Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Planting Hedges in Marriage (Part 1 of 4)
Selected ScripturesPop culture sometimes paints an idealized picture of marriage that can foster unrealistic expectations. But marriage needn’t be perfect! Listen to Truth For Life as Alistair Begg explains why a dose of skepticism is essential to marital faithfulness.
From the Sermon
Planting Hedges in Marriage — Part One
Selected Scriptures Sermon • Includes Transcript • 43:18 • ID: 1888
Gifts From Above
Spiritual gifts are tools, not toys. They are not to be played with or used to attract people to ourselves but employed by God, through us, for His purposes and for His glory.
Whatever our gifts may be—be they abilities to do with speaking or with serving—they are given for the well-being of the church. God gives these gifts in order that, as we use them as He intends, the body of Christ as a whole might be strengthened. They’re not given as an opportunity to advance an individual’s cause or for displays of greatness but in order that the unity, harmony, and progress of all God’s people might be strengthened. That is why we have gifts that differ: so that we would learn to serve each other and depend on each other.
Yet God’s gifts are only able to promote harmony and well-being when they are exercised in a spirit of genuine humility. The body of each local church grows only to the extent that “each part is working properly” (Ephesians 4:16). Before encouraging his readers to use their gifts, Paul had already prefaced his discourse on spiritual gifts by mentioning humility, urging everyone “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment” (Romans 12:3). Without humility, spiritual gifts can lead to chaos. We would not give power tools to teenagers without proper instruction and oversight, nor would we give them chain saws to run around with—unless we wanted absolute havoc! Similarly, spiritual gifts must be used for their proper function and in the right manner so that mayhem does not ensue. So Paul tells the Corinthian church—a church full of gifts but not full of wisdom about how to use them—that while it is good to desire and celebrate spiritual gifts, the “more excellent way” to put them to use is to do so patiently, kindly, and humbly—that is, with love (1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:7).
We must remember that gifts are gifts. Their source is God; therefore, boasting as if they are our own is foolish, and using them for our own benefit is inexcusable. If, however, we practice humility as we use them and learn to live in harmony with one another, then we will see the fruit of God’s work in and through us. In what ways has God gifted you? Rejoice in that. In what ways is He calling you to use those gifts for the good of your church and for the glory of His Son? Go do that.
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?
Unity in the Body of Christ
1I therefore, ma prisoner for the Lord, urge you to nwalk in a manner worthy of othe calling to which you have been called, 2with all phumility and qgentleness, with rpatience, sbearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in tthe bond of peace. 4There is uone body and vone Spirit—just as you were called to the one whope that belongs to your call— 5xone Lord, yone faith, zone baptism, 6aone God and Father of all, bwho is over all and through all and in all. 7But cgrace was given dto each one of us eaccording to the measure of Christ's gift. 8Therefore it says,
f“When he ascended on high ghe led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”1
9(hIn saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into ithe lower regions, the earth?2 10He who descended is the one who also jascended kfar above all the heavens, that he might lfill all things.) 11And mhe gave the napostles, the prophets, the oevangelists, the pshepherds3 and teachers,4 12qto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for rbuilding up sthe body of Christ, 13until we all attain to tthe unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, uto mature manhood,5 to the measure of the stature of vthe fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, wtossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in xdeceitful schemes. 15Rather, yspeaking the truth in love, we are to zgrow up in every way into him who is athe head, into Christ, 16bfrom whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
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.
Immediately
And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
When they heard the call of Jesus, Simon and Andrew obeyed at once without hesitation. If we did likewise and punctually with resolute zeal put into practice what we hear immediately, then our attendance at the means of grace and our reading of good books could not fail to enrich us spiritually. He will not lose his loaf who has taken care to eat it immediately; neither can he be deprived of the benefit of the doctrine who has already acted upon it. Most readers and hearers become moved to decide to take action; but sadly, the proposal is a blossom that has not flowered, and as a result no fruit comes from it; they wait, they waver, and then they forget, until, like the ponds on frosty nights, when the sun shines by day, they are only thawed in time to be frozen again.
That fatal tomorrow is blood-red with the murder of good resolutions; it is the slaughterhouse of the innocents. We are very concerned that our little book of "Evening Readings" should not be fruitless, and therefore we pray that readers may not be readers only, but doers of the Word. The practice of truth is the fruit of profitable reading.
Should the reader be impressed with any duty while perusing these pages, let him be quick to fulfill it before the holy glow has departed from his soul, and let him leave his nets and all that he has rather than be found rebellious to the Master's call. Do not give place to the devil by delay! Act while opportunity and desire are working in happy partnership. Do not be caught in your own nets, but break the meshes of worldliness, and go where glory calls you. Happy is the writer who will meet with readers resolved to carry out his teachings: His harvest will be a hundredfold, and his Master will have great honor. We can only pray that this might be our reward from these brief meditations and hurried hints. Grant it, O Lord, to Your servant!
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 June 20
1“If there is a adispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, bacquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, 2then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3cForty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.
4d“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage
5e“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her fhusband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that ghis name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall hgo up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ 8Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, i‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and jpull his sandal off his foot and kspit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not lbuild up his brother's house.’ 10And the name of his house1 shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
Miscellaneous Laws
11“When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12then you shall cut off her hand. mYour eye shall have no pity.
13“You nshall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. 14You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. 15A full and fair2 weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, othat your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 16For pall who do such things, all who act dishonestly, qare an abomination to the Lord your God.
17r“Remember what Amalek did to you son the way as you came out of Egypt, 18how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and tcut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19Therefore uwhen the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall vblot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
I Love the Lord
1I ylove the Lord, because he has zheard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2Because he ainclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3bThe snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4Then cI called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”
5dGracious is the Lord, and erighteous;
our God is fmerciful.
6The Lord preserves gthe simple;
when hI was brought low, he saved me.
7Return, O my soul, to your irest;
for the Lord has jdealt bountifully with you.
8For kyou have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9I will walk before the Lord
lin the land of the living.
10mI believed, neven when1 I spoke:
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11oI said in my alarm,
p“All mankind are liars.”
12What shall I qrender to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13I will lift up rthe cup of salvation
and scall on the name of the Lord,
14I will tpay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15uPrecious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his vsaints.
16O Lord, I am your wservant;
I am your servant, xthe son of your maidservant.
You have yloosed my bonds.
17I will zoffer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and scall on the name of the Lord.
18I will tpay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19in athe courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
bPraise the Lord!
The Lord's Coming Salvation
1cAwake, awake,
put on your strength, O Zion;
dput on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, ethe holy city;
ffor there shall no more come into you
the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2gShake yourself from the dust and arise;
be seated, O Jerusalem;
hloose the bonds from your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3For thus says the Lord: i“You were sold for nothing, and jyou shall be redeemed without money.” 4For thus says the Lord God: k“My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.1 5Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and lcontinually all the day my name is despised. 6Therefore my people shall know my name. mTherefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”
7nHow beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, owho brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8The voice of pyour watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
qfor eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
9rBreak forth together into singing,
syou waste places of Jerusalem,
for tthe Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10uThe Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
vand all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
11wDepart, depart, go out from there;
touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
xyou who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12For you shall not ygo out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
zfor the Lord will go before you,
aand the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions
13Behold, bmy servant shall act wisely;2
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14As many were astonished at you—
chis appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15so dshall he sprinkle3 many nations.
eKings shall shut their mouths because of him,
ffor that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
The River of Life
1Then the angel1 showed me xthe river of ythe water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of zthe street of the city; aalso, on either side of the river, bthe tree of life2 with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were cfor the healing of the nations. 3dNo longer will there be anything accursed, but ethe throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and fhis servants will worship him. 4gThey will see his face, and hhis name will be on their foreheads. 5And inight will be no more. They will need no light of lamp jor sun, for kthe Lord God will be their light, and lthey will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6And he said to me, m“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of nthe spirits of the prophets, ohas sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7“And behold, pI am coming soon. qBlessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8I, rJohn, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, sI fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9sbut he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those mwho keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10And he said to me, t“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11uLet the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12“Behold, vI am coming soon, wbringing my recompense with me, xto repay each one for what he has done. 13yI am the Alpha and the Omega, zthe first and the last, athe beginning and the end.”
14Blessed are those who bwash their robes,3 so that they may have the right to cthe tree of life and that dthey may enter the city by the gates. 15eOutside are fthe dogs gand sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16h“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things ifor the churches. I am jthe root and kthe descendant of David, lthe bright morning star.”
17The Spirit and mthe Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And nlet the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the owater of life without price.
18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: pif anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in qthe tree of life and in rthe holy city, which are described in this book.
20He who testifies to these things says, “Surely sI am coming soon.” Amen. tCome, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.4 Amen.
Get the Program, Devotional, and Bible Reading Plan delivered daily right to your inbox.