Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
It’s possible to be impartial about many things in life, even when others express strong opinions. Some even claim such indifference toward Jesus! On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg explains why it’s impossible to remain neutral about Christ forever.
From the Sermon
Out of the Shadows
Jesus’ burial was by no means a foregone conclusion, for two main reasons. First, the crucifixion of criminals was often not the end of their humiliation; they were often barred from the honor of a proper burial. Second, the release of a corpse depended solely on a relative or friend requesting permission to bury the body—and who was left to bury Jesus? The disciples had fled, the crowd had dispersed, and the women were unprepared to make such a request.
It is into this moment of history that an individual emerges suddenly and silently—an individual who “was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38).
Fear had silenced Joseph of Arimathea up to this point. Jesus’ life and teaching had attracted him and brought him to saving faith, but his faith remained clandestine. He went about his spiritual business in a secretive way—that is, until the cross brought him out into the open. And so, after too long hanging back in the shadows, Joseph “went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”
The Gospel narrative describes Joseph’s careful handling of Jesus’ body as he “took it down” from the cross, “wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid” (Luke 23:53). We read likewise of Nicodemus, “who earlier had come to Jesus by night … bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes” to assist Joseph in the burial process (John 19:39).
Joseph’s brief and singular appearance is also a clear reminder to us of God’s providence at work at all times and in all places. God prepared Joseph for this very moment. Joseph was fearful and secretive, but God used him for good, just as He does us. Joseph had presumably missed many opportunities to stand up for his King; he had presumably kept quiet so many times when he should have spoken out. Yet it was this man whom God ensured would be present on this day for this important task. And Joseph rose to it, risking everything—his status, his reputation, his safety—to honor Jesus by ensuring that He had a proper burial.
You may find yourself identifying with Joseph: you have been living as a secret disciple, believing but afraid to let anyone in your neighborhood or workplace know about your faith. If so, then today, ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your fearfulness and enable you, like Joseph, in the light of the cross, to take your stand boldly for Him in the love of Christ. You may have missed moments in the past when you had the chance to stand for your King; but God is always ready to give you the task of honoring His Son, and you need not pass up the next opportunity.
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 and John Before the Council
1And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and lthe captain of the temple and mthe Sadducees came upon them, 2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming nin Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3And they arrested them and oput them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and pthe number of the men came to about five thousand.
5On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6with qAnnas the high priest and rCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, s“By what power or tby what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, ufilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are being examined today vconcerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that wby the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, xwhom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11yThis Jesus1 is the stone that was zrejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.2 12And there is asalvation bin no one else, for cthere is no other dname under heaven given among men3 by which we must be saved.”
13eNow when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14But seeing the man who was healed fstanding beside them, gthey had nothing to say in opposition. 15But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16saying, h“What shall we do with these men? For that ia notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them jto speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, k“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20for lwe cannot but speak of what mwe have seen and heard.” 21And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, nbecause of the people, for all were praising God ofor what had happened. 22For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
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.
What Are Your Chances?
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: “If the innocent substitute for sinners suffers in this way, what will be done when the sinner himself—the dry tree—falls into the hands of an angry God?”
When God saw Jesus in the sinner’s place, He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ, He will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies; and you will be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted by God; and if He, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted, how much more will you be?
“Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?” What an awful shriek! But what will be your cry when you shall say, “O God! O God! Why have You forsaken me?” and the answer shall come back, “Because you have ignored all My counsel and would have none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you.”
If God did not spare His own Son, how much less will He spare you! What whips of stinging pain will be yours when your conscience smites you with all its terrors. You rich, you merry, you most self-righteous sinners—who would stand in your place when God says, “Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected Me; smite him, and let him feel the sting forever”?
Jesus was spat upon. Sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows that met upon the head of Jesus who died for us; therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you are now. You may die in this state; you may die now. By the agonies of Christ, by His wounds and by His blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God, and you shall never die.
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 April 8
Leviticus 11
Clean and Unclean Animals
1And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, yThese are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. 4Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 5And the zrock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 6And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 7And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, ais unclean to you. 8You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is bdetestable to you. 11You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
13“And these you shall detest among the birds;1 they shall not be eaten; they are bdetestable: cthe eagle,2 the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite, dthe falcon of any kind, 15every raven of any kind, 16the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the ehawk of any kind, 17the flittle owl, the cormorant, the gshort-eared owl, 18the barn owl, the htawny owl, the carrion vulture, 19the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and ithe bat.
20“All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. 21Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. 22Of them you may eat: jthe locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 23But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
24“And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25and whoever carries any part of their carcass kshall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28and he who carries their carcass kshall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.
29“And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, lthe mouse, the great lizard of any kind, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. mIt must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean. 33And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you nshall break it. 34Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean. 35And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you. 36Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean. 37And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean, 38but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39“And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 40and owhoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41p“Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. 42Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. 43qYou shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. 44For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and rbe holy, for I am holy. qYou shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 45sFor I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. rYou shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
46This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, 47tto make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.
Leviticus 12
Purification After Childbirth
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then ushe shall be unclean seven days. vAs at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3And on the weighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.
6u“And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take xtwo turtledoves or two pigeons,1 yone for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. zAnd the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”
Psalm 13
How Long, O Lord?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1vHow long, O Lord? Will you wforget me forever?
How long will you xhide your face from me?
2How long must I take ycounsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3zConsider and answer me, O Lord my God;
alight up my eyes, lest bI sleep the sleep of death,
4clest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am dshaken.
5But I have etrusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall frejoice in your salvation.
6I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 14
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
1gThe hfool says in his heart, i“There is no God.”
They are jcorrupt, they do abominable deeds;
kthere is none who does good.
2The Lord llooks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,1
who mseek after God.
3They have all turned aside; together they have become ncorrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4Have they no oknowledge, all the evildoers
who peat up my people as they eat bread
and qdo not call upon the Lord?
5There they are in great terror,
for God is with rthe generation of the righteous.
6You would shame the plans of the poor,
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord trestores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
1Like snow in summer or urain in harvest,
so vhonor is wnot fitting for a fool.
2Like xa sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
ya curse that is causeless does not alight.
3zA whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and aa rod for the back of fools.
4bAnswer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5cAnswer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be dwise in his own eyes.
6Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own feet and edrinks violence.
7Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is fone who gives honor to a fool.
9Like ga thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10Like an archer who wounds everyone
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.1
11Like ha dog that returns to his vomit
is ia fool who repeats his folly.
12Do you see a man who is jwise in his own eyes?
kThere is more hope for a fool than for him.
13lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
14As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a sluggard on his bed.
15mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16The sluggard is jwiser in his own eyes
nthan seven men who can answer sensibly.
17Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
18Like a madman who throws ofirebrands, arrows, and death
19is the man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
20For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no pwhisperer, qquarreling ceases.
21As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is ra quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22sThe words of pa whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23tLike the uglaze2 covering an earthen vessel
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
and harbors deceit in his heart;
25vwhen he speaks graciously, believe him not,
for there are wseven abominations in his heart;
26though his hatred be covered with deception,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27xWhoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
28A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
The Day of the Lord
1Now concerning wthe times and the seasons, brothers,1 xyou have no need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves are fully aware that ythe day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then zsudden destruction will come upon them aas labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you bare not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all cchildren2 of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6So then dlet us not sleep, as others do, but let us ekeep awake and fbe sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, gare drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, hhaving put on the breastplate of ifaith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has not destined us for jwrath, but kto obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10lwho died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Final Instructions and Benediction
12We ask you, brothers, mto respect those who labor among you and nare over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. oBe at peace among yourselves. 14And we urge you, brothers, admonish pthe idle,3 qencourage the fainthearted, rhelp the weak, sbe patient with them all. 15See that tno one repays anyone evil for evil, but always useek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16vRejoice always, 17wpray without ceasing, 18xgive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19yDo not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise zprophecies, 21but atest everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.
23Now may bthe God of peace himself csanctify you completely, and may your dwhole espirit and soul and body be kept blameless at fthe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24gHe who calls you is faithful; hhe will surely do it.
25iBrothers, pray for us.
26jGreet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27I put you under oath before the Lord to have kthis letter read to all the brothers.
28lThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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