Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
God repeatedly extended grace to Jonah, and yet Jonah struggled to show the same mercy to others. Are you guilty of the same reluctance? Find out how it’s possible to extend grace to those who’ve wronged you. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
A Taste of Heaven
One of the great malignant heresies of our day is the “prosperity gospel.” Proponents of this false teaching aim to persuade men and women that great material blessings like health, wealth, and general prosperity await those who just have enough faith or who give them just a little more money. But God never made any such promise. Such promises of prosperity await us in eternity, not necessarily now. Too many lives of faith have been ruined by false teachers promising right now what God only promises in eternity.
In guarding against the prosperity gospel, however, we must not miss the glorious truth that in Christ, some of heaven’s blessings do break into our earthly existence. In fact, one of the most bountiful outpourings of God’s kindness belongs to us now: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Surely there is hardly a more attractive offer than being made right with the Creator of the universe now—and for all eternity.
This status of “no condemnation” is not just something we aspire to and reach eventually. Paul says this blessed state is for us immediately. If we are “in Christ Jesus,” united to Him by faith, then we have already stepped forward into peace with God. We already stand in grace, not condemnation.
There is no middle territory between standing in grace and standing in condemnation. If we are not justified—if we are not declared righteous on the strength of Christ—we are condemned. Jesus states it plainly for us: “Whoever believes in [me] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). There is no middle ground on which to stand.
But there is no need to seek to stand in any middle ground. For a sinner who turns in repentance and faith to Jesus, their present reality is transformed to a living hope; God moves them from death to life. He plants them in the soil of His grace, where He nourishes them with steadfast hope. They are rooted firmly under the endless smile of His mercy. What greater prosperity could there possibly be?
For most of us, it is easy to see all that we do not have. Perhaps you have reason today to wish that God would give you greater health or wealth, or more time, or different relationships, now. But, for a moment, pause and see what you do have and cannot lose. You enjoy the smile of God. You will never face His condemnation. That is His promise, and it is more precious than anything else this world can offer—and all that He promises, He does.
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?
10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel yand yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, zwe speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but zyou6 do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13aNo one has bascended into heaven except che who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.7 14And das Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ebe lifted up, 15that whoever believes fin him gmay have eternal life.8
For God So Loved the World
16“For hGod so loved ithe world,9 jthat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal life. 17For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved in the name of the only Son of God. 19pAnd this is the judgment: qthe light has come into the world, and rpeople loved the darkness rather than the light because stheir works were evil. 20tFor everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ulest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever vdoes what is true wcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
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.
True Love for Christ
You whom my soul loves.
It is good to be able, without any “if” or “but,” to say of the Lord Jesus, “You whom my soul loves.” Many can only say of Jesus that they hope they love Him; they trust they love Him; but only a poor and shallow experience will be content to stay here. No one ought to give any rest to his spirit until he feels quite sure about a matter of such vital importance. We should not be satisfied with a superficial hope that Jesus loves us and with a bare trust that we love Him. The old saints did not generally speak with “buts” and “ifs” and “hopes” and “trusts,” but they spoke positively and plainly. “I know whom I have believed,”1 said Paul. “I know that my Redeemer lives,”2 said Job. Get definite knowledge of your love for Jesus, and do not be satisfied until you can speak of your interest in Him as a reality—a reality that you have made sure of by receiving the witness of the Holy Spirit and His seal upon your soul by faith.
True love for Christ is in every case the Holy Spirit’s work and must be accomplished in the heart by Him. He is the efficient cause of it; but the logical reason why we love Jesus lies in Himself. Why do we love Jesus? Because He first loved us. Why do we love Jesus? Because He gave Himself for us. We have life through His death; we have peace through His blood. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. Why do we love Jesus? Because of the excellency of His person. We are filled with a sense of His beauty, an admiration of His graces, a consciousness of His infinite perfection. His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so delighted that it exclaims, yes, He is “altogether lovely.”3 This is a blessed love that binds the heart with chains softer than silk, and yet stronger than steel!
1) 2 Timothy 1:12
2) Job 19:25
3) Song of Solomon 5:16, KJV
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 September 3
David Flees to the Philistines
1Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2So David arose and went over, he and uthe six hundred men who were with him, vto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with whis two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. 4And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.
5Then David said to Achish, “If xI have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6So that day Achish gave him yZiklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7zAnd the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8Now David aand his men went up and made raids against bthe Geshurites, cthe Girzites, and dthe Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, eas far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 10When Achish asked, “Where have you fmade a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of gthe Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of hthe Kenites.” 11And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
Food Offered to Idols
1Now concerning1 mfood offered to idols: we know that n“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” opuffs up, pbut love builds up. 2qIf anyone imagines that he knows something, rhe does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But if anyone loves God, she is known by God.2
4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that t“an idol has no real existence,” and that u“there is no God but one.” 5For although there may be vso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6yet wfor us there is one God, the Father, xfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and yone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and zthrough whom we exist.
7However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, athrough former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and btheir conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8cFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care dthat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block eto the weak. 10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating3 in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,4 if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11And so by your knowledge this weak person is fdestroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against your brothers5 and gwounding their conscience when it is weak, hyou sin against Christ. 13Therefore, iif food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Judgment Against Idolatry
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2r“Son of man, sset your face toward tthe mountains of Israel, and uprophesy against them, 3and say, vYou mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to wthe mountains and xthe hills, to ythe ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, zand I will destroy your high places. 4zYour altars shall become desolate, and your aincense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. 5zAnd I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, band I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6Wherever you dwell, cthe cities shall be waste and dthe high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined,1 your idols broken and destroyed, your aincense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. 7And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
8e“Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations fsome who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, 9then those of you who escape gwill remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how hI have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes ithat go whoring after their idols. gAnd they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. 10And they shall know that I am the Lord. jI have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”
11Thus says the Lord God: k“Clap your hands land stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, mfor they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. 12nHe who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. oThus I will spend my fury upon them. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, pwhen their slain lie among their idols around their altars, qon every high hill, ron all the mountaintops, sunder every green tree, and under tevery leafy oak, wherever uthey offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. 14And vI will stretch out my hand against them and wmake the land desolate and waste, xin all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to yRiblah.2 Then zthey will know that I am the Lord.”
Come to Our Help
To the choirmaster. cA Maskil1 of the Sons of Korah.
1O God, we have heard with our ears,
dour fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
ein the days of old:
2you with your own hand fdrove out the nations,
but gthem you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but hthem you set free;
3for not iby their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and jthe light of your face,
kfor you delighted in them.
4lYou are my King, O God;
mordain salvation for Jacob!
5Through you we npush down our foes;
through your name we otread down those who rise up against us.
6For not in pmy bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7But you have saved us from our foes
and have qput to shame those who hate us.
8rIn God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9But you have srejected us and disgraced us
and thave not gone out with our armies.
10You have made us uturn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11You have made us like vsheep for slaughter
and have wscattered us among the nations.
12xYou have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13You have made us ythe taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and zscorn of those around us.
14You have made us aa byword among the nations,
ba laughingstock2 among the peoples.
15All day long my disgrace is before me,
and cshame has covered my face
16at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of dthe enemy and the avenger.
17eAll this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our fsteps gdeparted from your way;
19yet you have hbroken us in the place of ijackals
and covered us with jthe shadow of death.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God
or kspread out our hands to la foreign god,
21mwould not God discover this?
nFor he knows the secrets of the heart.
22Yet ofor your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
23pAwake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! qDo not reject us forever!
24Why rdo you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25For our ssoul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
26Rise up; tcome to our help!
uRedeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!
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