Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
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From the Sermon
Redirecting Our Families
Nehemiah 9:38–10:39 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 40:27 • ID: 1745
Committed to Truth
The 1980s British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was nothing if not determined. Whatever view we take of her politics, she was certainly a woman of conviction, famously declaring at a moment when many of her political allies were telling her to change course, “You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning.”
That kind of fortitude and conviction was also evident in the first-century church in Ephesus. When Jesus commended them, it was primarily on account of their principled dedication. They were committed to the task, persevering in it and dedicated to the truth.
The word used for “works” is the complete opposite of idleness and inactivity. Jesus recognized that these Ephesian believers weren’t intimidated by the challenges that came from living out the faith of the gospel. They were prepared to extend themselves again and again for the name of Christ.
Twice in the space of just a few words, Jesus also speaks of their endurance or enduring—their perseverance. The Ephesian church wasn’t afraid of hard work, but they were also sticking with that work and seeing it through, steadfast and immovable. As William Barclay writes, their toughness was “the courageous gallantry which accepts suffering and hardship and loss and turns them into grace and glory.”[1]
Further, these believers were also committed to the truth. They weren’t susceptible to every passing wind of doctrine but were prepared to test those who came with new claims, willing to reject them if they proved to be spurious. They stood steadfastly for the truth even against a heretical group that attempted to offer religious experiences that wouldn’t impinge upon self-indulgent lifestyles (Revelation 2:6).
What would Jesus say about us today? How committed are we as a 21st-century church? Are we strong, steadfast, and persevering? Do we have enough courage and conviction to stand for the truth and say, I hate these practices, for I know that Jesus does too? Or are we in danger of growing “weary of doing good” (Galatians 6:9)? When others suggest compromise in our commitment or obedience to Christ, are we willing to say, “You turn if you want to. I am not for turning”?
As Jesus looks upon you, as He does, may He have much to commend in you as a follower who models spiritual conviction, perseverance, and a determination to live in the real world with a dedicated love for Christ.
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?
Godlessness in the Last Days
1But understand this, that yin the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be zlovers of self, alovers of money, bproud, barrogant, abusive, bdisobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3cheartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, dnot loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, eswollen with conceit, flovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but gdenying its power. hAvoid such people. 6For among them are ithose who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to jarrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as kJannes and Jambres lopposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, mmen corrupted in mind and ndisqualified regarding the faith. 9But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, oas was that of those two men.
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.
Trusting for Fruit
The branch cannot bear fruit by itself.
How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourself on His great atonement and rested on His finished righteousness. What fruit you had then!
Do you remember those early days? Then the vine flourished, the tender grape appeared, the pomegranates budded, and the beds of spices produced their fragrance. Have you declined since then?
If you have, we charge you to remember that time of love, and repent, and do your first works. Commit yourself fully to the activities that you have proved to draw you closest to Christ, because it is from Him that all your fruits proceed.
Any holy activity that will bring you to Him will help you bear fruit. The sun is, no doubt, a great worker in fruit-creating among the trees of the orchard: And Jesus is even more so among the trees of His garden of grace.
When have you been the most fruitless? Has it not been when you have lived farthest from the Lord Jesus Christ, when you have slackened in prayer, when you have departed from the simplicity of your faith, when your graces have engrossed your attention instead of your Lord, when you have said, “My mountain stands firm, I will never be moved” and you have forgotten where your strength lies—has not it been then that your fruit has ceased?
Some of us have been taught that we have nothing apart from Christ by terrible humiliation of heart before the Lord; and when we have seen the utter emptiness and death of all earthly power, we have cried in anguish, “From Him all my fruit must be found, for no fruit can ever come from me.”
We are taught by past experience that the more simply we depend upon the grace of God in Christ and wait upon the Holy Spirit, the more we will bring forth fruit unto God. We must trust Jesus for fruit as well as for life.
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 13
1 Chronicles 1
From Adam to Abraham
11 aAdam, Seth, Enosh; 2bKenan, Mahalalel, Jared; 3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; 4Noah, cShem, Ham, and Japheth.
5dThe sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath,2 and Togarmah. 7The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8eThe sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 9The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 10Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.3
11fEgypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
13Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 14and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17gThe sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram:4 Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 19To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg5 (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan. 20Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22Obal,6 Abimael, Sheba, 23Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
24hShem, Arpachshad, Shelah; 25Eber, Peleg, Reu; 26Serug, Nahor, Terah; 27Abram, that is, Abraham.
From Abraham to Jacob
28The sons of Abraham: iIsaac and jIshmael. 29kThese are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael. 32lThe sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. 33The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah.
34Abraham fathered iIsaac. The sons of Isaac: mEsau and nIsrael. 35oThe sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and of Timna,7 Amalek. 37The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38pThe sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39The sons of Lotan: Hori and Hemam;8 and Lotan's sister was Timna. 40The sons of Shobal: Alvan,9 Manahath, Ebal, Shepho,10 and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. 41The son11 of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan,12 Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.13 The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
43qThese are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city being Dinhabah. 44Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of rBozrah reigned in his place. 45Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the sTemanites reigned in his place. 46Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. 47Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates14 reigned in his place. 49Shaul died, and Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. 50Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51And Hadad died.
The chiefs of Edom were: chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 52Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom.
1 Chronicles 2
A Genealogy of David
1These are the sons of tIsrael: uReuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, vIssachar, Zebulun, 2wDan, xJoseph, yBenjamin, zNaphtali, aGad, and Asher. 3bThe sons of Judah: cEr, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death. 4His daughter-in-law dTamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
5The esons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 6The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7The son1 of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who fbroke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; 8and Ethan's son was Azariah.
9The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, gRam, and hChelubai. 10gRam fathered Amminadab, and iAmminadab fathered jNahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. 11Nahshon fathered kSalmon,2 Salmon fathered lBoaz, 12Boaz fathered Obed, lObed fathered Jesse. 13mJesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, nShimea the third, 14Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15Ozem the sixth, oDavid the seventh. 16And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. pThe sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 17qAbigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was qJether the Ishmaelite.
18rCaleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19When Azubah died, rCaleb married sEphrath, who bore him tHur. 20Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered uBezalel.
21Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of vMachir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23wBut Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24After the death of Hezron, xCaleb went in to Ephrathah,3 the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him yAshhur, the father of Tekoa.
25The sons of zJerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 29The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. 31The son4 of Appaim: Ishi. aThe son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 32The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. 33The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. 35So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. 36Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered bZabad. 37bZabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered cObed. 38Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. 39Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. 40Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. 41Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered dElishama.
42The sons of eCaleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah5 his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son6 of Mareshah: fHebron.7 43The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. 44Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. 46Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the gdaughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50These were the descendants of Caleb.
The sons8 of Hur the firstborn of hEphrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51iSalma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. 52Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: jHaroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 53And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the kZorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the lKenites who came from Hammath, the father of mthe house of Rechab.
Jesus, High Priest of a Better Covenant
1Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, uone who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2a minister in the holy places, in vthe true tent1 that the Lord wset up, not man. 3For xevery high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus yit is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5They serve za copy and ashadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, b“See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6But as it is, Christ2 has obtained a ministry that is cas much more excellent than the old as dthe covenant ehe mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7fFor if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8For he finds fault with them when he says:3
g“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10hFor this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and iwrite them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall jall know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
kand I will remember their sins no more.”
13In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And lwhat is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
1Thus says the Lord:
k“For three transgressions of jMoab,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,1
because khe burned to lime
the bones of the king of Edom.
2So I will send a fire upon Moab,
and it shall devour the strongholds of lKerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3mI will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and will kill mall its princes2 with him,”
says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4Thus says the Lord:
n“For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because othey have rejected the law of the Lord,
and have not kept his statutes,
but ptheir lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked.
5So qI will send a fire upon Judah,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6Thus says the Lord:
n“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because rthey sell the righteous for ssilver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7those who trample the head of the poor tinto the dust of the earth
and uturn aside the way of the afflicted;
va man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
8they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments wtaken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined.
9“Yet xit was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
ywhose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
zI destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
10aAlso it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
band led you forty years in the wilderness,
xto possess the land of the Amorite.
11And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for cNazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12“But you made the Nazirites ddrink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, e‘You shall not prophesy.’
13“Behold, I will press you down in your place,
as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14fFlight shall perish from the swift,
fand the strong shall not retain his strength,
gnor shall the mighty save his life;
15he who handles the bow shall not stand,
and he who is hswift of foot shall not save himself,
inor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.
Great Is the Lord
1 A Song of Praise. Of David.
1jI will extol you, my God and kKing,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless you
land praise your name forever and ever.
3mGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his ngreatness is unsearchable.
4oOne generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5On pthe glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6They shall speak of qthe might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7They shall pour forth the fame of your rabundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8The Lord is sgracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The Lord is tgood to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10uAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your vsaints shall bless you!
11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12to wmake known to the children of man your2 xmighty deeds,
and ythe glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13zYour kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]3
14The Lord aupholds all who are falling
and braises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all clook to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16You dopen your hand;
you esatisfy the desire of every living thing.
17The Lord is frighteous in all his ways
and gkind in all his works.
18The Lord is hnear to all who call on him,
to all who call on him iin truth.
19He jfulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also khears their cry and saves them.
20The Lord lpreserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and mlet all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
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