Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerMany of us try to improve our health by altering our diet or exercising. Some people similarly think of Christianity as simply a lifestyle change. But find out how salvation actually transforms us! Be sure to listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Endless Profit
Jesus was an expert at asking questions—especially the sort of questions that made people stop in their tracks and pay attention. When we are confronted with Jesus’ questions, as the disciples were here, we must be careful not to sidestep their intended effect.
At first glance, Jesus’ question regarding material gain at the expense of our souls might be understood primarily as a warning of impending punishment on the selfish individual. We’re tempted to read Jesus’ question in a way that likens Him to a mother who says to her child, “Now, if you don’t share with your sister, you know what’ll happen!” But this particular question is more along the lines of an observation. Jesus is pointing out what happens when we orient our lives and decisions around our own sinful longings—around our possessions, our accomplishments, our desired identity. To live in such a way, He says, is to forfeit your very life.
The loss of life of which Jesus is speaking here is therefore both immediate and eternal. If we regard life as nothing more than what we can get out of it for ourselves, we actually miss out on its greatest joys; we end up merely existing, not actually living. Furthermore, when we place ourselves on the throne of our life, we remove Jesus from His rightful place and affirm the reality that by nature we prefer to pursue the world rather than to forsake our desires in pursuit of Christ. If we continue in this way, we will forfeit the gift of eternal life that He loves to give to His subjects.
So how are we to combat worldly desires in the here and now? First, we must recognize that, as the 17th-century mathematician and theologian Blaise Pascal put it, we have a God-shaped hole at the deepest level of our being, and nothing can fill this void save God Himself. We exist not to pursue fleeting pleasures but to enjoy relationship with the living God. Then second, we must continually reflect on the value of our souls as evidenced in the cruel scene outside Jerusalem where the sinless Christ hung on a cross—despised, rejected, pierced, scarred, and scorned—so that we might be brought into right relationship with God and freely receive eternal life. Jesus’ sacrifice reveals how much the eternal destiny of our souls matters to God.
Following Jesus as your rescuer and your King and acknowledging His worth above any earthly treasure is not a momentary decision; it is a lifetime commitment that is lived out each day. If you are prepared to come to His cross daily, humbly confess who He is, and give up your life—your preferences, your comfort, your wealth—then your profit will know no end, now and for all of eternity. We could do far worse than asking ourselves the question at the start of each day that Jesus asked His disciples on the road that day: What will it profit me if I gain the whole world and forfeit my soul?
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?
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13xNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say yJohn the Baptist, others say zElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter replied, a“You are bthe Christ, cthe Son of dthe living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, e“Blessed are you, fSimon Bar-Jonah! For gflesh and blood has not revealed this to you, hbut my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you, iyou are Peter, and jon this rock2 I will build my church, and kthe gates of lhell3 shall not prevail against it. 19I will give you mthe keys of the kingdom of heaven, and nwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed4 in heaven.” 20oThen he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21pFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that qhe must go to Jerusalem and rsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on sthe third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!5 This shall never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, t“Get behind me, Satan! You are ua hindrance6 to me. For you vare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him wdeny himself and xtake up his cross and follow me. 25For xwhoever would save his life7 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For ywhat will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or zwhat shall a man give in return for his soul? 27aFor the Son of Man is going to come with bhis angels in the glory of his Father, and cthen he will repay each person according to what he has done.
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.
Look To the Cross
Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!
The wife who fondly loves her absent husband longs for his return; a long protracted separation from him is a semi-death to her spirit. And so it is with souls who love the Savior much; they need to see His face; they cannot bear that He should be away, thus depriving them of communion with Him. A reproaching glance, an uplifted finger will be grievous to loving children who fear to offend their tender father and are only happy in his smile.
Beloved, it was so once this way with you. A text of Scripture, a threatening, a touch of the rod of affliction, and you went to your Father’s feet, crying, “Let me know why you contend against me.” Is that still the case? Or are you content to follow Jesus from a distance? Can you contemplate broken communion with Christ without being alarmed? Can you bear to have your Beloved walking contrary to you, because you walk contrary to Him? Have your sins separated between you and your God, and is your heart at rest?
Let me affectionately warn you, for it is a grievous thing when we can live contentedly without the present enjoyment of the Savior’s face. Let us work to feel what an evil thing this is—little love to our own dying Savior, little joy in His company, little time with the Beloved! Hold a true Lent in your souls, while you sorrow over your hardness of heart. Do not stop at sorrow! Remember where you first received salvation. Go at once to the cross. There, and there only, can you get your spirit quickened. No matter how hard, how insensible, how dead we may have become, let us go again in all the rags and poverty and defilement of our natural condition. Let us clasp that cross, let us look into those languid eyes, let us bathe in that fountain filled with blood—this will bring back to us our first love; this will restore the simplicity of our faith and the tenderness of our heart.
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 30
Laws for Burnt Offerings
1aThe Lord called Moses and spoke to him bfrom the tent of meeting, saying, 2“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, cWhen any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
3“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer da male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4eHe shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be faccepted for him gto make atonement for him. 5Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood hand throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and iarrange wood on the fire. 8And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as ja burnt offering, a food offering1 with a kpleasing aroma to the Lord.
10“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11land he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is ja burnt offering, a food offering with ka pleasing aroma to the Lord.
14“If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of mturtledoves or pigeons. 15And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16He shall remove its crop with its contents2 and cast it nbeside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17He shall tear it open by its wings, but oshall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The Resurrection
1eNow on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that fthe stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, gthe one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and hwe do not know where they have laid him.” 3iSo Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5And stooping to look in, he saw jthe linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and kthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus'1 head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, lwho had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet mthey did not understand the Scripture, nthat he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12And oshe saw ptwo angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13They said to her, q“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, r“They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14Having said this, she turned around and ssaw Jesus standing, tbut she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, u“Woman, why are you weeping? vWhom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be wthe gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,2 x“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ymy brothers and say to them, z‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to amy God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene bwent and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19cOn the evening dof that day, the first day of the week, ethe doors being locked where the disciples were ffor fear of the Jews,3 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, g“Peace be with you.” 20When he had said this, hhe showed them his hands and his side. Then ithe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As jthe Father has sent me, keven so I am sending you.” 22And when he had said this, he lbreathed on them and said to them, m“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23nIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus and Thomas
24Now oThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,4 was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, p“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. qAlthough the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, q“Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, r“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, s“My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? tBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of This Book
30uNow Jesus did many other signs vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31wbut these are written so that you may xbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ythe Son of God, and that by believing zyou may have life ain his name.
1mBetter is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting1 with strife.
2A servant who deals wisely will rule over na son who acts shamefully
and owill share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3pThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
qand the Lord tests hearts.
4An evildoer listens to wicked lips,
and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5Whoever mocks the poor rinsults his Maker;
he who is sglad at calamity will not go tunpunished.
6uGrandchildren are vthe crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
7Fine speech is not wbecoming to a fool;
still less is xfalse speech to a prince.
8yA bribe is like a magic2 stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;
wherever he turns he prospers.
9Whoever zcovers an offense seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter aseparates close friends.
10A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and ba cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12Let a man meet ca she-bear robbed of her cubs
drather than a fool in his folly.
13If anyone ereturns evil for good,
fevil will not depart from his house.
14The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
so gquit before the quarrel breaks out.
15He who hjustifies the wicked and he who icondemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
16Why should a fool have money in his hand jto buy wisdom
when he has no sense?
17kA friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who lmakes his door high seeks destruction.
20mA man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
21He who nsires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.
22oA joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit pdries up the bones.
23The wicked accepts qa bribe in secret3
to rpervert the ways of justice.
24sThe discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25nA foolish son is a grief to his father
tand bitterness to uher who bore him.
26vTo impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27Whoever wrestrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28Even a fool xwho keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
1Therefore, my brothers,1 whom I love and jlong for, kmy joy and lcrown, mstand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer
2I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to nagree in the Lord. 3Yes, I ask you also, true companion,2 help these women, who have labored3 side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, owhose names are in the book of life.
4pRejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness4 be known to everyone. qThe Lord is at hand; 6rdo not be anxious about anything, sbut in everything by prayer and supplication twith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And uthe peace of God, vwhich surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learned5 and wreceived and heard and seen xin me—practice these things, and ythe God of peace will be with you.
God's Provision
10I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length zyou have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be acontent. 12I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and bhunger, abundance and cneed. 13I can do all things dthrough him who strengthens me.
14Yet it was kind of you eto share6 my trouble. 15And you Philippians yourselves know that fin the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, gno church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17hNot that I seek the gift, but I seek ithe fruit that increases to your credit.7 18I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, jhaving received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, ka fragrant offering, la sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19And my God mwill supply every need of yours naccording to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20To oour God and Father be pglory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
21Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. qThe brothers who are with me greet you. 22rAll the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
23sThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
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