You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

Psalm 3:3-5

There is a direct correlation between thinking properly and doing wisely. It is as true in living the Christian life as it is anywhere else.

Take David in Psalm 3, for example. First, he calls to mind truths about God: “You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Then, out of that truth, he “crie[s] aloud to the LORD.” There’s a lesson in the order of those verses: we have to know and believe the truth about God before we can call out to Him and confidently expect His help.

Sometimes, as we hear God’s word being read and taught, we might think to ourselves, “I don’t need to know more stuff about God! Just tell me how to work in my office. Just tell me how to be a good wife. Just tell me how to get through my schooling.” But the reality is that you must know truth about God first. Then, and only then, what you know about God will empower you to press on, no matter your circumstances. It is truth that transforms us.

Truth also offers us rest. We know from the inscription of Psalm 3 (“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son”) and from verse 1 (“O LORD, how many are my foes!”) that David was writing at a time when he faced great trouble. His son had rebelled against him and was threatening to take the kingdom from him. Yet, in this moment when all seemed lost and the temptation to despair must have been strong, David was able to say, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.” Sleep in itself is a gift—God “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2, emphasis added). But to sleep when you are faced with an insurrection led by a member of your own family—that is a phenomenal testament to God’s comforting grace.

David probably felt like doing a million things in an attempt to remedy his trouble. Nevertheless, he found rest because he knew God would watch over him. He knew the truth that ultimately, regardless of how dire his circumstances seemed, “salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8). Likewise, whatever your circumstances, the very same truth that transformed David and gave him rest is yours today. Will you believe it? For it is in knowing that the Lord saves and sustains you that you will find peace in the midst of life’s storms, and that you will find yourself able to rest even on the hardest of days. We can sleep because He does not.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Psalm 3

Topics: Christian Thinking Peace Truth

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

The way we respond to life’s circumstances reveals a lot about us. Some look at life and think, “I’m stuck in a dead-end job. I eat the same lunch almost every day. My relationships usually bring me down more than they build me up. And I’m supposed to believe this is good—that this is the gift of God? I don’t see it.”

Yet if we are in Christ, then we are assured that God’s perfect plan is unfolding exactly as He intends. And we are taught that we exist for a purpose far greater than “just” driving a bus, being a teacher, or being a parent. An occupation is never meant just to pay the bills. A hobby is never meant just to entertain or pass the time. The content we consume with our eyes and ears is never meant just to distract our minds from life’s stresses. Everything we do is an opportunity to honor God, to become more like His Son, and to point others to Him. It is when we lose sight of this that even the most satisfying moments of life will eventually leave us feeling empty, and the worst times in life will cause us to question His presence or goodness.

When we look at life with a Romans 8:28-shaped perspective, everything changes. Sure, many of our circumstances stay the same. We face many of the challenges that we’ve always had—but we face them with a new heart and with the great hope of eternal life. God may see fit to leave you in the same situation you’ve been in for years, but He will never leave you alone in it. He has promised a Helper (John 14:16-17), and He has no abandoned projects. He has no forsaken children. You live within the framework of His unfailing providential care.

When God’s word reminds you that “for those who love God all things work together for good,” it points you away from your own view of things, away from the world’s view of things, and toward God’s unseen hand stitching together all the events of your life—including those you would never have chosen—to work for good. And what is that good? “To be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). In everything, God is shaping you to be more like Jesus, ready for the day when you have the joy of seeing Jesus.

Remember, then, that all of your circumstances, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, are instruments of divine mercy that God is using to accomplish His eternal purpose. What a comfort to trust Him every day! What a motivation to serve Him today!

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

John 14:15-27

Topics: Christian Thinking Contentment Providence of God

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The expression of God’s faithfulness found in this verse is familiar to many of us. It’s the kind of text that is routinely put on mirrors or on nice pictures with the sea and sky in the background. We may well, then, be used to seeing this verse in a very comfortable setting. In reality, though, it actually comes from quite a dark place. If it were set to music, it would be set in a minor key.

The book of Lamentations is situated in an uncomfortable setting, for it is the reflections of the prophet Jeremiah upon the circumstances of God’s people when Jerusalem was taken by Babylon and they were carried off into exile. Lamentations is exactly what its title suggests: a series of poems that express the people’s sorrow for what has taken place.

Lamentations begins in absolute desolation: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1). In the face of such catastrophe, it’s common to think that evil has defeated good or that God has given up on sinners. But in the case of Jerusalem’s fall, nothing could have been further from the truth. God was still in charge. It was He who allowed the powers of Babylon to rise in order that His people would become aware of their sinfulness and neediness and cry out to God in repentance.

The Lord afflicted His people “on the day of his fierce anger” (Lamentations 1:12). Yet in the midst of their deep sorrow, He also brought a deeply comforting word. His people may have been brought low, but they had not been forsaken. They had experienced the ending of many things: the end of peace, the end of security, and the end of home. But two things they would never experience the end of: God’s steadfast love and God’s undeserved mercies. Those were new, and sufficient, every morning. The people would learn far more about their God in the place of exile than they ever had in the comfort of home.

Indeed, it is often in our darkest moments that the faithful character of God shines most brightly to us. When things are going well, we’re tempted to think we’re sufficient on our own. But in moments of despair, we can cling to God’s faithfulness, and in times of failure, we can appreciate His mercy.

You may someday find yourself in a similar situation to that of the citizens of the ransacked Jerusalem—a situation in which all the wheels have come off and you feel bereft of joy. Perhaps you find yourself in that place today. In moments like these, when life is set in a minor key, you need this deeply comforting reminder: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercy will never run dry. His faithfulness toward you will never fail. In those moments when we have lost much, we can rely on this: we will never lose His love, and we will never lose His mercy.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Lamentations 3:49-58

Topics: Effects of Sin Faithfulness of God Mercy

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

The book of Ecclesiastes shows us what life is like “under the sun”—and what it shows us is very discouraging. Each one of us pursues satisfaction in this world, but no matter how hard we try or how close we think we may come to it, it eludes us. We have an innate appetite for that which is new and better because we think it will bring us the satisfaction that we are seeking, but ultimately our efforts always come up empty. You’re as likely to catch fulfillment as you are to chase down the wind.

Consider the places to which you have turned for satisfaction. Have you tried to find meaning in your life by filling it with relationships? Then you’ve probably discovered that there isn’t a person on the face of the earth who can fulfill your deepest longings. Have you been trying to satisfy yourself in intellectual pursuits? Then perhaps you’ve learned that there’s not a theorem you can ponder that will ultimately sate your curiosity. Have you been seeking satisfaction in experiences and travel? There is not a journey you can take that will answer your yearnings for sights of beauty and majesty. Or maybe it is something else for you. But whatever we turn to for satisfaction cannot bear the weight of our hopes. Sooner or later, we always end up feeling empty once more.

Is this pessimism? No! This is life “under the sun.” It’s like a Rubik’s Cube with two blocks missing: no matter how many times you spin it, you won’t be able to get all the colors where they need to be because it’s inherently flawed.

If you have been able to put the Rubik’s Cube of your life together so that you can make sense of why no earthly thing you pursue brings you satisfaction, it’s only by the grace of God. There’s only one worldview that is able to make sense of life—only one that answers the questions that are in your mind when you lie awake in the middle of the night.

Your search for satisfaction—your deepest longings and questions—can only be addressed by God Himself. The 5th-century theologian Augustine once declared of God, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”^[1] This deep soul-rest is available to you at any time; it can always be found in the all-satisfying God. Whatever you do or don’t have, whatever you’re wishing for or working for “under the sun,” be sure to find your deepest sense of satisfaction in knowing and serving the Lord. With Him all strivings cease, for in Him all longings are met.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Matthew 11:25-30

Topics: Christian Living Contentment Worldview

FOOTNOTES

¹ Augustine, Confessions 1.1.1.

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

John Newton, the man who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace,” never lost sight of how amazing grace truly is. A former slave trader, Newton never forgot the way sin had reigned in his life before he came to Christ, and he was aware of the sin that remained in his life after his conversion. This is why, toward the end of his life, he said, “I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.”^[1]

We, too, do well to remember our sinful state apart from Christ; for if we do not know ourselves to be sinful, then the story and wonder of the grace of our Lord Jesus will be significantly minimized.

One of the challenges of the Christian life is that while we never outgrow our need for God’s grace, our folly can convince us otherwise. It was with this concern that Paul closed his second letter to Corinthians with this blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ … be with you all.” What is the grace to which Paul is referring? Perhaps the finest distillation of its glorious truth comes earlier in the same letter when Paul tells his readers, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

The Scriptures never humble us by confronting us with the reality of our sin without lifting us by comforting us with the reality of God’s grace. We do well to remember the truth of our salvation in Christ. He left the realms of glory to come in flesh and walk among us. He came to live as a man and to do so without sin. He lived in absolute perfection and in total obedience to God’s holy law. And yet, rather than receive the honor He deserved, “bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood.”^[2]

The one who gave Himself on the cross will not seem worthy of our worship if we do not recognize that it was our sin that made it necessary and that it was His love that made it happen. Christ Himself had no debt to pay, no punishment to bear. What He endured was what we deserve—and He did it for us. Only when the reality of our sinfulness becomes apparent to us will the wonder of His salvation become marvelous to us.

Take some moments to consider anew the sins you’ve committed, which Christ has paid for—not to wallow in them or to feel some sense of self-loathing but to remind yourself that you were not and will never be a worthy recipient of the grace of God in Christ—and yet He gives it anyway. You are a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior. Oh, what amazing grace!

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Isaiah 1:12-18

Topics: Grace of God Salvation Sin

FOOTNOTES

¹ John Pollock, Amazing Grace: John Newton’s Story (Harper and Row, 1981), p 182.

² Philip P. Bliss, “‘Man of Sorrows,’ What a Name” (1875).

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Do you ever think that the Bible’s commands seem impossibly all-encompassing?

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 5 is chock-full of such directives: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). “Pray without ceasing” (v 17). Sometimes verses like these seem to raise more questions than provide answers. A bit of detail or a few caveats couldn’t hurt, could they? And what about the command in verse 15? “Seek to do good.” For whom? “Everyone.” When? “Always.” That’s a lot of good to a lot of people a lot of the time!

But perhaps instead of thinking of a command like this as impossibly general, a better way to think of it is that it is abundantly generous.

We have a God who gives and gives and keeps on giving. No matter how many times we fail Him, He still meets us with kindness. Along with Paul, we should ask ourselves, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). The answer, of course, is absolutely nothing. It is simply in God’s nature and disposition to overflow with kindness, mercy, and grace—and as His children, we should be learning to imitate Him as best we can.

We all have bad days, of course. Inevitably, we will displease, or even hurt, someone at some point. But what if we went through today or tomorrow with the aim of always seeking to do good to everyone? What do you think would change? How would others respond? Perhaps instead of seeing others as obstacles or roadblocks, we’d see them more as men and women with dignity, who are worthy of love and respect. Or perhaps instead of us treating some people like enemies, we would begin to understand their positions and even genuinely begin to appreciate them.

Whatever the specific situations you encounter, God has placed you in this world for good. It is your privilege and your pleasure to share His kindness and His goodness with anyone and everyone you can.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

Topics: Character of God Forgiveness Grace

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab struck down Rabbah and overthrew it.

1 Chronicles 20:1

If you were asked to write a biography of David, how many pages would you devote to his affair with Bathsheba? Would you give a chapter or more to the adultery, the scheming, and the murder, and how God was displeased and sent his prophet to expose the sin and call the king to repentance?

Naturally, we would answer yes (and so would the writer of 2 Samuel!). So we may therefore find it quite astonishing that the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles passes over this incident entirely in his record of David’s life. He includes not a single word about David’s sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. A friend once told me, “I’d like to think that the Chronicler took so seriously the fact that the Lord had taken away David’s sin that he could tell the story of David’s life without even mentioning it.” Then he added, “I’d like the Chronicler to be my biographer as well!”

Think about it for a moment. The Chronicler wrote his account knowing that David had repented and that God had forgiven David’s sins. Why, then, would there be a need to continue mentioning it? Here we have a wonderful reminder that the Lord has completely covered the sins of His people.

As you read about the rest of David’s life, you find that his adultery with Bathsheba brought with it a bitter legacy. It cast a dark cloud over the entire remainder of his reign. David was indeed forgiven and restored, for the divine surgery was complete—but scars remained. God’s grace can cover even our greatest sins, but this does not remove their consequences in this life. Yet although David sinned greatly and reaped the bitter fruit in this life, the Chronicler’s biography of David reminds us of God’s amazing grace. God had so removed his sin that the Chronicler could write about David without making any mention of it.

Only the Evil One encourages you to delve into the garbage cans of past sins that you have repented of and that have therefore long been forgiven. Only the Accuser tells you that your sins need to weigh on you or be made up for. Take a moment to thank God for His great mercy and kindness toward you. In Christ, all of your misdeeds have been pardoned. If God remembers yours sins no more, then surely there is no need for you to dwell upon past failures. They have been covered over by His grace. They do not define you and need not dominate you, either today or for eternity.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Hebrews 9:11-14

Topics: Forgiveness Grace Guilt

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him … “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. … Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.

1 Samuel 17:42-43, 1 Samuel 17:45-46

Talking trash to your opponent is a practice dating back to long before professional sports. When Goliath, for instance, was insulted by a mere boy being sent to fight him, he began the talk smack—and he “cursed David by his gods.”

Goliath’s cursing is significant. Through it, the giant unwittingly acknowledged that what was about to take place was far more significant than a conflict between two people or two armies or two nations. By invoking his gods, he demonstrated that the battle was ultimately between the so-called gods of the Philistines and the living God, the God of Israel.

A moment’s reflection would have reminded all the Israelites that the gods of the Philistines were not an impressive group. Like all false gods, they had to be carried around and couldn’t act on their own. Previously, the Philistines had had to set up their god Dagon after he had toppled over—and eventually, his head had even fallen clean off (1 Samuel 5:3-4)!

It makes sense, then, that Goliath’s insults or mention of his gods didn’t scare David. The shepherd boy recognized that the giant was terrifyingly large and came at him with many great weapons. But he also knew the giant was right about one thing: it was a much bigger event than a one-to-one combat—and David knew that the living God whom he served could save him and Israel.

David understood that Goliath’s defeat was not about making a name for himself; it would be so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46). The victory was to be a testimony to the assembled crowd on both sides of the valley that God was alive and powerful to save.

The battle today is likewise ultimately between the living God and the non-gods of our age (Ephesians 6:12). Press your friends kindly, and ask how their gods—gods of ambition, politics, education, and so on—are working for them. Do they have peace? Do they have lasting confidence? Do they have contentment? Do they have joy?

Thankfully, we have something that gives all these things and more. We have the God who doesn’t topple and who needs nothing from us. We know the living God who has been faithful for a thousand generations and who tells us, “I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4). Let the world around you see and hear who it is you serve today.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

1 Samuel 5:1-7

Topics: Biblical Figures Glory of God Secularism

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.

1 Samuel 17:38-39

It’s the type of helpful reminder that many mothers give younger children on a snowy day or older children before an interview: “Make sure you’re properly dressed.” For King Saul, being properly dressed was the difference between victory and demise. Thus, when David volunteered to face Goliath on Israel’s behalf, the first order of business was for him to suit up. The king rested all his hope in his armor—and so here is a memorable scene, both comic and tragic, of a failed king and a boy who was so weighed down that he could not move.

King Saul was convinced that if he could dig out his old armor and put it on this boy, it might just be adequate enough to see David through, despite the odds that were so clearly against him. Yet Saul was a big guy (1 Samuel 10:23), and David was only a youth (17:33). It was never going to work. Besides, if the armor was not sufficient for Saul to go out against Goliath and win, why did he think a shepherd boy in ill-fitting armor would stand a chance? Saul was a failed king, and the wearing or not wearing of armor had nothing to do with it.

David recognized that far from helping him, this heavy, ill-fitting armor would only hamper his efforts—so he cast it aside. He knew that he didn’t need to be made into someone else, because God would help him. He knew that he didn’t need to rely on anything else, because God was with him.

It’s a sad picture, really. King Saul wasn’t even a shadow of the person he had been. There he stood, absent God’s Spirit, losing sight of God’s glory, his courage gone—and with it his joy, his peace, and the security of his mind. We can imagine his gaze as it follows David heading off toward the brook in the valley and pausing to pick up five stones—the tragic gaze of a depleted king, his shadow growing long in the light of his setting reign.

Let this picture of Saul invite you to consider: Are you relying on “armor” as security in your life? In what ways have you rested your hope on human methods that do not fit and have not worked in a way that will last? Like David, look to the God who helps you and is with you. Then you will be able to cast such “armor” aside and trust in God to lead you. Then you can face the day, every day, with joy, peace, and courage.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Psalm 28

Topics: Biblical Figures Security of the Believer Trusting God

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg,

http://www.truthforlife.org

And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine … Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

1 Samuel 17:32, 1 Samuel 17:36-37

When David arrived at the scene of the great standoff between Goliath and God’s people, he boldly told King Saul that there was no need for fear—which was quite remarkable when the entire Israelite army had been completely paralyzed by the giant! When they saw Goliath, they ran away. He kept challenging them, but they had no answer. Then up came David, a mere shepherd boy, who simply said, No one needs to be afraid. I will fight him.

When Saul understandably questioned David’s ability to face Goliath, David neither gave up nor suggested that he was tougher than he looked. Instead, he testified to the Lord’s enabling. In caring for his father’s sheep, David had dealt with bears and lions, and he knew that such successes had come from God. Now he was confident that that same God would give him success again, this time against this Philistine who had defiantly mocked God’s people.

Perhaps David had in mind the amazing scene from Exodus 14, when the Israelites’ backs were against the Red Sea and all the balance of power was on the side of the onrushing Egyptian army. Back then, when the people had cried out in fear, Moses had replied, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). And that is exactly what God did. Yahweh, the living God who had delivered His people, was the same Lord who would deliver David.

Later, when David penned his poems and provided songs for worshipers, he recollected, “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us” (Psalm 124:2-3). He then concluded with this great hope-filled declaration: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (v 8).

On what basis are you able to take on all that comes against you like a giant in the day or a monster in your sleeplessness at night? How do you know that you will succeed? If your courage is founded on your ability, sooner or later you will meet your match. Rather, let your confidence be in the Lord—because the Lord has delivered, and the Lord will deliver. And if God is for us, who, ultimately, can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Psalm 124

Topics: Courage Dependence on God Trust

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. … And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:3-4, 1 Samuel 17:10-11

It should shock us to find the army of Israel in the position described here. After all, they were the army of the living God. Within living memory they had seen God give them great victories as they trusted in Him. You would think that they would have been quite prepared to take on this giant Philistine challenger.

Instead, we see a sorry sight: the army of God, including their king, cowering on the mountainside for over six weeks, waiting for someone else to do their job (1 Samuel 17:2, 16). To Goliath and the Philistine army, Israel’s God can’t have seemed very mighty to save. The problem, however, was not the Lord. The problem was the army. Because they were attempting to fight in their own strength, they were cowed by Goliath.

As with Israel’s armies, the problem in much of the church today is not that our God lacks power over all the events of our world. No, He is omnipotent. Rather, the problem is that the church too often sits on the sidelines, waiting for somebody else to take action while the world looks on and shakes its head and concludes that our God is not mighty to save.

At this point in history, there’s a wonderful opportunity for the church to be the church. Christ has already won the battle for us. There is no need for His people to be marginalized by worldly “giants” who taunt and intimidate, deterring us from sharing the message of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. Jesus has won, and there is nothing in this world to be afraid of. The gospel is worthy of our courage and, as the hymn writer reminds us, Christ Himself is guiding us: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus! … From victory unto victory His army shall He lead.”^[1] It is time for you and me—who, by placing our faith in Him, have already enlisted in His army—to get off the sidelines, to charge down the hill, and to proclaim the victory that is Christ’s.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

1 Samuel 17:48-53

Topics: Christian Living Courage Victory

FOOTNOTES

¹ George Duffield, Jr., “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus” (1858).

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Just before we close a prayer with an amen, most Christians will say something like “in Jesus’ name” or “for Jesus’ sake.” What are we actually doing when we say that? Is it anything more than just a nice way to close things off?

To pray in Jesus’ name is to trust the saving work of the Lord Jesus as the sole ground of our access to God. We could never go to God just in our own name. We couldn’t go to God and plead based on our own merits. No, we go to God in Jesus’ name—and it is a tremendous privilege to do so! Only because we have a sympathetic High Priest can we “draw near to the throne of grace” with confidence that God Most High will receive us.

Because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can cast our burdens, our fears, our failures, our expectations, and all our hopes and dreams upon our heavenly Father. No request is too great for Him.

The hymn writer put the opportunity of prayer wonderfully well:

Approach, my soul, the mercy seat
Where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet,
For none can perish there.
Thy promise is my only plea;
With this I venture nigh:
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.^[1]

Coming to God with such an approach is not just one way among many; it is the only way He will hear our pleas as a Father listening to His children. So whenever you pray, come to your Father in the name of His Son, trusting that His Spirit will guide you.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 5:1-9

Topics: Dependence on God Prayer Trust

FOOTNOTES

¹ John Newton, “Approach, My Soul, the Mercy Seat” (1779).

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

We have no good apart from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” James tells us (James 1:17). Similarly, Paul asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). The resounding response, of course, is nothing whatsoever. All that we have, we have from God.

If that is all true and we can do nothing of lasting value apart from Christ (John 15:5), then what makes us think we could make it through any day without praying to the one whose strength and sustenance we so desperately need? This doesn’t mean we need to host prayer meetings 24/7 (although perhaps more times of extended corporate prayer would benefit us all!). But it does mean that we should never attempt to make it through a single day without expressing our dependence on our heavenly Father in prayer.

The reality is that it’s easy to get stale in our praying. But that happens most often when our prayer times turn into personal shopping lists, focused more on things that we want than what we and the world around us really need. We ought to “let [our] requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6)—whatever those requests may be, great or small. But we ought also to pray for grand things. The greatest cries of the people of God should be the greatest concerns of the kingdom.

For example, we can pray for:

• world missions, praying as we send people out of our congregations and around the world
• the teaching of the Bible in places near and far
• the cause of Christ to be established in the world
• God to hold back His hand of judgment and shower us with blessing and mercy
• the faithfulness and growth of the church and our witness around the globe
• our government and its leaders, from the local level upwards
• the homeless, downtrodden, and hungry
• points of light to spring up around your city as testimonies to the gospel of Jesus Christ

This is just a sample, of course. A kingdom-focused list could continue far further! Whatever you end up praying for specifically today and in the coming days, though, ask God for His kingdom to come. Ask Him for His will to be done. What a joy that He calls you to keep on praying, and then answers your prayers to build His kingdom!

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Matthew 6:9-11

Topics: Dependence on God Kingdom of God Prayer

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

As for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 73:2-3

When we consider the activities and successes of the self-important who seem to be so carefree and uninhibited, it’s easy for our minds, our hearts, and eventually our lives to go off in the wrong direction.

We can relate to the psalmist’s angst when those who are so apparently opposed to God, to His word, and to anything that is morally right appear to flourish. They seem to do well financially. They seem to do well physically. They always look good. They travel in the right way. They use the right moisturizer. They look magnificent. Meanwhile, we’re trying to do the God thing, the Jesus thing—and nothing seems to go right. It can all feel so futile.

When he looked at the prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist began to entertain the idea that he had followed God in vain (Psalm 73:13)—until he adjusted his perspective:

“I went into the sanctuary of God;
 then I discerned their end.
Truly you set them in slippery places;
 you make them fall to ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment,
 swept away utterly by terrors!” (Psalm 73:17-19)

As we learn to sit in God’s presence and have a view of this world that takes account of His divinity and our eternity, we come to understand, along with the psalmist, that there is a higher throne than all the thrones of this world. Justice will be served, though not in the courts of this world’s kingdoms, which will all be mere footnotes in history.

Do not become discouraged by those who seem to prosper unduly. Jesus Christ is King. He’s in charge of the great reversals, turning us from darkness to light, from sadness to joy, from death to life. God will achieve His purposes. He is holding you and guiding you—and, one day, you will stand with Him in glory (Psalm 73:23-24). There is nothing this world can offer that compares to Him and no reason to envy those who have everything here but nothing of ultimate value. When you are slipping into envy, look at Him, adjust your perspective, and say with the psalmist:

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Psalm 73

Topics: Jealousy Justice

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:2-5

When life gets difficult, you won’t need a three-ring binder full of notes or a self-help guide to life. No, you’ll need an arm around your shoulder. You’ll need the tender eyes of an older Christian who understands. You’ll need compassion. Such ministry in a church is not programmatic; it is relational. It is as a result of knowing people. It is a result of being able to open up to people.

This is why every church needs older men and older women who are marked by maturity, who are not coasting but growing in faith toward God, in love toward others, and in steadfastness in the face of trials.

Titus’s role in the congregation to which he ministered was to encourage and exhort the older men to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, and healthy in their faith. He was to be no less concerned with the spiritual health of the church’s older women. Just as older men have a significant role in the life of a developing congregation, so the older women are absolutely vital. Churches need older men and women that have run the race and kept the faith to model for younger generations what it looks like to live for Christ.

The church needs older men and women because they can “teach what is good” to those who are younger. The teaching here is lifestyle teaching before it is any other kind of teaching. When Paul wrote these words, he wasn’t anticipating a classroom setting with textbooks. This kind of instruction takes place in casual yet intentional conversations as well as arranged meetings, and simply in rubbing shoulders with one another in day-to-day life.

Where are you going to go when your marriage begins to struggle? Who are you going to talk to when your teenager goes into “I don’t ever want to talk to you again” mode? Where will you turn when you don’t know where to turn? You can visit your pastor, who can pray with you and give you some guidance, but you’ll also need an older man or woman who has walked the same path and can say, “Let me tell you how I lived through it. Let me tell you what I did. Let me tell you how I prayed. Let me tell you about the grace of God. Let me encourage you.”

Most of us can be such an “older man” or “older woman” to someone of a younger age and earlier stage in life than us. Intentionally make yourself available in this way. And most of us can find someone older and wiser than us and ask them to pray with us, counsel us, and be there for us. Intentionally seek out that kind of friendship, for it is one of the greatest blessings that the church of God gives us.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Titus 2:1-10

Topics: Christian Living Fellowship

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

1 Samuel 2:3

Contemporary society is full of examples of what it looks like to celebrate self-assertiveness, human achievement, and a preoccupation with the “I/me/my” focus of our age that pays scant, if any, attention to God. He does not see, is the assumption; and if He does see, He does not mind. As believers we are not immune from any of this, for by nature our hearts love to assume that we ourselves are the fount of all knowledge—that we know best how we should think.

An inclination toward self-sufficiency and pride leads to some downplaying or even denying elements of biblical truth in their teaching and thinking. In the church today, God’s judgment and justice are surely such elements. They’re not easy to hear about or to proclaim, but they are central to the truth of the Bible. Paul writes that God will judge “the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Romans 2:16). We cannot hide anything from Him, though we are tempted to believe we can. He knows our hearts, and by this Lord of knowledge “actions are weighed.”

In Daniel 5, we see how the Babylonian king Belshazzar discovered the folly of an arrogance that caused him to exalt himself above the God of knowledge. In the middle of a great feast celebrating himself, using drinking vessels that had been stolen from the Lord’s temple, a hand was sent from the presence of God, appearing on a wall and writing words of judgment—and Belshazzar was reduced to a shaking mass. Daniel interpreted the message for him, saying, “The Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven … And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored” (Daniel 5:21-23). In the end, Belshazzar had “been weighed in the balances and found wanting” (v 27), and “that very night” he “was killed” (v 30). He thought he knew best. He did not.

It is folly to imagine that God does not see, does not know, and will not act. He knows everything about us, and He weighs our actions. As Hannah knew and Belshazzar discovered too late, self-exaltation leads to judgment; but humility before the Lord is the way to life. So, be careful not to pridefully declare that you want things your own way in one area or another and therefore refuse Jesus’ kingship over that aspect of your life. Be careful not to live as though God does not know, and therefore refrain from humble repentance. Instead, humble yourself before the Lord, confessing to Him what He already knows and asking forgiveness for proud thoughts or selfish actions—and “he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Daniel 5:1-6

Daniel 5:17-31

Topics: Judgement Pride Sovereignty of God

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver … You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7, 2 Corinthians 9:11

God loves a cheerful giver. One reason for this is that He is a cheerful giver, gladly and generously giving Himself and every good gift to His people. And one of the good gifts that God has given us is a series of promises and proverbs to fuel our cheer as we give. 2 Corinthians 9 provides an abundance of such fuel.

Paul teaches that “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” This is essentially a proverb, like those we read in the Old Testament: “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want” (Proverbs 11:24). The thing about proverbs, though, is that they should be read for what they are—general truths—rather than what they are not: categorical promises. Paul is not giving us a formula: If you put in a certain amount, you will receive a larger amount. Instead, he is encouraging his readers to sow gladly and liberally because there are benefits to be had when we do so. Generous giving brings its own rewards, which the stingy will never know. If you scatter only a few seeds of your favorite flower and expect a beautiful display in a few weeks, you will be disappointed. If you sow handful after handful, the result will be glorious to behold.

More fuel for our giving comes a few verses later, where Paul says that those who are generous “will be enriched in every way.” Sadly, it is common for people to stop right there, concluding that God will make them wealthy once they’ve given away some money. He may do just that, but it comes with the purpose revealed in the rest of the verse: “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” God may indeed enrich you, but the enrichment is intended for greater generosity, which in turn will “produce thanksgiving to God.” What a promise this is, that God will repay our generosity so that we might continue to be generous! As we give away, God gives us more to give away. Who could ever be tight-fisted in the face of such lavish promises?

It is a tragedy that so many have abused these promises and proverbs, using them to bait well-intentioned people into giving for the wrong reasons. There is no need or excuse for false assurances of prosperity or manipulative calls that tug at our heart strings; we have so many good, God-honoring reasons to be generous! The truths and promises of God’s word are rich enough, and they alone will fuel genuine Christian cheer as we give. Dwell on these truths, and on our Savior, who “though he was rich, yet for your sake … became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). That is the only way to give in a way that truly honors God: to give both sacrificially and cheerfully.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Topics: Giving Wisdom

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

Luke 24:39-41

The disciples were real people—and they found believing in the resurrection difficult.

News of Jesus’ resurrection produced a roller coaster of emotions within His disciples. One minute they seemed to be up on the crest, and the next minute they were hurtling toward the ground. Reports of an empty tomb were met with mixed emotions of awe and unbelief. Indeed, they thought the words of the women who had discovered it were “an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11).

Even when Jesus appeared suddenly and stood among His disciples, their sorrows were not soothed and their fears were not calmed. Instead, we discover that they were still in panic mode. Face-to-face with the resurrected Christ, they “were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit” (Luke 24:37). Even after Jesus showed them His hands and feet, they still battled disbelief as it jostled against the dawning joy.

This is a wonderfully honest picture, isn’t it? Here we find the group of people who were to be the pillars of the church, all essentially hiding behind couches and coming out of closets, saying, We thought we saw a ghost!

The disciples’ battle against fear and disbelief is a great encouragement for those who flip between hope and despair. It’s one thing to affirm our belief in the resurrection on a fine Sunday morning, surrounded by a crowd of fellow Christians. It is quite another to affirm it on a difficult Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by people who are convinced it is an idle tale, or when we are waiting on test results in the doctor’s office or fending off loneliness.

A real Christian is not someone who does not doubt; it is someone who brings their doubts to the fact of the empty tomb and reminds themselves that our faith rests on historical events, and that those historical events are ones which cause us to feel joy and marvel at God. If you find yourself today in a battle against fear and unbelief, cry out to God, praying the prayer of the man in Mark 9: “I believe, help my unbelief!” (v 24). The disciples’ doubts and fears did not exclude them from the kingdom; neither did they preclude them from kingdom work. So today, ask God to guard your faith, and walk forwards remembering that Jesus really has risen and really does have work for you to do.

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

Topics: Christ’s Resurrection Doubt Faith

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org

This alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7:29

Ionce received a letter from a young man who’d been educated at the highest level in both American and British universities. In that letter, he wrote, “I must say, all the education in the world has made me the most stupid and unenlightened man.” It’s hard to believe that these words came from such a scholar—but truly, he knew enough to recognize that foolishness has nothing to do with mental faculty but everything to do with moral rebellion.

Human foolishness exists because of our disobedience to God, who is the only source of true wisdom and enlightenment. Such rebellion results in alienation from God and others. And since God must punish sin, the foolishness of man leads to condemnation. We are created to be “upright,” but we lean into self-sufficient, self-aggrandizing schemes. We are twisted and stunted because we live for ourselves instead of our Creator. So we can know all sorts of things and yet know nothing. Yet in our hopeless state, the wisdom of God can be made known to us in the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). This wisdom becomes ours only when we believe in Him as our God and Savior, for “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7, emphasis added). God’s Spirit enables us to turn from our old way of life and start on a new journey. As we turn to Him in repentance, the Lord will accept us, even in our sinfulness. And then, by His great power, He will take us and change us by His grace.

That is God’s wisdom. You can’t find it in any self-help book. You can’t find it in mere religion or philosophy. You can’t find it in the best universities. Those are dead-end streets. You can only find it in Jesus, who offers to become your wisdom and righteousness. In our foolishness, we have all run from the one who made us—yet He has pursued us, made known to us our condition, and chosen to reveal His Son to us. Take time to praise God for His infinite wisdom and amazing grace! And then consider this: Would anything need to change if you made all your decisions and set your direction in life by beginning with “the fear of the LORD” and not with the schemes of man?

Questions for Thought

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?

Further Reading

Colossians 2:1-4

Topics: Effects of Sin Salvation Wisdom

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg

http://www.truthforlife.org