Choosing a Bible Reading Plan for the New Year
After Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and nights, the devil tempted Him to turn stones into loaves of bread—something the Son of God surely could have done in that moment. But instead of performing that miracle, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates, Articles, Recommended Reading
Wallpaper: The Bleak Midwinter
“Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.”
— In the Bleak Midwinter By Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
A Year in Review: Truth For Life’s Top 5 Articles and Sermons of 2021
Year after year, our aim at Truth For Life is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance so that unbelievers will be converted, believers will be established, and local churches will be strengthened. As the calendar changes, we wanted to share several of the sermons and articles that were listeners’ and readers’ favorites during the last year, in hopes that they will be an encouragement to you as 2022 begins.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
Why Christmas Leaves Us Wanting More
The few days between Christmas and the New Year teach us something profound about our souls’ longings. More often than not, Christmas Day’s jubilation and gladness seem to come and go in a flash. After so much anticipation, we feel as if we are left with little more than ribbons and wrapping, clean-up and returns. Why must Christmas come and go so quickly?
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The Song of Salvation
As he recounts the birth of Jesus in his Gospel, Luke records four songs sung in response to the good news. Mary sings, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (1:47). Zechariah blesses God because he “has raised up a horn of salvation … in the house of his servant David” (1:69). The angels praise God because “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior” (2:11). And Simeon takes the baby Jesus in his arms and prays to the Father, “My eyes have seen your salvation” (2:30).
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Wallpaper: O Holy Night
“Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name ”
— O Holy Night By John Sullivan Dwight
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
Download (Free) - “Songs for a Savior”
Many of our favorite Christmas carols center on angels singing songs, shepherds watching flocks, and wise men giving gifts. These songs, however, are meaningless apart from their context within redemptive history. The Gospel of Luke records the very first Christmas songs, which were sung by Mary, Zechariah and Simeon. Unlike our modern carols, these songs of praise don’t revolve around the nativity scene or the events of Christ birth. Instead, they focus on the Savior Himself. Through the Incarnation, God supernaturally broke into human history by revealing Christ as the Savior of the world. In this series, Alistair Begg highlights how Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon’s songs praise the Lord for remembering His people and providing salvation, redemption, and mercy.
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The Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control (Part 9 of 9)
“Get a grip of yourself.” “Get ahold of yourself.” “Get yourself under control.” These are familiar words for many of us. We all know the experience of our passions running out ahead of our inhibitions.
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Wallpaper: A Son is Given
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 ESV
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness Isn’t a Weakness (Part 8 of 9)
In 1839, George Washington Bethune, a Dutch Reformed pastor in the United States, observed, “Perhaps no grace is less prayed for, or less cultivated, than gentleness.”1 His words still ring true today. As Christians, we often lack the gentleness we desperately need. Indeed, we may hardly even notice its absence.
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Watch “A Parkside Christmas”
Enjoy watching this post-produced version of the 2020 musical event “A Parkside Christmas” with Alistair Begg. Christian recording artists Fernando Ortega, Michael O’Brien, Laura Story, and Brenton Brown perform songs of the season in this joyful celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus.
Continue reading …Topics: Ministry Updates
The Fruit of the Spirit: God’s Faithfulness and Ours (Part 7 of 9)
The whole cosmos, from the largest and farthest galaxies down to the most microscopic organisms and beyond, depends on the faithfulness of God in Christ, who “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). The reason we haven’t all burned up in an astronomical firestorm, the reason our very atoms stay in place, is because God holds everything together (Col. 1:17) and is faithful.
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Three Questions about the Bible: What Is It? Who Wrote It? How Can We Understand It?
It would be quite odd if you showed up to a football game and heard a ref or a player ask, “Has anyone seen the ball?” But it would be even more bizarre if someone replied, “Forget the ball! Let’s get on with the game.”
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Wallpaper: Your Light has Come
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
— Isaiah 60:1
Topics: Weekly Wallpaper
The Fruit of the Spirit: Eternal Goodness and Everyday Kindness (Part 6 of 9)
Of all the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, perhaps kindness and goodness seem the most normal or customary. We often hear talk of “common decency” and “common courtesy,” and we have come to expect that friends, family, and neighbors will show a modicum of kindness in most circumstances—even if they don’t feel like it.
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Alistair Begg on a Gift from God
Dear Friend,
“Jesus is a real problem,” I said to a man I had just met in a hotel lobby. He was sitting with his wife and two very attractive children. When I learned that he was from India, I told him how much I had enjoyed my visits to his homeland.
Continue reading …Topics: Letters From Alistair Begg