy his gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31Then they took iJoseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.” 33And he identified it and said, “It is my son's robe. jA fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35All his sons and all his daughters krose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, lI shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36Meanwhile mthe Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, nthe captain of the guard.
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.
Rejoicing in Sorrow
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.
The Savior was “a man of sorrows,”1 but every thoughtful mind has discovered the fact that down deep in His innermost soul He carried an inexhaustible treasury of refined and heavenly joy. Of all the human race, there was never a man who had a deeper, purer, or more abiding peace than our Lord Jesus Christ. “He was anointed with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”2 His vast benevolence must, from the very nature of things, have afforded Him the deepest possible delight, for benevolence is joy. There were a few remarkable seasons when this joy manifested itself. “In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth … .”3 Christ had His songs, even in the darkness; even though His face was marred, and His countenance had lost the luster of earthly happiness, yet sometimes it was illumined with a matchless splendor of unparalleled satisfaction as He thought upon the recompense of the reward and in the midst of the congregation sang His praise unto God.
In this, the Lord Jesus is a blessed picture of His church on earth. At this hour the church expects to walk in sympathy with her Lord along a thorny road; through much tribulation she is making her way to the crown. To bear the cross is her office, and to be scorned and counted an alien by her mother’s children is her lot; and yet the church has a deep well of joy, of which none can drink but her own children. There are stores of wine and oil and corn hidden in the midst of our Jerusalem, upon which the saints of God are continuously sustained and nurtured.
And sometimes, as in our Savior’s case, we have our seasons of intense delight, for “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.”4 Even though we are exiles, we rejoice in our King; yes, in Him we exceedingly rejoice, while in His name we set up our banners.
1) Isaiah 53:3
2) Psalm 45:7
3) Luke 10:21
4) Psalm 46:4
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 24
Sabbath Regulations
1Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, b“These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2cSix days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3dYou shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
Contributions for the Tabernacle
4Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5eTake from among you a contribution to the Lord. fWhoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, 7tanned rams' skins, and goatskins;1 acacia wood, 8oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
10“Let gevery skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11hthe tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12ithe ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the jveil of the screen; 13kthe table with its poles and all its utensils, and the lbread of the Presence; 14mthe lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the noil for the light; 15oand the altar of incense, with its poles, pand the anointing oil and the qfragrant incense, and rthe screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16sthe altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the tbasin and its stand; 17uthe hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18vthe pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their wcords; 19the xfinely worked garments for ministering2 in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
20Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21And they came, yeveryone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, zand brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23And aevery one who possessed bblue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24cEveryone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25And every dskillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26All the women ywhose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. 27And the eleaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29fAll the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
Construction of the Tabernacle
30gThen Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with hskill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35He has hfilled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
1d“Let not your hearts be troubled. eBelieve in God;1 believe also in me. 2In fmy Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that gI go to prepare a place for you?2 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you hto myself, that iwhere I am you may be also. 4And you know the way to where I am going.”3 5jThomas said to him, “Lord, kwe do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am lthe way, and mthe truth, and nthe life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7oIf you had known me, you would have pknown my Father also.4 From now on you do know him and qhave seen him.”
8rPhilip said to him, “Lord, sshow us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? tWhoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that uI am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you vI do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that uI am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else wbelieve on account of the works themselves.
12“Truly, truly, I say to you, xwhoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I yam going to the Father. 13zWhatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that athe Father may be glorified in the Son. 14zIf you ask me5 anything in my name, I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15b“If you love me, you will ckeep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another dHelper,6 to be with you forever, 17even ethe Spirit of truth, fwhom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and gwill be7 in you.
18“I will not leave you as orphans; hI will come to you. 19iYet a little while and the world will see me no more, but jyou will see me. kBecause I live, you also will live. 20lIn that day you will know that mI am in my Father, and nyou in me, and oI in you. 21pWhoever has my commandments and qkeeps them, he it is who loves me. And rhe who loves me swill be loved by my Father, and I will love him and tmanifest myself to him.” 22uJudas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it vthat you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered him, w“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and xwe will come to him and ymake our home with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And zthe word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the aHelper, the Holy Spirit, bwhom the Father will send in my name, che will teach you all things and dbring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27ePeace I leave with you; fmy peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. gLet not your hearts be troubled, neither hlet them be afraid. 28iYou heard me say to you, j‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I kam going to the Father, for lthe Father is greater than I. 29And mnow I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30I will no longer talk much with you, for nthe ruler of this world is coming. oHe has no claim on me, 31but I do pas the Father has commanded me, qso that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
1aA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
bbut a just weight is his delight.
2cWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with dthe humble is wisdom.
3eThe integrity of the upright guides them,
fbut the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4gRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,
hbut righteousness delivers from death.
5The righteousness of the blameless ikeeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6hThe righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous jare taken captive by their lust.
7When the wicked dies, his khope will perish,
and lthe expectation of wealth1 perishes too.
8mThe righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
9With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10nWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but oby the mouth of the wicked pit is overthrown.
12Whoever qbelittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
13Whoever rgoes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
14Where there is sno guidance, a people falls,
sbut in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15tWhoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
16uA gracious woman gets honor,
and vviolent men get riches.
17wA man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man hurts himself.
18The wicked earns deceptive wages,
but one who xsows righteousness gets a sure reward.
19Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ywill live,
but zhe who pursues evil will die.
20Those of acrooked heart are ban abomination to the Lord,
but those of cblameless ways are dhis delight.
21eBe assured, fan evil person will not go unpunished,
but gthe offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22Like ha gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
ithe expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24jOne gives kfreely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25lWhoever brings blessing mwill be enriched,
and none who waters will himself be watered.
26oThe people curse him who holds back grain,
but pa blessing is on the head of him who qsells it.
27Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,2
but evil comes to rhim who searches for it.
28Whoever strusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will tflourish like a green leaf.
29Whoever utroubles his own household will vinherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30The fruit of the righteous is wa tree of life,
and whoever xcaptures souls is wise.
31If ythe righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Unity in the Body of Christ
1I therefore, ma prisoner for the Lord, urge you to nwalk in a manner worthy of othe calling to which you have been called, 2with all phumility and qgentleness, with rpatience, sbearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in tthe bond of peace. 4There is uone body and vone Spirit—just as you were called to the one whope that belongs to your call— 5xone Lord, yone faith, zone baptism, 6aone God and Father of all, bwho is over all and through all and in all. 7But cgrace was given dto each one of us eaccording to the measure of Christ's gift. 8Therefore it says,
f“When he ascended on high ghe led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”1
9(hIn saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into ithe lower regions, the earth?2 10He who descended is the one who also jascended kfar above all the heavens, that he might lfill all things.) 11And mhe gave the napostles, the prophets, the oevangelists, the pshepherds3 and teachers,4 12qto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for rbuilding up sthe body of Christ, 13until we all attain to tthe unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, uto mature manhood,5 to the measure of the stature of vthe fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, wtossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in xdeceitful schemes. 15Rather, yspeaking the truth in love, we are to zgrow up in every way into him who is athe head, into Christ, 16bfrom whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
The New Life
17Now this I say and dtestify in the Lord, ethat you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, fin the futility of their minds. 18They gare darkened in their understanding, halienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to itheir hardness of heart. 19They jhave become callous and khave given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20But that is not the way you llearned Christ!— 21assuming that myou have heard about him and nwere taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22to oput off pyour old self,6 which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through qdeceitful desires, 23and rto be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on sthe new self, tcreated after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you uspeak the truth with his neighbor, for vwe are members one of another. 26wBe angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and xgive no opportunity to the devil. 28Let the thief no longer steal, but rather ylet him labor, zdoing honest work with his own hands, so athat he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29bLet no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give cgrace to those who hear. 30And ddo not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, eby whom you were sealed for the day of fredemption. 31gLet all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32hBe kind to one another, tenderhearted, iforgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
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