Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerYou don’t have to have a lot of money to be guilty of loving it excessively! Learn about the dangers of loving money and the warning signs that reveal an unhealthy, unbiblical obsession with finances. That’s our focus on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Restructuring Our Finances
Nehemiah 10:30–39 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 40:37 • ID: 1754
Embraced by Christ
Jesus is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the one who is from everlasting to everlasting. Kingdoms rise and fall, and dynasties crumble, but the Lord Jesus is without beginning and without end, for even death could not hold Him. He precedes us and will continue after us.
The beleaguered people in Smyrna needed to hear this description of their Lord so that they could be reminded of and encouraged by it. Faced with the prospect of suffering, even to the point of death, they felt themselves to be anything other than triumphant. Therefore, to know that they had been included in Christ—to know that He was their Savior, their companion, and their friend—made all the difference to the challenges they faced.
Smyrna was the home of Polycarp, one of the most famous Christian martyrs of all time, who, as the city’s bishop, was bound and burned at the stake around AD 155. Polycarp may not have been in leadership at the time the church received this letter from John, but he might well have been a young listener as it was read. At the very least, these words would surely have become very familiar to him as he grew in faith. We see their impact on full display when he was urged to renounce his faith in Christ in order to save his life. Instead of recanting, Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”[1]
It is tempting to blend so perfectly with the surrounding culture that there is never a possibility of being on the receiving end of animosity and persecution because there is never anything different and challenging about us. But the Lord Jesus does not tell us to avoid suffering in His cause; He tells us not to fear it. If we are prepared to stand strong concerning the exclusivity of the claims of Christ, the purity that is represented in following Christ, and the sufficiency and authority of the word of Christ, then we will need to remember Christ’s words: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). Your calling is the same as that to the church in Smyrna: to be faithful to the end, no matter the cost. You have been embraced by Christ, and He is as real, alive, vibrant, and committed to His kingdom and to His people as He was in the days of Polycarp. How will you stand for Him today?
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?
To the Church in Smyrna
8“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of tthe first and the last, uwho died and came to life.
9“‘I know your tribulation and vyour poverty (vbut you are rich) and the slander1 of wthose who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, wthat you may be tested, and for xten days yyou will have tribulation. zBe faithful aunto death, and I will give you bthe crown of life. 11cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. cThe one who conquers will not be hurt by dthe second death.’
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.
By His Sovereign Choice
But the Lord’s portion is his people.
How are they His? By His own sovereign choice. He chose them and set His love upon them. He did this completely apart from any goodness in them at the time or any goodness that He foresaw in them.
He had mercy on whom He would have mercy and ordained a chosen company to eternal life; in this way, therefore, they are His by His unconstrained election.
They are not only His by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them completely, and so there can be no dispute about His title.
Not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed.
There is no mortgage on His estate; no lawsuits can be raised by opposing claimants. The price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s estate forever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to the human eye but known to Christ, for “the Lord knows those who are his.”1
He forgets none of those whom He has redeemed from among men; He counts the sheep for whom He laid down His life and remembers carefully the Church for which He gave Himself.
They are also His by conquest. What a battle He had in us before we would be won! How long He laid siege to our hearts! How often He sent us terms of surrender, but we barred our gates and built our walls against Him.
Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm, when He placed His cross against the wall and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are indeed the conquered captives of His omnipotent love. As those chosen, who have been purchased and subdued, we know that the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: We rejoice that we can never be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do His will and to declare His glory.
1) 2 Timothy 2:19
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 15
1 Chronicles 5
Descendants of Reuben
1The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (cfor he was the firstborn, but because dhe defiled his father's couch, ehis birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; 2fthough Judah became strong among his brothers and a gchief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph), 3the hsons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6Beerah his son, whom iTiglath-pileser1 king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chief of the Reubenites. 7And his kinsmen by their clans, jwhen the genealogy of their generations was recorded: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8and Bela the son of Azaz, son of kShema, son of Joel, who lived in lAroer, as far as mNebo and nBaal-meon. 9He also lived to the east as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their livestock had multiplied oin the land of Gilead. 10And in the days of Saul they waged war against the pHagrites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.
Descendants of Gad
11The sons of Gad lived over against them in the land of Bashan as far as qSalecah: 12Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13And their kinsmen according to their fathers' houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber, seven. 14These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. 15Ahi the son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their fathers' houses, 16and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasturelands of rSharon to their limits. 17All of these were recorded in genealogies in the days of sJotham king of Judah, and in the days of tJeroboam king of Israel.
18The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, uexpert in war, 44,760, able to go to war. 19They waged war against the vHagrites, wJetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20And when they prevailed2 over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, xfor they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea ybecause they trusted in him. 21They carried off their livestock: 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 men alive. 22For many fell, because the war was of God. And they lived zin their place until athe exile.
The Half-Tribe of Manasseh
23The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, bSenir, and Mount Hermon. 24These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher,3 Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses. 25But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and cwhored dafter the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of ePul king of Assyria, the spirit of fTiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them gto Halah, gHabor, Hara, and gthe river Gozan, to this day.
1 Chronicles 6
Descendants of Levi
11 hThe sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2iThe sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3jThe children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. kThe sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4lmEleazar fathered nPhinehas, Phinehas fathered Abishua, 5Abishua fathered Bukki, Bukki fathered Uzzi, 6Uzzi fathered Zerahiah, Zerahiah fathered oMeraioth, 7Meraioth fathered Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub, 8pAhitub fathered qZadok, Zadok fathered Ahimaaz, 9Ahimaaz fathered Azariah, Azariah fathered Johanan, 10and Johanan fathered Azariah (rit was he who served as priest sin the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem). 11lAzariah fathered tAmariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub, 12Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered uShallum, 13Shallum fathered vHilkiah, Hilkiah fathered Azariah, 14Azariah fathered wSeraiah, Seraiah fathered Jehozadak; 15and xJehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile yby the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
162 The zsons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: aLibni and Shimei. 18bThe sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 19cThe sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their fathers. 20dOf Gershom: Libni his son, eJahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. 22fThe sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth, 26Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28The sons of Samuel: Joel3 his firstborn, the second Abijah.4 29gThe sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.
31These are the men hwhom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord iafter the ark rested there. 32They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. 33These are the men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer the son of Joel, son of jSamuel, 34son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, 35son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, 36son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, 37son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, 38son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel; 39and his brother kAsaph, who stood on his right hand, namely, Asaph the son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, 40son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah, 41son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, 42son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, 43son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. 44On the left hand were their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, 45son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, 46son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, 47son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi. 48And their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
49But Aaron and his sons made offerings lon the altar of burnt offering and on mthe altar of incense for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and nto make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50oThese are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.
54These are their dwelling places according to their psettlements within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the qclans of Kohathites, for theirs was the first lot, 55to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands, 56rbut the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57sTo the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 58Hilen with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, 59Ashan with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands; 60and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon,5 Geba with its pasturelands, Alemeth with its pasturelands, and Anathoth with its pasturelands. All their cities throughout their clans were thirteen.
61tTo the rest of the Kohathites were given by lot out of the clan of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. 62To the Gershomites according to their clans were allotted thirteen cities out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh in Bashan. 63uTo the Merarites according to their clans were allotted twelve cities out of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 64vSo the people of Israel gave the Levites the cities with their pasturelands. 65They gave by lot out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin wthese cities that are mentioned by name.
66xAnd some of the clans of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67They were given the cities of refuge: Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, 68yJokmeam with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands, 69Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands, 70and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasturelands, and Bileam with its pasturelands, for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites.
71zTo the Gershomites were given out of the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands and aAshtaroth with its pasturelands; 72and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 73Ramoth with its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands; 74out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 75Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its pasturelands; 76and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim with its pasturelands. 77bTo the rest of the Merarites were allotted out of the tribe of Zebulun: cRimmono with its pasturelands, cTabor with its pasturelands, 78and dbeyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasturelands, Jahzah with its pasturelands, 79Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands; 80and out of the tribe of Gad: eRamoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, fMahanaim with its pasturelands, 81gHeshbon with its pasturelands, and hJazer with its pasturelands.
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
1For since the law has but va shadow wof the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, xit can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3But yin these sacrifices zthere is a reminder of sins every year. 4For ait is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Consequently, bwhen Christ1 came into the world, he said,
c“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in csacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, d“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will ewe have been sanctified through the offering of fthe body of Jesus Christ gonce for all.
11And every priest stands hdaily at his service, ioffering repeatedly the same sacrifices, jwhich can never take away sins. 12But when Christ2 had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ksat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time luntil his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering mhe has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16n“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17then he adds,
o“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
The Full Assurance of Faith
19pTherefore, brothers,3 since we have confidence to enter qthe holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20by rthe new and living way that he opened for us through sthe curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21and since we have ta great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts usprinkled clean vfrom an evil conscience and our bodies wwashed with pure water. 23xLet us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for yhe who promised is faithful. 24And zlet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25anot neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ball the more as you see cthe Day drawing near.
26For dif we go on sinning deliberately eafter receiving the knowledge of the truth, fthere no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27gbut a fearful expectation of judgment, and ha fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28iAnyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy jon the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one kwho has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned lthe blood of the covenant mby which he was sanctified, and has noutraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, o“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, p“The Lord will judge his people.” 31qIt is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32But recall the former days when, after ryou were enlightened, you endured sa hard struggle with sufferings, 33sometimes being tpublicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34For uyou had compassion on those in prison, and vyou joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had wa better possession and an abiding one. 35Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has xa great reward. 36For yyou have need of endurance, so that zwhen you have done the will of God you may areceive what is promised. 37For,
b“Yet a little while,
and cthe coming one will come and will not delay;
38dbut my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
1“Hear this word, hyou cows of Bashan,
who are ion the mountain of Samaria,
jwho oppress the poor, jwho crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
2kThe Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
lwhen they shall take you away with hooks,
leven the last of you with fishhooks.
3mAnd you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the Lord.
4n“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to oGilgal, and multiply transgression;
nbring your psacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
5offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of qthat which is leavened,
and proclaim rfreewill offerings, publish them;
sfor so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.
Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord
6“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and tlack of bread in all your places,
uyet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
7“I also vwithheld the rain from you
when there were yet three months to the harvest;
wI would send rain on one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
8so two or three cities xwould wander to another city
to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
uyet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
9y“I struck you with blight and mildew;
your many gardens and your vineyards,
your fig trees and your olive trees zthe locust devoured;
uyet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
10“I sent among you a pestilence aafter the manner of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword,
and bcarried away your horses,1
and cI made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
uyet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
11“I overthrew some of you,
das when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were eas a brand2 plucked out of the burning;
uyet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
12“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
13For behold, fhe who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and gdeclares to man what is his thought,
hwho makes the morning darkness,
and itreads on the heights of the earth—
jthe Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!
Psalm 148
Praise the Name of the Lord
1rPraise the Lord!
Praise the Lord sfrom the heavens;
praise him tin the heights!
2Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his uhosts!
3Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4Praise him, you vhighest heavens,
and you wwaters above the heavens!
5xLet them praise the name of the Lord!
For yhe commanded and they were created.
6And he zestablished them forever and ever;
he gave aa decree, and it shall not bpass away.1
7Praise the Lord cfrom the earth,
you dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,
8efire and hail, fsnow and mist,
gstormy wind hfulfilling his word!
9iMountains and all hills,
10lBeasts and all livestock,
creeping things and mflying birds!
11Kings of the earth and nall peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13oLet them praise the name of the Lord,
for phis name alone is exalted;
qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.
14He has rraised up a horn for his people,
spraise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are tnear to him.
uPraise the Lord!
Psalm 149
Sing to the Lord a New Song
1uPraise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord va new song,
his praise in wthe assembly of the godly!
2Let Israel xbe glad in yhis Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their zKing!
3Let them praise his name with adancing,
making melody to him with btambourine and clyre!
4For the Lord dtakes pleasure in his people;
he eadorns the humble with salvation.
5Let the godly exult in glory;
let them fsing for joy on their gbeds.
6Let hthe high praises of God be in their throats
and itwo-edged swords in their hands,
7to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8to bind their kings with jchains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9to execute on them the judgment kwritten!
lThis is honor for all his godly ones.
uPraise the Lord!
Psalm 150
Let Everything Praise the Lord
1uPraise the Lord!
Praise God in his msanctuary;
praise him in nhis mighty heavens!1
2Praise him for his omighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent pgreatness!
3Praise him with qtrumpet sound;
praise him with rlute and rharp!
4Praise him with stambourine and sdance;
praise him with tstrings and upipe!
5Praise him with sounding vcymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6Let weverything that has breath praise the Lord!
xPraise the Lord!
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