Total Satisfaction

 By Alistair Begg

Total Satisfaction

He answered them, “You give them something to eat” … And they all ate and were satisfied.

Mark 6:37, Mark 6:42

When Jesus directed the disciples to feed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, with nothing but a young boy’s five loaves of bread and two fish, they faced a seemingly impossible situation. As Andrew questioned, “What are they for so many?” (John 6:9). But the Twelve did as Jesus directed them: they sat the people down, separated them into groups, and then divided the loaves and fish. And divided. And divided. And before they knew it, a miracle had unfolded. The five loaves and two fish managed to feed thousands—and not just with the tiniest servings of food but with such an abundance that “they all ate and were satisfied.” In fact, in a rather humorous turn of events, there were even leftovers. Just as God had done centuries earlier with the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16), here the Shepherd of Israel proved His identity and provided for His people’s needs, both literally and symbolically. It should be impossible for us to consider this story and not recognize that God takes unmanageable situations and unbelievably limited resources and multiplies them for the well-being of others and the glory of His name. And He can do this with our lives as well. Perhaps, if you are the only Christian in your family, in your class, or at your job, you may wonder, like Andrew, “What am I among so many? What can I say? What can I do?” But here is the real question to ask: “Have I truly offered up my resources to God—my time, talents, energy, gifts, and finances?” They may not be much. But He can multiply them! The missionary Gladys Aylward lived in London with no education and no savings. What she had, though, was a passionate longing to go to China to share the gospel. This small-statured lady, who had long, straight, black hair, thus began a journey by train and then by ocean liner, and eventually ended up in Shanghai. As she stood on the deck, looking out on the city, she saw all the small-statured Chinese people with their straight, black hair, and she suddenly realized that God had had a plan and purpose for her all along. He’d even established her DNA in such a way that she would be perfectly suited to become the “Little Woman” who would reach countless tiny children with the gospel—all because she offered up her life to God and He multiplied it for His glory. As you look out on your day and your week, offer yourself to God. Your inability is His opportunity. Your weaknesses and your sense of dependence form the very basis upon which He shows Himself to be strong. With nothing but mere loaves and fish, He satisfied thousands. Be in no doubt that He can use you to do great things of eternal worth, if you will only ask Him.

Why Are People Poor?

 By Charles Spurgeon

Why Are People Poor?

Remember the poor. Galatians 2:10

Why does God allow so many of His children to be poor? He could make them all rich if He pleased; He could lay bags of gold at their doors; He could send them a large annual income; or He could scatter around their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in heaps around the camp of Israel and rained bread out of heaven to feed them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that He sees it to be best. “The cattle on a thousand hills”1 are His—He could supply them; He could make the rich, the great, and the mighty bring all their power and riches to the feet of His children, for the hearts of all men are in His control. But He does not choose to do so. He allows them to experience need; He allows them to struggle in poverty and obscurity. Why is this? There are many reasons. One is, to give us, who are favored with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing of Him and when we pray to Him; but if there were no needy people in the world, we should lose the sweet privilege of displaying our love by ministering by our gifts to His poorer brethren. He has ordained that in this way we should prove that our love stands not only in word, but in deed and in truth. If we truly love Christ, we will care for those who are loved by Him. Those who are dear to Him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord’s flock, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”2 Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving heart—recollecting that all we do for His people is graciously accepted by Christ as done to Himself.

Psalm 50:10  Matthew 25:40

The Limits and Benefits of Suffering

 By Alistair Begg

The Limits and Benefits of Suffering

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6-7

Suffering is a reality we all must face. Our union with Christ does not remove us from the pain that is part and parcel of life this side of eternity. And since “for a little while” we are to be “grieved by various trials,” we need to have a biblical perspective on suffering. In his first letter, Peter addressed early believers who had been exiled for the sake of Christ. Their suffering had caused them great grief, which Peter noted empathetically—but he also commanded them to rejoice in the midst of their trials. He reminded the early church, as he reminds us, that suffering is inevitably limited in its timeframe: it will only last “for a little while.” Our pain often does not feel temporary. If it is a chronic physical ailment or an unresolved relational break, it does not feel as though it is lasting “a little while.” Indeed, there are many whose whole earthly pilgrimage is marked by great suffering. Yet it is for this very reason that the Bible says so much about heaven: to remind us that our lives are incredibly brief compared with eternity. “We do not lose heart,” says Paul. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison … The things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Not only this, but as we walk through trials clinging to Christ, our pain is telling us something about our faith. It isn’t difficult to be a Christian when the band is playing and everyone’s marching along, doing just fine. But when difficulties arise, when we have unanswered questions, when we awake in the night and weep uncontrollably, when sometimes all we are able to say is “Father, help,” and yet we do say that… that is when our faith is tested, and that is when it is proved genuine. Furthermore, we can rejoice in the reality that no matter what we’re going through, God sees, He hears, He cares, and He acts to guard our faith and bring us to our glorious inheritance, in a world where nothing perishes or fades (1 Peter 1:4-5). The road through the valley may be a long one, but He will bring us through it. God promises to use suffering in the lives of His children to display His glory. None of us will become all that God intends for us to be if we choose always to run in the sunshine of ease and comfort. But when we trust that He will use life’s trials to refine us, we will surely be filled with the hope of eternity and live in a manner that is increasingly like that of our Savior. How does it comfort you to consider the riches and the duration of eternity with Him today? How could you use that prospect to encourage someone else?

A Stranger with You

 By Charles Spurgeon

A Stranger with You

I am a sojourner with you. Psalm 39:12

Yes, O Lord, with You, but not to You. All my natural alienation from You, Your grace has effectually removed; and now, in fellowship with Yourself, I walk through this sinful world as a pilgrim in a foreign country. You are a stranger in Your own world. Man forgets You, dishonors You, sets up new laws and alien customs, and knows You not. When Your dear Son came unto His own, His own received Him not. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not recognize Him. There was never a foreigner who stood out from the inhabitants of any country as much as your beloved Son among His mother’s brethren. It is no marvel, then, if I who live the life of Jesus should be unknown and a stranger here below. Lord, I would not be a citizen where Jesus was an alien. His pierced hand has loosened the cords that once bound my soul to earth, and now I find myself a stranger in the land. My speech seems to these pagans among whom I dwell a strange tongue; my manners are singular, and my actions are outlandish. A prince would be more at home in the ghetto than I could ever be in the haunts of sinners. But here is the sweetness of my circumstance: I am a stranger with You. You are my fellow-sufferer, my fellow-pilgrim. Oh, what joy to wander in such blessed company! My heart burns within me on the journey when You speak to me, and though I am a traveler, I am far more blessed than those who sit on thrones, and far more at home than those who live in their comfortable homes. To me remains nor place, nor time: My country is in every clime; I can be calm and free from care On any shore, since God is there. While place we seek, or place we shun, The soul finds happiness in none: But with a God to guide our way, ‘Tis equal joy to go or stay.

Christ Is Victorious

 By Alistair Begg

Christ Is Victorious

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:7-8

Just as the bright light of the coming Messiah is anticipated in the pages of the Old Testament, so the devil is a shadowy figure throughout it. When we reach the New Testament, we discover that Christ’s coming drew Satan out from the shadows and into the open. In the Bible, the devil is revealed as the instigator of sin and sorrow. In fact, the word devil comes from a Greek root word which means “to throw,” as in the sense of throwing out slanderous statements. The devil, we learn, twists the truth about Christ and the character of God. The word Satan, meanwhile, can be translated as “adversary” and can convey the sense of someone lying in ambush. Our irrational fears, doubts, and evil thoughts can be traced back to this Evil One. He is the deceiver, the accuser, the liar, and the hinderer. He blinds the minds of unbelievers and seeks to cloud the believer’s mind with reminders of guilt and failure. Satan is a powerful foe—but he is also a defeated one. The very real power of the Evil One should only ever be considered in light of the victory of the Lord Jesus. The devil has been chained by the cross of Christ. On that chain he may snarl and roar and grab for us, but nevertheless, his works will be destroyed by Christ. The apostle John assures us, “Everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18). In our homes, most of us have a process for the disposal of garbage: it goes from under the sink to outside the back door to the end of the driveway, and then the garbage truck comes and takes it to its final destination. In a very real sense, that is the experience of the Evil One: he has been put out the back door, awaiting final destruction on the day of Christ’s revelation (Revelation 20:10). He is not yet destroyed, but he is dethroned and defeated. In the conflicts we encounter, some of us are keenly aware that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). And those of us who are not aware of this probably should be. All of us need to remind ourselves that there is a real struggle going on and that we are part of it; and all of us need also to remember in the midst of that struggle that “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Take courage from the fact that Satan does not have the final say. He is beaten, and Jesus has prayed for you that you would be kept safe (John 17:15). Let that knowledge cause you to stand firm against the devil’s wiles and run to Christ for forgiveness when you give in to the devil’s lies. This is how we live in light of Christ’s victory!

Quit Your Hurrying

 By Alistair Begg

Quit Your Hurrying

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true.

Psalm 18:30

God is never in a hurry. He’s never late. His timing is always perfect. Yet so many of us spend so much of our lives hurrying from place to place, anxious to make things happen when we think they should happen. Consider Esther 6 as an example. There’s a lot of hurry-up in this one chapter. It’s not the hurry-up of God, though, but the hurry-up of humanity. Haman woke up and hurried off to see the king about hanging Mordecai (Esther 6:4). When King Ahasuerus requested that he hurry with the king’s robes to exalt the person the king delighted to honor (v 10), it was no problem for Haman to do so, assuming that the honor was intended for himself. Later we see Haman hurrying once more—but this time it is to his house in shame (v 12), embarrassed at being ordered to honor his most hated enemy, Mordecai. He didn’t want anyone to see him. He covered his head, like an arrested criminal trying to shield himself from the gaze of the TV cameras. He was a picture of disappointment and pain. Mordecai, however, was not in a hurry. He had been overlooked. His warning of an assassination plot had been significant, yet apparently nobody cared about it, not least the very king who was the beneficiary of what he had done. Four or five years had passed without any honor or recognition (Esther 6:3), and still Mordecai patiently and faithfully continued to do what was right. He trusted in God and His timing. He knew that “this God—his way is perfect.” Derek Kidner writes that “‘all God’s delays are maturings, either of the time … or of the man.” The psalmist says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67). Like the psalmist, our default is to just do our own thing and wander any way we want. But when God in His providence makes us wait longer than we might like or even brings disappointment, pain, and heartache into our lives, we are given the opportunity to pay attention to His words and to trust that His plan is unfolding perfectly. We are called to believe that God’s way is perfect and His word is true—not just when His favor is evident but when the wheels are falling off and the good that we’ve done, which is deserving of honor and acclaim, is largely ignored. Do you believe that? Remember that even God’s ultimate plan of salvation did not require hurry: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6, emphasis added). God’s ways are perfect and His timing impeccable. Set aside your hurry, then, and give up your anxiety, learning instead to trust God to do His work at the right time.

Righteousness in Action

 By Alistair Begg

Righteousness in Action

At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8-10

Being made righteous should lead to us living righteously. We trust Christ alone for our righteousness and never our good works. We must never lose sight of that. But we must also realize that the righteousness Christ gives us inevitably manifests itself in righteous deeds. Paul puts it this way: as believers, we are to “walk as children of light.” And why? Because “the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” In short, the Lord has made us righteous; therefore, we are to act righteously. We cannot be the beneficiaries of the objective righteousness of Christ without the evidence presenting itself in our righteous living. Sinclair Ferguson puts it wonderfully when he says that “we are now the recipients of an irrevocable justification (or righteousness) in Christ, which in turn leads to a growth in righteousness in ourselves.” Similarly, John Calvin wrote that “the Son of God though spotlessly pure took upon himself the ignominy and shame of our sin and in return clothed us with his purity.” Christ bears our sin for us, grants us His unblemished record, and then empowers us, by His Spirit, to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10). The Puritans used to speak in terms of a righteousness that was imputed and then a righteousness that was imparted. They were seeking to distinguish between the objective righteousness that Christ affords us and the subjective righteousness that we enact in our lives in the power of the Spirit. As believers, we are the grateful possessors of both. Whatever your preferred terminology, this much is always true: the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t simply a free pass that excuses us to do as we please. No, the gospel calls us and empowers us to do what pleases the Lord. The key is that the gospel always turns us back to Jesus. As you look to Christ for your righteousness, He will enable you to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” and strengthen you to run the unique race God has set out for you (Hebrews 12:1-2). So today, be sure not to trust in your righteous living to earn you salvation or blessing from the Lord. But equally, be sure not to make the mistake of allowing your salvation to tempt you to be half-hearted in your pursuit of righteous living. You have been made righteous; now go and live righteously.