Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Morning Reading
Sing unto the Lord a new song.—ISA. 42:10.
Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.—He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.—The joy of the Lord is your strength.—Paul . . . thanked God, and took courage.
Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Psa. 81:1,2. -Psa. 40:3.Josh. 1:9. -Neh. 8:10. -Acts 28:15.Rom. 13:11-14.
Spurgeon's Morning Reading
“Continue in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2
It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;” and just as we are about to close the volume, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob—there a Daniel who prayed three times a day—and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord’s mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian. If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father’s face, and live in thy Father’s love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, “Continue in prayer.”
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Micah 3
3. Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
Wicked Rulers and Prophets
3
And I said:
Listen, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Should you not know justice?—
2
you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin off my people,
and the flesh off their bones;
3
who eat the flesh of my people,
flay their skin off them,
break their bones in pieces,
and chop them up like meat in a kettle,
like flesh in a caldron.
4
Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have acted wickedly.
5
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against those
who put nothing into their mouths.
6
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7
the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God.
8
But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9
Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob
and chiefs of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
and pervert all equity,
10
who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with wrong!
11
Its rulers give judgment for a bribe,
its priests teach for a price,
its prophets give oracles for money;
yet they lean upon the Lord and say,
“Surely the Lord is with us!
No harm shall come upon us.”
12
Therefore because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
New Testament in Four Years - Acts 23:23-35
23. Paul Transferred to Caesarea
Paul Sent to Felix the Governor
23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get ready to leave by nine o’clock tonight for Caesarea with two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen.24Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor.”25He wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings.27This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, but when I had learned that he was a Roman citizen, I came with the guard and rescued him.28Since I wanted to know the charge for which they accused him, I had him brought to their council.29I found that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but was charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.30When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him during the night to Antipatris.32The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, while they returned to the barracks.33When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him.34On reading the letter, he asked what province he belonged to, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia,35he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 135
135. Psalm 135
Psalm 135
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2
you that stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.
5
For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.
6
Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8
He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both human beings and animals;
9
he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12
and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.
13
Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14
For the Lord will vindicate his people,
and have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17
they have ears, but they do not hear,
and there is no breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19
O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20
O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You that fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!