Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Notes from the Flyleaf of My Bible
Selected ScripturesWould you like to read the notes written on the pages of Alistair Begg’s Bible? Well, you’re in for a treat! On Truth For Life, Alistair shares some personal lessons he’s learned and practical advice he’s gleaned over decades spent delving into God’s Word.
From the Sermon
Notes from the Flyleaf of My Bible
Selected Scriptures Sermon • Includes Transcript • 37:30 • ID: 2930
The Gift of Remembrance
Most of us find it far easier to forget than to remember. That is why nations feel the need to build war memorials, monuments, and museums—so that, as generation follows generation, the significance of an event is not lost over time. Thus we often hear the phrase “Lest we forget.”
Many times throughout the Bible the people of God are called to remember events and put in place certain memorials to aid with that recollection. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land, Joshua gave instructions to set up stones in the middle of the river. It likely seemed a strange thing to do, but Joshua told the people that it was to be a sign: “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever” (Joshua 4:6-7). Simply looking at these stones would help God’s people recall His faithfulness and provision as He led them into the spacious land He had promised and prepared for them.
Centuries later, as the book of Esther explains, Mordecai established Purim—the Feast of Lots—in order to commemorate “the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday” (Esther 9:22). The Jews were to rejoice in their deliverance by sending provision to one another as an indication of God’s kindness and as a way of passing on some of His generosity to those who needed God’s gracious compassion.
We, too, are given a practice of memorialization. Jesus not only bore the punishment we deserved and opened the way for us to enjoy eternal life, but He also gave to His followers a simple meal to help us remember what He has done. Every time we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we do so in remembrance of Jesus, who has faithfully provided our salvation and has turned our sorrow into gladness. If we don’t celebrate the feast—if we don’t keep this memorial as part and parcel of our history—then we lose the ability to reflect upon eternal realities. Indeed, it is as we share in the Lord’s Supper and remember His death and the feast that we are invited to in glory that the Spirit feeds our hearts, strengthening our faith.
The Lord’s Supper must never become a dry ritual, something we perform just because it is what we do. It must always point us away from itself, and away from ourselves, to the great rescue at the cross. And in between our celebrations of the Supper, we are still called to remember, for the more we call Jesus’ loving atoning death to mind, the more we will remember who we are and whose we are, and the more joyful and worshipful we will be. So, how will you remember today that you have a Lord whose body was broken for you?
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?
23For xI received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that ythe Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for6 you. Do this in remembrance of me.”7 25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death zuntil he comes.
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.
Everlasting Arms
Underneath are the everlasting arms.
God—the eternal God—is Himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God until he hardly knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless.
Well, child of God, remember that when you are at your worst and lowest, even then “underneath” you “are the everlasting arms.” Sin may drag you ever so low, but Christ’s great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the depths, but you cannot have fallen so low as the uttermost; and He saves “to the uttermost.”1
Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are “the everlasting arms.”
He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict; but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the “everlasting arms”—they are underneath him; and, while he is sustained, all Satan’s efforts to harm him achieve nothing.
This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but sincere worker in the service of God. It implies a promise of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty.
And, finally, when death comes, the promise will still hold good. When we stand in the middle of the Jordan, we will be able to say with David, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”2
We will descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal arms prevent our further fall. All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the “everlasting arms”—arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for “the everlasting God . . . does not faint or grow weary.”3
1) Hebrews 7:25
2) Psalm 23:4
3) Isaiah 40:28
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 November 11
1kIn his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2And the Lord sent against him bands of the lChaldeans and mbands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, naccording to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. 3Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, ofor the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4and also pfor the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon. 5qNow the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6So Jehoiakim rslept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7sAnd the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, tfor the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt ufrom the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah
8vJehoiachin was weighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, xaccording to all that his father had done.
Jerusalem Captured
10At that time the servants of yNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11And yNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12zand Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. aThe king of Babylon took him prisoner bin the eighth year of his reign 13and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord cand the treasures of the king's house, dand cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, ewhich Solomon king of Israel had made, fas the Lord had foretold. 14gHe carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, h10,000 captives, iand all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, jexcept the poorest people of the land. 15kAnd he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, l7,000, and the craftsmen and the metal workers, 1,000, all of them strong and fit for war. 17mAnd the king of Babylon nmade Mattaniah, oJehoiachin's uncle, king in his place, pand changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Reigns in Judah
18qZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was rHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, saccording to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.
tAnd Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
1Therefore ilet us leave jthe elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance kfrom dead works and of faith toward God, 2and of linstruction about washings,1 mthe laying on of hands, nthe resurrection of the dead, and oeternal judgment. 3And this we will do pif God permits. 4For it is impossible, in the case of those qwho have once been enlightened, who have tasted rthe heavenly gift, and shave shared in the Holy Spirit, 5and thave tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and uthen have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since vthey are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7For wland that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8But xif it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, yand its end is to be burned.
9Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10For zGod is not unjust so as to overlook ayour work and the love that you have shown for his name in bserving the saints, as you still do. 11And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance cof hope until the end, 12so that you may not be sluggish, but dimitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Certainty of God's Promise
13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, ehe swore by himself, 14saying, f“Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15And thus Abraham,2 ghaving patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes han oath is final for confirmation. 17So when God desired to show more convincingly to ithe heirs of the promise jthe unchangeable character of his purpose, khe guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which lit is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope mset before us. 19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into nthe inner place behind the curtain, 20where Jesus has gone oas a forerunner on our behalf, phaving become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord Judges the Nations
11 “For behold, iin those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2jI will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And kI will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3and lhave cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
4“What are you to me, mO Tyre and Sidon, and all nthe regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, oI will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5For pyou have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.2 6You have sold qthe people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and oI will return your payment on your own head. 8I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the rSabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”
9Proclaim this among the nations:
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up.
10tBeat your plowshares into swords,
and tyour pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”
11uHasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
vBring down your warriors, O Lord.
12Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to wthe Valley of Jehoshaphat;
xfor there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
13yPut in the sickle,
zfor the harvest is ripe.
aGo in, tread,
afor the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.
14Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For bthe day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15cThe sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
16dThe Lord roars from Zion,
and dutters his voice from Jerusalem,
eand the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is fa refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.
The Glorious Future of Judah
17g“So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
hwho dwells in Zion, imy holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and jstrangers shall never again pass through it.
18“And in that day
kthe mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and lall the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
mand a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the Valley of nShittim.
19o“Egypt shall become a desolation
and pEdom a desolate wilderness,
qfor the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20rBut Judah shall be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.
21sI will avenge their blood,
blood I have not avenged,4
hfor the Lord dwells in Zion.”
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David.
1Hear my prayer, O Lord;
cgive ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your dfaithfulness answer me, in your drighteousness!
2eEnter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous fbefore you.
3For the enemy has pursued my soul;
ghe has crushed my life to the ground;
hhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4Therefore my spirit ifaints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5jI remember the days of old;
kI meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6lI stretch out my hands to you;
mmy soul thirsts for you like na parched land. Selah
7oAnswer me quickly, O Lord!
pMy spirit fails!
qHide not your face from me,
rlest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8sLet me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I ttrust.
uMake me know the way I should go,
vfor to you I lift up my soul.
9wDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.1
10xTeach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
yLet your good Spirit zlead me
on alevel ground!
11bFor your name's sake, O Lord, cpreserve my life!
In your righteousness dbring my soul out of trouble!
12And in your steadfast love you will ecut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your fservant.
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