Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
In his series called The Sabbath, Alistair Begg has addressed the dangers inherent in ignoring the fourth commandment. We’ll continue this study by examining the other extreme: the spiritual dangers of legalism. Discover Jesus’ true intentions for “keeping the Sabbath holy” when you listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Speak Life, Not Condemnation
The reason we sometimes assume we have the right to condemn another is that it appeals to our sinful nature. If we’re honest, the minute we acquire any position of leadership or authority, big or small, it’s shocking how quickly we are faced with the temptation to condemn rather than to show mercy.
We must remember that we are not qualified to condemn. Why? Because we cannot read another person’s heart. We are unable to assess someone else’s motives accurately. God alone can say, “I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works” (Revelation 2:23). Since you and I are not God, we are not to condemn.
One of the ways we easily and often ignore Jesus’ command here is with our tongues; we pronounce condemnation by saying things that harm someone’s reputation. In Christian circles, we may even have clever ways to make our slander sound like a prayer request or a concern—but in truth, half the time we’re delighted to say it: “Did you hear about her? Do you know about him? Do you know why they did that?” The spirit of the Pharisee—of condemning others in order to show ourselves in a better light by comparison—is alive and well among believers.
Therefore, we must be exceptionally wary of how we use our words. Rather than using our mouths to condemn, we must ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to speak words of life. Before we open our mouths, we ought to heed the advice of the missionary Amy Carmichael and ask: Is what I’m about to say kind? Is it true? Is it necessary? Scripture is absolutely clear on this point. Indeed, the book of Proverbs teaches us that “a fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul,” but “he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” (Proverbs 18:7; 11:13).
We have in Jesus a Savior whose blood cleanses us from the sin of every careless word and every condemning comment—a Savior who forgives us from the sinful tendency that rises in our hearts to try to play a role which is His alone. In light of that, we need to repent daily of the sins of our lips and ask the Spirit for a renewed desire to make both the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts acceptable in our Father’s sight (Psalm 19:14).
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?
Judging Others
37ij“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; jforgive, and you will be forgiven; 38kgive, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put linto your lap. For mwith the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
39He also told them a parable: n“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40oA disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is pfully trained will be like his teacher. 41iWhy do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but qdo not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43“For rno good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44for seach tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45tThe good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces uevil, vfor out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
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.
A Paradox
I slept, but my heart was awake.
Paradoxes abound in Christian experience, and here is one: The spouse was asleep, and yet she was awake. The only one who can read the believer's riddle is he who has lived through this experience. The two points in this evening's text are: a mournful sleepiness and a hopeful wakefulness. “I slept.” Through sin that dwells in us we may become lax in holy duties, lazy in religious exercises, dull in spiritual joys, and completely indolent and careless.
This is a shameful state for one in whom the quickening Spirit dwells; and it is dangerous in the highest degree. Even wise virgins sometimes slumber, but it is high time for all to shake off the chains of idleness. It is to be feared that many believers lose their strength as Samson lost his hair, while sleeping on the lap of carnal security. With a perishing world around us, to sleep is cruel; with eternity so close at hand, it is madness.
Yet none of us are as awake as we should be; a few thunderclaps would do us all good, and it may be, unless we soon stir ourselves, we will have them in the form of war or disease or personal bereavements and loss. May we leave forever the couch of fleshly ease, and go out with flaming torches to meet the coming Bridegroom! “My heart was awake.”
This is a happy sign. Life is not extinct, though sadly smothered. When our renewed heart struggles against our natural heaviness, we should be grateful to sovereign grace for keeping a little vitality within this body of death. Jesus will hear our hearts, will help our hearts, will visit our hearts; for the voice of the wakeful heart is really the voice of our Beloved, saying, “Open to me.” Holy zeal will surely unlock the door.
Oh lovely attitude! He stands
With melting heart and laden hands;
My soul forsakes her every sin;
And lets the heavenly stranger in.
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 24
The Rebellion of Sheba
1Now there happened to be there da worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,
e“We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
fevery man to his tents, O Israel!”
2So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took gthe ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
4Then the king said to hAmasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. 6And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take iyour lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”1 7And there went out after him Joab's men and the jCherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. 9And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand kto kiss him. 10But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. lSo Joab struck him with it min the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11And one of Joab's young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. 13When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to nAbel of nBeth-maacah,2 and all othe Bichrites3 assembled and followed him in. 15And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in nAbel of Beth-maacah. pThey cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. 16Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” 17And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” 18Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at nAbel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you qswallow up rthe heritage of the Lord?” 20Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should qswallow up or destroy! 21That is not true. But a man of sthe hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” 22Then the woman went to all the people tin her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, uevery man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23vNow Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24and wAdoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25and Sheva was secretary; and xZadok and Abiathar were priests; 26and yIra the Jairite was also David's priest.
Final Warnings
1kThis is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established lby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2mI warned nthose who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that oif I come again I will not spare them— 3since you seek proof that Christ pis speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but qis powerful among you. 4For rhe was crucified in weakness, but slives by the power of God. For twe also are weak in him, but in dealing with you uwe will live with him by the power of God.
5Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. vTest yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that wJesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9For we are glad when xwe are weak and you are strong. Your yrestoration is what we pray for. 10For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come zI may not have to be asevere in my use of bthe authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11Finally, brothers,1 rejoice. cAim for restoration, comfort one another,2 dagree with one another, elive in peace; and the God of love and fpeace will be with you. 12gGreet one another with a holy kiss. 13hAll the saints greet you.
14iThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and jthe love of God and kthe fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
A Lament for Tyre
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Now you, tson of man, uraise a lamentation over Tyre, 3and say to Tyre, who dwells at vthe entrances to the sea, wmerchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:
“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am xperfect in beauty.’
4Your borders are yin the heart of the seas;
your builders made perfect your beauty.
5They made all your planks
of fir trees from zSenir;
they took aa cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
6Of boaks of Bashan
they made your oars;
they made your deck of pines
from cthe coasts of Cyprus,
inlaid with ivory.
7dOf fine embroidered linen from Egypt
was your sail,
serving as your banner;
blue and purple from cthe coasts of Elishah
was your awning.
8The inhabitants of Sidon and eArvad
were your rowers;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were in you;
they were fyour pilots.
9The elders of gGebal and her skilled men were in you,
hcaulking your seams;
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you
to barter for your wares.
10i“Persia and jLud and iPut were in your army as your men of war. kThey hung the shield and helmet in you; they gave you splendor. 11Men of eArvad and Helech were on your walls all around, and men of Gamad were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they made xperfect your beauty.
12l“Tarshish did mbusiness with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your nwares. 13oJavan, pTubal, and pMeshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14From qBeth-togarmah they exchanged horses, war horses, and mules rfor your wares. 15The men of sDedan1 traded with you. Many coastlands were your own special markets; they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony. 16Syria tdid business with you because of your abundant goods; they exchanged for your wares uemeralds, upurple, vembroidered work, wfine linen, coral, and xruby. 17Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged for your merchandise ywheat of zMinnith, meal,2 honey, oil, and abalm. 18bDamascus did business with you for your abundant goods, because of your great wealth of every kind; wine of Helbon and cwool of Sahar 19and casks of wine3 from Uzal they exchanged for your wares; wrought iron, dcassia, and ecalamus were bartered for your merchandise. 20Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21Arabia and all the princes of fKedar were your favored dealers fin lambs, rams, and goats; in these they did business with you. 22The traders of gSheba and gRaamah traded with you; they exchanged hfor your wares ithe best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold. 23jHaran, Canneh, jEden, traders of Sheba, kAsshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24In your market these traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of lblue and lembroidered work, and in carpets of colored material, bound with cords and made secure. 25mThe ships of nTarshish traveled for you with your merchandise. So you were filled and heavily laden oin the heart of the seas.
26“Your rowers have brought you out
into the high seas.
pThe east wind has wrecked you
in the heart of the seas.
27Your riches, your wares, your merchandise,
your mariners and qyour pilots,
ryour caulkers, your dealers in merchandise,
and all your men of war who are in you,
with all your crew
that is in your midst,
sink into the heart of the seas
son the day of your fall.
28At the sound of the cry of your pilots
tthe countryside shakes,
29and down from their ships
ucome all who handle the oar.
The mariners and all the pilots of the sea
stand on the land
30uand shout aloud over you
and cry out bitterly.
vThey cast dust on their heads
wand wallow in ashes;
31they xmake themselves bald for you
and put sackcloth on their waist,
and they weep over you in bitterness of soul,
with bitter mourning.
32In their wailing they yraise a lamentation for you
and lament over you:
z‘Who is like Tyre,
like one destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33When your wares came from the seas,
ayou satisfied many peoples;
with your abundant wealth and merchandise
ayou enriched the kings of the earth.
34Now byou are wrecked by the seas,
in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your crew in your midst
have sunk with you.
35cAll the inhabitants of the coastlands
are appalled at you,
and dthe hair of their kings bristles with horror;
their faces are convulsed.
36eThe merchants among the peoples fhiss at you;
gyou have come to a dreadful end
and shall be no more forever.’”
Psalm 75
God Will Judge with Equity
To the choirmaster: according to lDo Not Destroy. mA Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is nnear.
We1 recount your wondrous deeds.
2“At othe set time that I appoint
I will judge pwith equity.
3When the earth qtotters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its rpillars. Selah
4I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, s‘Do not lift up your horn;
5do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes tlifting up,
7but it is uGod who executes judgment,
vputting down one and lifting up another.
8wFor in the hand of the Lord there is xa cup
with foaming wine, ywell mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall zdrain it down to the dregs.
9But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10aAll the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
bbut the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Psalm 76
Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with cstringed instruments. A Psalm of dAsaph. A Song.
1In Judah God is eknown;
his name is great in Israel.
2His fabode has been established in gSalem,
his hdwelling place in Zion.
3There he ibroke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4Glorious are you, more majestic
jthan the mountains full of kprey.
5lThe stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
mthey sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both nrider and horse lay stunned.
7oBut you, you are to be feared!
Who can pstand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8From the heavens you uttered judgment;
qthe earth feared and was still,
9when God rarose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10Surely sthe wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant1 of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11tMake your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around him ubring gifts
to him who vis to be feared,
12who wcuts off the spirit of princes,
who xis to be feared by the kings of the earth.
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