Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
When we examine the events leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, it’s easy to be shocked at the disciples’ responses. We should be careful not to judge, though. We may be more like them than we think! Take a closer look on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Awakened to New Life
Some claim that mankind’s problem is not that we’re sinful but that we’re sick. If only we could provide for ourselves the right kind of care, medicine, or technology, then our lives would be transformed and we’d be ok, for surely man is essentially good, not innately sinful. At least, so goes the thinking.
According to the Bible, however, the only adequate explanation for the predicament we face is that man is spiritually lifeless. It’s not even that we are spiritually sick; outside of Christ we are “dead in [our] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1, emphasis added). And how much can a dead person do to make themselves alive? Nothing.
So you and I quite literally have a grave problem—unless, that is, there is one who is able to speak into the deadness of our experience and, by His very words, bring us to life. And that, of course, is Christianity’s great message: “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
The best physical picture of this spiritual reality is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Imagine the scene. Lazarus was gone, and everyone knew it. He had been buried for four days. And yet Jesus walked up to the tomb and addressed the dead man: he “cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’” (John 11:43). And Lazarus came out.
How was it that Lazarus came to life? It was a result of the voice of Jesus, who alone can speak so that the spiritually dead hear. Just as Jesus brought life to lifeless Lazarus, so He breathes life into the deadness of men’s and women’s spiritual condition. Spiritually, we are corpses—just as dead and decaying as Lazarus in his tomb. But when God chooses, He utters His word and awakens us to life. As the hymn writer puts it:
He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive.
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice;
The humble poor believe.[1]
We are not to think too much of ourselves. Left to our own devices and efforts, we are dead. We can never think too much of Jesus. He and He alone is the reason we have life. And we must never think too little of the call to share His gospel with those around us; for we have been given the inestimable privilege of being the means by which Jesus calls dead people to come out of their spiritual grave and discover eternal life with Him. To whom is He prompting you to speak of Him today?
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?
The Valley of Dry Bones
1dThe hand of the Lord was upon me, and ehe brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;1 it was full of bones. 2And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3And he said to me, f“Son of man, gcan these bones live?” And hI answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, i“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, jO dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause kbreath2 to enter you, and you shall live. 6lAnd I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and lcover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, mand you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7So I prophesied nas I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, oa rattling,3 and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But pthere was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, i“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, fson of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from qthe four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10So I prophesied nas he commanded me, and rthe breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11Then he said to me, f“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and sour hope is lost; twe are indeed cut off.’ 12Therefore iprophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, uI will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And vI will bring you into the land of Israel. 13And wyou shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14And xI will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; yI have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People
15The word of the Lord came to me: 16z“Son of man, atake a stick4 and write on it, ‘For bJudah, and cthe people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For bJoseph (the stick of dEphraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17And ejoin them one to another into one stick, that fthey may become gone in your hand. 18And when hyour people say to you, i‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take jthe stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the jstick of Judah,5 and kmake them one stick, gthat they may be one in my hand. 20When the sticks on which you write are in your hand lbefore their eyes, 21then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, mI will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and mbring them to their own land. 22And nI will make them one nation in the land, on othe mountains of Israel. And pone king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer qtwo nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23rThey shall not sdefile themselves anymore twith their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But uI will save them from all the backslidings6 in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and vthey shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24“My servant wDavid xshall be king over them, and they shall all have yone shepherd. zThey shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25aThey shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there bforever, and David my servant shall be their prince cforever. 26dI will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be ean everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land7 and fmultiply them, and will gset my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27hMy dwelling place shall be with them, vand I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28Then ithe nations will know that jI am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when gmy sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
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.
Weep for His Pain
With his wounds we are healed.
Pilate delivered our Lord to be scourged. The Roman scourge was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and sharp bones were intertwined among the sinews, so that every time the lash came down, these pieces of bone inflicted fearful laceration and tore off the flesh from the bone. The Savior was, no doubt, bound to the column, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this from the Roman soldiers was probably the most severe of His flagellations. My soul, stand here and weep over His poor, stricken body.
Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears as He stands before you, the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence and red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing that His stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we must feel that affection glowing now within our hearts.
See how the patient Jesus stands,
Insulted in His lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty’s hands,
And spit in their Creator's face.With thorns His temples gor’d and gash’d
Send streams of blood from every part;
His back’s with knotted scourges lash’d.
But sharper scourges tear His heart.
We may long to go to our bedrooms and weep; but since our business calls us away, we will first ask the Lord Jesus to print the image of His bleeding self upon the tablets of our hearts all the day, and at nightfall we will return to commune with Him and sorrow that our sin should have cost Him so dearly.
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 31
Leviticus 2
Laws for Grain Offerings
1“When anyone brings a pgrain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. qHe shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it 2and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its rmemorial portion on the altar, a food soffering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 3But the trest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; uit is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings.
4“When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be vunleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. 5And if your offering is a grain offering wbaked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil. 6You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the Lord, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. 9And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food xoffering with a ypleasing aroma to the Lord. 10But the zrest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; zit is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings.
11“No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with aleaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. 12bAs an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13You cshall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the dsalt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; ewith all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14“If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh fears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. 15And gyou shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16And the priest shall burn as its hmemorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the Lord.
Leviticus 3
Laws for Peace Offerings
1“If his offering is ia sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, jhe shall offer it kwithout blemish before the Lord. 2And lhe shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. 3And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer mthe fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4nand the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 5Then Aaron's sons oshall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
6“If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it kwithout blemish. 7If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the Lord, 8lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 9Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the Lord its fat; he shall remove the whole pfat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 10and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove qwith the kidneys. 11And the priest shall burn it on the altar as ra food offering to the Lord.
12“If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the Lord 13and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 14Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the Lord, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 15and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove qwith the kidneys. 16And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a rfood offering with a pleasing aroma. sAll fat is the Lord's. 17It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither sfat nor tblood.”
Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
1After this Jesus brevealed himself cagain to the disciples by dthe Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2Simon Peter, eThomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of fCana in Galilee, gthe sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but hthat night they caught nothing.
4Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples idid not know that it was Jesus. 5jJesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6kHe said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7That disciple lwhom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, mhe put on his outer garment, for he was nstripped for work, and othrew himself into the sea. 8The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards1 off.
9When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, p“Come and qhave breakfast.” Now rnone of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and stook the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14tThis was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus and Peter
15When they had ufinished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, v“Simon, wson of John, xdo you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed ymy lambs.” 16He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, z“Tend ymy sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him athe third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, byou know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed cmy sheep. 18dTruly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, eyou used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19(This he said to show fby what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, g“Follow me.”
Jesus and the Beloved Apostle
20Peter turned and saw hthe disciple whom Jesus loved following them, ithe one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain juntil kI come, what is that to you? lYou follow me!” 23So the saying spread abroad among mthe brothers2 that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24This is the disciple nwho is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and owe know pthat his testimony is true.
25Now qthere are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that rthe world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
1Whoever yisolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only zin expressing his opinion.
3When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4The words of a man's mouth are adeep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5It is not good to bbe partial to1 the wicked
or to cdeprive the righteous of justice.
6A fool's lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites da beating.
7eA fool's mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8fThe words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into gthe inner parts of the body.
9Whoever is slack in his work
is a hbrother to him who destroys.
10iThe name of the Lord is ja strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and kis safe.
11lA rich man's wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
12mBefore destruction a man's heart is haughty,
but nhumility comes before honor.
13If one gives an answer obefore he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
14A man's spirit will endure sickness,
but pa crushed spirit who can bear?
15An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16A man's qgift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
17The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
18rThe lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
19A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
20sFrom the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
21tDeath and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
22He who finds ua wife finds va good thing
and wobtains favor xfrom the Lord.
23The poor use entreaties,
but ythe rich answer roughly.
24A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but zthere is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Greeting
1Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God, and Timothy cour brother,
2To the dsaints and faithful brothers1 in Christ at Colossae:
eGrace to you and peace from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3fWe always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of gyour faith in Christ Jesus and of gthe love that you have for all the saints, 5because of hthe hope ilaid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in jthe word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed kin the whole world it is lbearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you mheard it and understood nthe grace of God in truth, 7just as you learned it from oEpaphras our beloved pfellow servant.2 He is pa faithful minister of Christ on your3 behalf 8and has made known to us your qlove in the Spirit.
9And so, rfrom the day we heard, swe have not ceased to pray for you, asking that tyou may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all uspiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as vto walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, wfully pleasing to him: xbearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11ybeing strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for zall endurance and patience awith joy; 12bgiving thanks4 to the Father, who has qualified you5 to share in cthe inheritance of the saints in light. 13He dhas delivered us from ethe domain of darkness and transferred us to fthe kingdom of ghis beloved Son, 14hin whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Preeminence of Christ
15iHe is the image of jthe invisible God, kthe firstborn of all creation. 16For by6 him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him. 17And phe is before all things, and in him all things qhold together. 18And rhe is the head of the body, the church. He is sthe beginning, tthe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For uin him all the vfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and wthrough him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, xmaking peace yby the blood of his cross.
21zAnd you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, adoing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled bin his body of flesh by his death, cin order to present you holy and blameless and dabove reproach before him, 23eif indeed you continue in the faith, fstable and steadfast, not shifting from gthe hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed hin all creation7 under heaven, iand of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul's Ministry to the Church
24Now jI rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh kI am filling up lwhat is lacking in Christ's afflictions mfor the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25nof which I became a minister according to othe stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26pthe mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27qTo them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are rthe riches of the glory of pthis mystery, which is Christ in you, sthe hope of glory. 28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that twe may present everyone umature in Christ. 29For this vI toil, wstruggling xwith all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
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