Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
King Saul’s jealousy, fear, and anger escalated as he desperately sought to withhold his kingdom from God’s anointed king, David. But find out how God can use an enemy’s evil intentions to set forth His own plan. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
“As a Man Thinketh” — Part One
1 Samuel 18:17–30 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 39:14 • ID: 3405
God Works Through Every Gift
Good parents give gifts to all their children, excluding none. Thoughtful parents select appropriate gifts for each child to match their stage, aptitudes, and character. If we care for our children and love them without favoritism, we will give to each one what is fitting at any given time to meet his or her unique needs and desires. And often the best gifts are ones that can, while owned by one child, then be enjoyed by the whole family.
Our heavenly Father operates in the same way. He gives gifts to all His people—generously, lavishly, and purposefully.
Three verses in 1 Corinthians 12 confirm to us God’s generosity to all His children:
• “It is the same God who empowers” all kinds of gifts and service and activities “in everyone” (v 6, emphasis added).
• “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (v 7, emphasis added).
• Every spiritual gift is “empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each individually as he wills” (v 11, emphasis added).
Like a good parent, God gives gifts to all His children, all for the good of Christ’s body, the church family.
Sometimes, though, untaught by our Bibles and unguided by the Spirit, we take the view that the people who really count are those who possess certain gifts—whatever those gifts might be, in whatever given context. This elitism leads to defeatism: those without the “privileged” gifts feel they have no meaningful contribution to make.
We must therefore be very clear on the basics of spiritual gifts. Who gives them? God. Who gets them? All believers. Spiritual gifts are not reserved for a chosen few; they are the privilege of the whole Christian family. Our gifts differ, but we all have them, and every gift is good, necessary, and integral to the life of the body. Each one is given for the “common good,” as 1 Corinthians 12:7 puts it.
Instead of wondering about what we haven’t received, being jealous of what someone else has been given, or wishing we could exchange our gift, God wants us to enjoy and make use of what He has kindly provided to us. “As each has received a gift,” says Peter, “use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” As God’s child, you are a recipient of God’s grace. He has given you abilities and opportunities. He calls you, in the strength He supplies, to steward that grace for the fame of Christ’s name and the good of His family. So consider: What are the gifts He has given you? Have you thanked Him? And how might you use those gifts to serve your church? Remember, God-given gifts are most enjoyed when they are used for the good of the family.
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?
4Now tthere are varieties of gifts, but uthe same Spirit; 5and vthere are varieties of service, but uthe same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is uthe same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7wTo each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of xwisdom, and to another the utterance of yknowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another zfaith by the same Spirit, to another agifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another bthe working of miracles, to another cprophecy, to another dthe ability to distinguish between spirits, to another evarious kinds of tongues, to another fthe interpretation of tongues. 11All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, gwho apportions to each one individually has he wills.
One Body with Many Members
12For just as ithe body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, jso it is with Christ. 13For kin one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—lJews or Greeks, slaves4 or free—and mall were made to drink of one Spirit.
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.
Our Fault
God, our God, shall bless us.
It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings that God gives us, but it is even stranger that we make such little use of God Himself. Though He is “our God,” we scarcely give ourselves to Him, and we ask so little of Him.
How seldom do we seek counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business without seeking His guidance! In our troubles how we constantly struggle to bear our burdens ourselves instead of casting them upon the Lord, that He may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, “I am yours, soul; come and make use of Me as you will. You may freely come to My store, and the more you come, the more welcome you will be.”
It is our own fault if we do not enjoy the riches of our God. Since you have such a friend, and He invites you, draw from Him daily. Never be wanting while you have a God to go to; never fear or faint while you have God to help you; go to your treasure and take whatever you need—there is all that you can ever want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to you. He can supply you with everything; or better still, He can be everything to you.
Let me urge you, then, to make use of your God. Make use of Him in prayer. Go to Him often, because He is your God. Will you fail to use such a great privilege? Run to Him; tell Him all your needs. Use Him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has cast a shadow on you, use God as a sun; if some strong enemy has attacked you, find in Jehovah a shield, for He is a sun and shield to His people. If you have lost your way in the mazes of life, use Him as a guide, for He will direct you. Whatever you are, and wherever you are, remember, God is just what you want and just where you want, and that He can do everything you want.
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 27
Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites
1The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 3bfrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: cthe most holy things. 5When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down dthe veil of the screen and cover ethe ark of the testimony with it. 6Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin1 and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its fpoles. 7And over the gtable of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; hthe regular showbread also shall be on it. 8Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall iput in its poles. 9And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover jthe lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11And over kthe golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12And they shall take all lthe vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 15And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that mthe sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, nbut they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16“And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of othe oil for the light, the pfragrant incense, qthe regular grain offering, and rthe anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
17The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18“Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to sthe most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20tbut they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
21The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 22“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses and by their clans. 23uFrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can vcome to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25wthey shall carry xthe curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with yits covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be zunder the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29“As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers' houses. 30uFrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31And athis is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall blist by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, cunder the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 35ufrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting; 36and those listed by clans were 2,750. 37dThis was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
38Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 39ufrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the tent of meeting— 40those listed by their clans and their fathers' houses were 2,630. 41eThis was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord.
42Those listed of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 43ufrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting— 44those listed by clans were 3,200. 45fThis was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
46All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 47ufrom thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48those listed were 8,580. 49According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses they were listed, geach one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, has the Lord commanded Moses.
Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord
A Psalm of David, lfor the memorial offering.
1O Lord, mrebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
2For your narrows have sunk into me,
and your hand ohas come down on me.
3There is pno soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my qbones
because of my sin.
4For my riniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
6I am sutterly bowed down and tprostrate;
all the day I ugo about mourning.
7For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is pno soundness in my flesh.
8I am feeble and crushed;
I vgroan because of the tumult of my heart.
9O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my wsighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and xthe light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11My yfriends and companions zstand aloof from my aplague,
and my nearest kin bstand far off.
12Those who seek my life clay their snares;
those who seek my hurt dspeak of ruin
and meditate etreachery all day long.
13But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like fa mute man who does not open his mouth.
14I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no grebukes.
15But for hyou, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16For I said, “Only ilet them not rejoice over me,
who jboast against me when my kfoot slips!”
17For I am lready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.
18I mconfess my iniquity;
I am nsorry for my sin.
19But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
and many are those who hate me owrongfully.
20Those who prender me evil for good
qaccuse me because I rfollow after good.
21Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not sfar from me!
22tMake haste to help me,
O Lord, my usalvation!
1I am a rose1 of Sharon,
ka lily of the valleys.
He
2As a lily among brambles,
so is lmy love among the young women.
She
3As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my mbeloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat nin his shadow,
and his ofruit was sweet to my taste.
4He pbrought me to the banqueting house,2
and his qbanner over me was love.
5Sustain me with rraisins;
refresh me with apples,
sfor I am sick with love.
6His tleft hand is under my head,
and his right hand uembraces me!
7I vadjure you,3 O wdaughters of Jerusalem,
by xthe gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
The Bride Adores Her Beloved
8The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes,
leaping yover the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9My beloved is like za gazelle
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
looking through the lattice.
10My beloved speaks and says to me:
a“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
11for behold, the winter is past;
bthe rain is over and gone.
12cThe flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing4 has come,
and the voice of dthe turtledove
is heard in our land.
13eThe fig tree ripens its figs,
and fthe vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
gArise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.
14O my hdove, in the iclefts of the rock,
in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me jhear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is klovely.
the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
ffor our vineyards are in blossom.”
16mMy beloved is mine, and I am his;
17Until othe day breathes
and pthe shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like qa gazelle
or a young stag on cleft mountains.7
Warning Against Neglecting Salvation
1Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2For since athe message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and bevery transgression or disobedience received a just cretribution, 3dhow shall we escape if we eneglect such a great salvation? It was fdeclared at first by the Lord, and it was gattested to us hby those who heard, 4gwhile God also bore witness iby signs and wonders and various miracles and by jgifts of the Holy Spirit kdistributed according to his will.
The Founder of Salvation
5For it was not to angels that God subjected the world lto come, of which we are speaking. 6It has been testified somewhere,
m“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,1
8putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, nwe do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9But we see him owho for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, pcrowned with glory and honor qbecause of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might rtaste death sfor everyone.
10For it twas fitting that he, ufor whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons vto glory, should make the wfounder of their salvation xperfect through suffering. 11For yhe who sanctifies and zthose who are sanctified aall have one source.2 That is why he is not ashamed to call them bbrothers,3 12saying,
c“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the dcongregation I will sing your praise.”
13And again,
e“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
f“Behold, I and the children gGod has given me.”
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise hpartook of the same things, that ithrough death he might jdestroy kthe one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who lthrough fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he mhelps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had nto be made like his brothers in every respect, oso that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest pin the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered qwhen tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Get the Program, Devotional, and Bible Reading Plan delivered daily right to your inbox.