Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
When we’re headed in a bad direction, God often provides a window of escape. Pride and jealousy, however, can blind us to these second chances. Listen to Truth For Life as Alistair Begg examines Saul’s failure to embrace God’s redemptive opportunities.
From the Sermon
“As a Man Thinketh” — Part One
1 Samuel 18:17–30 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 39:14 • ID: 3405
Seeing Jesus One More Time
Jesus could have simply risen from the dead and gone directly to heaven. After all, the work of redemption was complete. He had made full atonement in His death, and He had triumphed over death. Why not just return directly to the Father? Because Jesus did not intend to leave His followers with their final memories of Him bloodied and beaten, hanging on a cross. Rather, their last memories were to be of a resurrected Christ.
It is a mark of His grace and kindness that after His resurrection Jesus “presented himself alive” to His disciples. He answered their questions. He banished their fears. He “opened their minds” to better understand the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:45). He prepared them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And then, and only then, did He leave.
How glad doubting Thomas must have been that Jesus did not leave immediately! Had Jesus done so, Thomas would have been unable to meet his Savior and to have his questions answered and his fears dispelled (John 20:24-29). Surely Peter, too, in all of his discouragement and in his disgrace, was equally glad of the opportunity to spend time with the risen Jesus. He had denied Christ repeatedly at the crucial hour. But then Jesus came and met him on the shore, made him breakfast, and gave him the opportunity to be reinstated as he gave a threefold affirmation of his love for Christ (21:15-19). And don’t you think the mother of Jesus was also glad for these 40 days? She who had laid Him in the manger had witnessed the brutality that was meted out upon her son, her boy, on the cross. But Mary’s final vision of Jesus was of Him resurrected and ascending—a vision that prompted her and those with her to worship Him and return to Jerusalem “with great joy” (Luke 24:52).
This final vision of Jesus as the resurrected, all-powerful, ascended King is the answer for those of us who have been looking in other places to find an antidote to doubt, shame, fear, or grief. The cross is empty, as is the tomb. King Jesus is in His heavenly dwelling place, and He is coming back. Until then, lift up your head, know that your Savior lives and His kingdom is open, and encourage your soul as you praise your King:
Jesus, hail! enthroned in glory,
There forever to abide;
All the heavenly hosts adore Thee,
Seated at Thy Father’s side.
There for sinners Thou art pleading;
There Thou dost our place prepare;
Thou for saints art interceding
Till in glory they appear.[1]
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?
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36As they were talking about these things, cJesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37But they were dstartled and efrightened and fthought they saw a spirit. 38And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. gTouch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, hhe showed them his hands and his feet. 41And while they still disbelieved ifor joy and were marveling, jhe said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish,2 43and he took it and ate before them.
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.
Remember Me
Do this in remembrance of me.
It appears that Christians may forget Christ! There would be no need for this loving exhortation if there were not a fearful possibility that our memories might prove treacherous. Nor is this an empty notion: It is, sadly too well confirmed in our experience, not as a possibility, but as a lamentable fact. It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God could forget that gracious Savior; but if startling to the ear, sadly it is too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime. Forget Him who never forgot us! Forget Him who poured His blood out for our sins! Forget Him who loved us even to death! Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us that we treat Him as a stranger, like an overnight guest. Instead of Him being a permanent resident in our memories, we treat Him as a visitor. The cross where one would expect that memory would linger and disinterest would be an unknown intruder is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness.
Doesn’t your conscience say that this is true? Don’t you find yourselves forgetful of Jesus? Some other love steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you ought to be fixed steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things, that takes the soul away from Christ. While memory works to preserve a poisonous weed, it allows the rose of Sharon to wither. Let us charge ourselves to tie a heavenly forget-me-not around our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and whatever else we let slip, let us hold tight to Him.
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 April 26
The Sons of Aaron
1These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2These are the names of the sons of Aaron: dNadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, ethe anointed priests, fwhom he ordained to serve as priests. 4gBut Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
Duties of the Levites
5And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6h“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, ias they minister at the tabernacle. 8They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9And jyou shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are kwholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and lthey shall guard their priesthood. But if many outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”
11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“Behold, nI have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13for oall the firstborn are mine. pOn the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.”
14And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“List the sons of Levi, by fathers' houses and by clans; qevery male from a month old and upward you shall list.” 16So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. 17rAnd these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: sLibni and Shimei. 19And the sons of Kohath by their clans: tAmram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20And the sons of Merari by their clans: uMahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers' houses.
21To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. 22Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was1 7,500. 23vThe clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites. 25And the wguard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved xthe tabernacle, ythe tent with zits covering, athe screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26bthe hangings of the court, cthe screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and dits cords—all the service connected with these.
27To Kohath belonged the clan of the eAmramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. 28According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. 29The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30with fElizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers' house of the clans of the Kohathites. 31And their guard duty involved gthe ark, hthe table, ithe lampstand, jthe altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and kthe screen; all the service connected with these. 32And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.
33To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. 34Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. 35And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36lAnd the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the mframes of the tabernacle, nthe bars, othe pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; 37also pthe pillars around the court, with their bases and qpegs and rcords.
38Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, sguarding the sanctuary itself, to protect2 the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were t22,000.
Redemption of the Firstborn
40And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41uAnd you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. 43And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
44And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45v“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord. 46And was the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47you shall take xfive shekels3 per head; you shall take them according to ythe shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs4), 48and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, z1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51And Moses agave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
1 Of David.
1uFret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not venvious of wrongdoers!
2For they will soon wfade like xthe grass
and wither ylike the green herb.
3zTrust in the Lord, and do good;
adwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.2
4bDelight yourself in the Lord,
and he will cgive you the desires of your heart.
5dCommit your way to the Lord;
ztrust in him, and he will act.
6eHe will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as fthe noonday.
7gBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
hfret not yourself over the one who iprospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8jRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
hFret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9kFor the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall linherit the land.
10In mjust a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at nhis place, he will not be there.
11But othe meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in pabundant peace.
12The wicked qplots against the righteous
and rgnashes his teeth at him,
13but the Lord slaughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his tday is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and ubend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose vway is upright;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their wbows shall be broken.
16xBetter is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For ythe arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord zupholds the righteous.
18The Lord aknows the days of the blameless,
and their bheritage will remain forever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times;
in cthe days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like dthe glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like esmoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous fis generous and gives;
22for those blessed by the Lord3 shall ginherit the land,
but those cursed by him hshall be cut off.
23The isteps of a man are jestablished by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24kthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord lupholds his hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children mbegging for bread.
26He is ever nlending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27oTurn away from evil and do good;
so shall you pdwell forever.
28For the Lord qloves justice;
he will not forsake his rsaints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be scut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land
and pdwell upon it forever.
30The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31tThe law of his God is in his heart;
his usteps do not slip.
32The wicked vwatches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33The Lord will not wabandon him to his power
or let him xbe condemned when he is brought to trial.
34yWait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on zwhen the wicked are cut off.
35aI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like ba green laurel tree.4
36But he passed away,5 and behold, che was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of dpeace.
38But etransgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked fshall be cut off.
39gThe salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in hthe time of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and idelivers them;
jhe delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they ktake refuge in him.
1The Song of aSongs, which is Solomon's.
The Bride Confesses Her Love
She1
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your blove is better than wine;
3your canointing oils are fragrant;
your dname is oil poured out;
therefore virgins love you.
4eDraw me after you; flet us run.
gThe king has brought me into his chambers.
Others
We will hexult and rejoice in you;
we will extol byour love more than wine;
rightly do they love you.
She
5I am very dark, but ilovely,
O jdaughters of Jerusalem,
like the curtains of Solomon.
6Do not gaze at me because I am dark,
because the sun has looked upon me.
My mmother's sons were angry with me;
they made me nkeeper of othe vineyards,
but pmy own vineyard I have not kept!
7Tell me, you qwhom my soul loves,
where you rpasture your flock,
where you make it slie down at noon;
for why should I be like one who veils herself
beside the flocks of your tcompanions?
Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other
He
8If you do not know,
O umost beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
and pasture your young goats
beside the shepherds' tents.
9I compare you, vmy love,
to wa mare among Pharaoh's chariots.
10xYour cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
your neck with strings of jewels.
Others
11We will make for you2 ornaments of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12While ythe king was on his couch,
my znard gave forth its fragrance.
13My beloved is to me a sachet of amyrrh
that lies between my breasts.
14My beloved is to me a cluster of bhenna blossoms
in the vineyards of cEngedi.
He
15dBehold, eyou are beautiful, fmy love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your geyes are doves.
She
16Behold, you are beautiful, hmy beloved, truly idelightful.
Our couch is green;
17the beams of our house are jcedar;
our rafters are jpine.
The Supremacy of God's Son
1Long ago, at many times and ain many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but bin these last days che has spoken to us by dhis Son, whom he appointed ethe heir of all things, fthrough whom also he created gthe world. 3He is the radiance of the glory of God and hthe exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. iAfter making purification for sins, jhe sat down kat the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name lhe has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
m“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
n“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
6And again, when he brings othe firstborn into the world, he says,
p“Let all God's angels worship him.”
7Of the angels he says,
q“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8But of the Son he says,
r“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, shas anointed you
with tthe oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10And,
u“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
12like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.1
But you are vthe same,
and your years will have no end.”
13And to which of the angels has he ever said,
w“Sit at my right hand
xuntil I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14Are they not all ministering spirits ysent out to serve for the sake of those who are to zinherit salvation?
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