Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Evening Reading
Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.—EPH. 4:26.
If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother . . . Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.—When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.—Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
The apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Matt. 18:15,21,22. -Mark 11:25.Col. 3:12,13. -Eph. 4:32.Luke 17:5.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“The iron did swim.”
2 Kings 6:6
The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord’s family was in grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper, and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged, and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.
Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. He will not suffer thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet again the iron shall swim.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Zephaniah 1
1. Warning of Coming Destruction
1
The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah.
The Coming Judgment on Judah
2
I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
3
I will sweep away humans and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea.
I will make the wicked stumble.
I will cut off humanity
from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
4
I will stretch out my hand against Judah,
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests;
5
those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens;
those who bow down and swear to the Lord,
but also swear by Milcom;
6
those who have turned back from following the Lord,
who have not sought the Lord or inquired of him.
7
Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is at hand;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,
he has consecrated his guests.
8
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice
I will punish the officials and the king’s sons
and all who dress themselves in foreign attire.
9
On that day I will punish
all who leap over the threshold,
who fill their master’s house
with violence and fraud.
10
On that day, says the Lord,
a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.
11
The inhabitants of the Mortar wail,
for all the traders have perished;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
12
At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the people
who rest complacently on their dregs,
those who say in their hearts,
“The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do harm.”
13
Their wealth shall be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.
The Great Day of the Lord
14
The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter,
the warrior cries aloud there.
15
That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
17
I will bring such distress upon people
that they shall walk like the blind;
because they have sinned against the Lord,
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
18
Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath;
in the fire of his passion
the whole earth shall be consumed;
for a full, a terrible end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
New Testament in Four Years - Acts 27:1-12
27. Paul Sails For Rome
Paul Sails for Rome
27
When it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, they transferred Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, named Julius.2Embarking on a ship of Adramyttium that was about to set sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.3The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for.4Putting out to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.5After we had sailed across the sea that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and put us on board.7We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind was against us, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.8Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them,10saying, “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”11But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.12Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 146
146. Psalm 146
Psalm 146
Praise for God’s Help
1
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
5
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!