Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Relationships seem to be increasingly trivialized. It’s easy to be confused about what marriage is—and isn’t. Listen to Truth For Life as Alistair Begg examines four common views of marriage and explains why they fall short of God’s covenantal standard.
From the Sermon
Overcoming Evil
While studying at Cambridge University in the 1940s, a young woman became the Secretary of the Communist Party. The winter of 1946-47 was phenomenally severe, causing water pipes to partially freeze and therefore resulting in a water shortage. The female students were limited to one bath each week, and as they waited in the long line, there was a lot of grumbling and jockeying for position—including on the part of the Communist Party Secretary.
One of the girls who had the most direct access to the bathroom was a Christian. The Communist student noticed over time that this girl never asserted her rights and responded gently to the selfishness of others. The Christian was practicing and living what the young Communist claimed to believe but did not do. That observation led to a conversation, a conversion—and, eventually, a new missionary in the Far East.
Whenever we try to defeat evil by our own evil words and deeds, we are consumed. Evil cannot be overcome by a similarly evil force. Evil is doubled rather than negated. If we lose control of our ourselves as we engage with an enemy, then we have been defeated not by that person but by the Evil One. We are the ones who have been overcome and have lost the opportunity to do what is right in God’s eyes.
Overcoming evil is a popular notion in our culture. We hear it in songs and motivational slogans. Often the idea is that if we can just “stand together,” we will succeed in defeating the ills that plague us. It’s a noble idea, but it lacks the necessary power. We can’t overcome evil on our own; it simply won’t work. We are “more than conquerors” only “through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). The power of God by His Spirit and His word gives us both the impetus and the strength we need to triumph.
This is the path that Jesus took. He did not take vengeance into His own hands but entrusted Himself to the hands of the Father. Christ went to the cross, where love triumphed over evil. As we choose to be gentle, do good, and walk the way of the cross, we will experience God’s power at work in us to overcome evil with the goodness of His love.
The hymn writer Charles Tindley reminded us of this truth when he wrote:
With God’s Word a sword of mine,
I’ll overcome some day …
If Jesus will my leader be,
I’ll overcome some day.[1]
By His grace, you will overcome all the challenges and injustices of this world someday. And as you meet wrong with right, slights with kindness, and negativity with blessing, by His grace you will overcome evil with good 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?
Suffering for Righteousness' Sake
8Finally, all of you, uhave unity of mind, sympathy, vbrotherly love, wa tender heart, and xa humble mind. 9yDo not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, zbless, for ato this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10For
b“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13Now cwho is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14dBut even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. eHave no fear of them, fnor be troubled,
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.
An Impossible Promise
Ah, Lord God! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
At the very time when the Chaldeans surrounded Jerusalem, and when the sword, famine, and pestilence had desolated the land, Jeremiah was commanded by God to purchase a field and have the deed of transfer legally sealed and witnessed. This was a strange purchase for a rational man to make. Caution could not justify it, for it was buying with hardly a probability that the purchaser would ever enjoy the possession. But it was enough for Jeremiah that his God had instructed him, for he knew with certainty that God will be justified of all His children. He reasoned thus: "Lord God, You can make this plot of ground useful to me; You can rid this land of these oppressors; You can make me sit under my vine and my fig-tree in the heritage that I have bought; for You made the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing too hard for You." There was a majesty in the early saints, who dared to do at God's command things that human reason would condemn.
Whether it be a Noah who is to build a ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a Joshua who is to besiege Jericho for seven days, using no weapons but the blasts of trumpets, they all act upon God's command, contrary to the dictates of human reason; and the Lord gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient faith. Would to God we had in contemporary Christianity a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. If we would venture more upon the naked promise of God, we would enter a world of wonders to which as yet we are strangers. May Jeremiah's place of confidence become ours—nothing is too hard for the God that created the heavens and the earth.
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 30
Rahab Hides the Spies
1And Joshua the son of Nun xsent1 two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of ya prostitute whose name was zRahab and lodged there. 2And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan aas far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
8Before the men2 lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, band that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land cmelt away before you. 10For we have heard how the Lord ddried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ewhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to fSihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.3 11And gas soon as we heard it, hour hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for ithe Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and jgive me a sure sign 13that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land kwe will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
15Then she llet them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16And she said4 to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18mBehold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, nand you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, ohis blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20But if you ptell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and qpassed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24And they said to Joshua, “Truly rthe Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land smelt away because of us.”
Psalm 123
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of mAscents.
1To you I qlift up my eyes,
O you who are renthroned in the heavens!
2Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
3sHave mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of tcontempt.
4Our soul has had more than enough
of uthe scorn of vthose who are at ease,
of the contempt of wthe proud.
Psalm 124
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of mAscents. Of David.
1xIf it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
ylet Israel now say—
2if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3then they would have zswallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4then athe flood would have bswept us away,
the torrent would have gone cover us;
5then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7We have escaped like a bird
from dthe snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8eOur help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
The Lord Surrounds His People
A Song of mAscents.
1Those who ftrust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which gcannot be moved, but abides forever.
2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so hthe Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
3For ithe scepter of wickedness shall not jrest
on kthe land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous lstretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4mDo good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are nupright in their hearts!
5But those who oturn aside to their pcrooked ways
the Lord will lead away with qevildoers!
rPeace be upon Israel!
Zion's Coming Salvation
1oFor Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
puntil her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2qThe nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
rand you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3You shall be sa crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4tYou shall no more be termed uForsaken,1
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,2
rbut you shall be called vMy Delight Is in Her,3
and your land Married;4
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5For as a young man marries a young woman,
so wshall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so xshall your God rejoice over you.
6On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set ywatchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it za praise in the earth.
8The Lord has sworn aby his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give byour grain
to be food for your enemies,
cand foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
9but dthose who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and dthose who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”5
10Go through, go through the gates;
eprepare the way for the people;
fbuild up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
glift up a signal over the peoples.
11Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
hSay to the daughter of Zion,
i“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12jAnd they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
kand you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
The Twelve Apostles
1uAnd he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2vThe names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, wwho is called Peter, and xAndrew his brother; xJames the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and yMatthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;1 4Simon the Zealot,2 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5uThese twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of zthe Samaritans, 6abut go rather to bthe lost sheep of cthe house of Israel. 7And proclaim as you go, saying, d‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’3 8eHeal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,4 cast out demons. fYou received without paying; give without pay. 9gAcquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics5 or sandals or a staff, for hthe laborer deserves his food. 11And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12As you enter the house, igreet it. 13And if the house is jworthy, let iyour peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let iyour peace return to you. 14And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, lshake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15Truly, I say to you, mit will be more bearable on the day of judgment for nthe land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Persecution Will Come
16o“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be pwise as serpents and qinnocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for rthey will deliver you over to courts and flog you sin their synagogues, 18rand you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, tto bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19rWhen uthey deliver you over, vdo not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for wwhat you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20xFor it is not you who speak, but ythe Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21zBrother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22aand you will be hated by all for my name's sake. bBut the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they cpersecute you in one town, dflee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel ebefore the Son of Man comes.
24f“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant6 above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. gIf they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign7 those of his household.
Have No Fear
26“So have no fear of them, ifor nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on jthe housetops. 28And kdo not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him lwho can destroy both soul and body in hell.8 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?9 And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But meven the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; nyou are of more value than many sparrows. 32oSo everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but pwhoever denies me before men, qI also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34r“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. sI have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35rFor I have come tto set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36uAnd a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37vWhoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And wwhoever does not take his cross and xfollow me is not worthy of me. 39yWhoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40z“Whoever receives you receives me, and awhoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41bThe one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 42And cwhoever gives one of dthese little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
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