Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Scripture teaches that the cross’s message is foolishness to the perishing. Why does God give us a message to proclaim that the culture disregards? And why doesn’t He use mighty angels to proclaim it? Find out on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
The Centrality of the Cross
1 Corinthians 1:22–24 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 53:48 • ID: 2175
Received by Jesus
In the 21st century, when we think about children, we tend to focus on their subjective qualities; they are cute and cuddly, and at times we mistakenly think they are perfect and the center of the universe. Such contemporary views of children actually hinder our ability to grasp what Jesus meant when he said, “Let the children come to me.”
It is the objective characteristics of children that are truly at the heart of Jesus’ illustration. Children do not vote. They do not have driver’s licenses. Adults don’t often ask them to make decisions regarding significant events in their own lives or in the lives of their families. In their infancy, they are entirely dependent on someone else. Put bluntly, little children are small and helpless, without much apparent outward claim or merit.
Isn’t it a wonder, then, that children are so warmly received by Jesus? But while it’s certainly wondrous, it shouldn’t surprise us when we consider how often God uses the meek and lowly in mighty ways. We cannot hope to enter heaven because of our own merit or self-worth. Instead, the kingdom of God belongs to people who are needy, lonely, and helpless, who have no claim or merit on their own—people just like children.
As we come to terms with what it means to be like a child, we start to see that our entrance into the kingdom can only come after we’ve accepted our own helpless, dependent state. We come to Christ not with hands full of our own abilities or achievements but with empty hands, ready to receive. And remarkably, the gospel tells us that we must look to God Himself, who took on flesh as a helpless babe. It’s only fitting, then, that entry into His kingdom would be enjoyed by those who follow His humble example.
Jesus’ embrace of the children in these verses both flattens our pride and picks us up in our weakness. Perhaps you regard your work as commendable or your position as noteworthy, and you find yourself desiring to be a benefactor and not a beneficiary. Or maybe you know that others think very little of you (or you think little of yourself), and you are surprised that God would want to give you anything, let alone be looking forward to spending eternity with you. No matter what your character or your circumstances are, come to Jesus each day in childlike trust, aware of your weakness and helplessness. This, and only this, is the way into His kingdom and the way to enjoy the blessing of closeness to Him.
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?
The Lord's Prayer
1Now Jesus1 was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, gas John taught his disciples.” 2And he said to them, h“When you pray, say:
i“Father, jhallowed be kyour name.
lYour kingdom come.
3mGive us neach day our daily bread,2
4and oforgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And plead us not into temptation.”
5And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything qbecause he is his friend, yet because of his impudence3 he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9And I tell you, rask, and sit will be given to you; tseek, and you will find; uknock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11What father among you, if his son asks for4 a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, wwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father xgive the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
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.
Changeless in a Changing World
We have all become like one who is unclean.
The believer is a new creature; he belongs to a holy generation and a peculiar people. The Spirit of God is in him, and in every respect he is far removed from the natural man. But for all that the Christian is still a sinner. He is so because of the imperfection of his nature, and he will continue as such to the end of his earthly life. The dirty fingers of sin leave marks on our cleanest clothes. Sin spoils our repentance, before the great Potter has finished it upon the wheel. Selfishness defiles our tears, and unbelief tampers with our faith.
The best thing we ever did apart from the merit of Jesus only added to the number of our sins; for when we have been most pure in our own sight, still, like the heavens, we were not pure in God's sight; and as He charged His angels with folly, so He must charge us with it, even in our most angelic frames of mind. The song that seeks to emulate the angels' melodies has human discords in it. The prayer that moves the arm of God is still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm because the sinless One, the great Mediator, Jesus, has stepped in to take away the sin of our supplication. The most golden faith or the purest degree of sanctification to which a Christian ever attained on earth has still so much dross in it as to be only worthy of the flames.
Every night we look in the mirror we see a sinner and need to confess, "We have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." How precious then is the blood of Christ to hearts like ours! How priceless a gift is His perfect righteousness! And how bright is the hope of perfect holiness in heaven! Even now, though sin dwells in us, its power is broken. It remains, but it no longer reigns; we are in bitter conflict with it, but we are dealing with a vanquished foe. In a little while we will enter victoriously into the city where nothing defiles.
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 October 27
The Shunammite's Land Restored
1Now Elisha had said to the woman qwhose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord rhas called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for sseven years.” 2So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4Now the king was talking with tGehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5And while he was telling the king how qElisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”
Hazael Murders Ben-hadad
7Now Elisha came to uDamascus. vBen-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” 8the king said to wHazael, x“Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, yand inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels' loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, z“Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” 10And Elisha said to him, a“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but1 the Lord has shown me that bhe shall certainly die.” 11And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, cuntil he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know dthe evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword eand dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13And Hazael said, “What is your servant, fwho is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, g“The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.” 14Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me hthat you would certainly recover.” 15But the next day he took the bed cloth2 and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
16In the fifth year of iJoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,3 Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17He was jthirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for kthe daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, lsince he promised to give ma lamp to him and to his sons forever.
20In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up na king of their own. 21Then Joram4 passed over to Zair with all his chariots and rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders struck the Edomites who had surrounded him, but his army ofled home. 22pSo Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then qLibnah revolted at the same time. 23Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 24So Joram slept with his fathers and was buried rwith his fathers in the city of David, and sAhaziah his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
25tIn the utwelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign. 26Ahaziah was vtwenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was wa granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
28He went with Joram the son of Ahab to make war against xHazael king of Syria at yRamoth-gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29zAnd King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him at aRamah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And bAhaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
Instructions for the Church
1bDo not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, cyounger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
3Honor widows dwho are truly widows. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn eto show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for fthis is pleasing in the sight of God. 5She gwho is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and hcontinues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6but ishe who is self-indulgent is jdead even while she lives. 7kCommand these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for lmembers of his household, he has mdenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been nthe wife of one husband,1 10and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has nshown hospitality, ohas washed the feet of the saints, has pcared for the afflicted, and has qdevoted herself to every good work. 11But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when rtheir passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also sgossips and tbusybodies, saying what they should not. 14So I would have uyounger widows marry, bear children, vmanage their households, and wgive the adversary no occasion for slander. 15xFor some have already strayed after Satan. 16If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those ywho are truly widows.
17Let the elders zwho rule well be considered worthy of adouble honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, b“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, c“The laborer deserves his wages.” 19Do not admit a charge against an elder except don the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20As for those who persist in sin, erebuke them in the presence of all, fso that the rest may stand in fear. 21In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels gI charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, hdoing nothing from partiality. 22iDo not be hasty in the jlaying on of hands, nor ktake part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23(No longer drink only water, but luse a little wine mfor the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25So also good works are conspicuous, and neven those that are not cannot remain hidden.
The Time of the End
1“At that time shall arise aMichael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And bthere shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, ceveryone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2And many of those who dsleep in ethe dust of the earth shall eawake, fsome to everlasting life, and fsome to shame and everlasting contempt. 3gAnd those who are wise hshall shine like the brightness of the sky above;1 and ithose who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4But you, Daniel, jshut up the words and kseal the book, until lthe time of the end. mMany shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on nthis bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6And someone said to othe man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,2 p“How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7And I heard othe man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; qhe raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and rswore by him who lives forever that it would be for a stime, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of tthe power of tthe holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8I heard, ubut I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9He said, v“Go your way, Daniel, wfor the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10xMany shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but ythe wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, gbut those who are wise shall understand. 11And from the time that zthe regular burnt offering is taken away and athe abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12bBlessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13cBut go your way till the end. dAnd you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at ethe end of the days.”
Zayin
49Remember eyour word to your servant,
in which you have made me fhope.
50This is gmy comfort in my affliction,
that your promise hgives me life.
51iThe insolent utterly deride me,
but I do not jturn away from your law.
52When I think of your rules from of old,
I take comfort, O Lord.
53kHot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
who forsake your law.
54Your statutes have been my songs
in the house of my lsojourning.
55I mremember your name in the night, O Lord,
and keep your law.
56This blessing has fallen to me,
that nI have kept your precepts.
Heth
57oThe Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
58I pentreat your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me qaccording to your promise.
59When I rthink on my ways,
I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
61Though sthe cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not tforget your law.
62At umidnight I rise to praise you,
because of your vrighteous rules.
63wI am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
64xThe earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
yteach me your statutes!
Teth
65You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, zaccording to your word.
66Teach me agood judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67bBefore I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68cYou are good and do good;
dteach me your statutes.
69eThe insolent fsmear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I gkeep your precepts;
70their heart is unfeeling hlike fat,
but I idelight in your law.
71It is jgood for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
72kThe law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
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