Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Evening Reading
The measure of faith.—ROM. 12:3.
Him that is weak in the faith.—Strong in faith, giving glory to God.
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?—Great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord . . . According to your faith be it unto you.
Lord, increase our faith.—Building up yourselves on your most holy faith.—Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith.—He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, . . . is God.—The God of all grace . . . after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
We . . . that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.—Let us not . . . judge one another . . . but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
Rom. 14:1. -Rom. 4:20.Matt. 14:31. -Matt. 15:28.Matt. 9:28,29.Luke 17:5. -Jude 20. -Col. 2:7. -II Cor. 1:21. -I Pet. 5:10.Rom. 15:1. -Rom. 14:13.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“But I give myself unto prayer.”
Psalm 109:4
Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise—threw his whole soul and heart into it—straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man’s proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force. “Fervent prayer,” says an old divine, “like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.” The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?
Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Zephaniah 3
3. Future of Jerusalem
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
3
Ah, soiled, defiled,
oppressing city!
2
It has listened to no voice;
it has accepted no correction.
It has not trusted in the Lord;
it has not drawn near to its God.
3
The officials within it
are roaring lions;
its judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing until the morning.
4
Its prophets are reckless,
faithless persons;
its priests have profaned what is sacred,
they have done violence to the law.
5
The Lord within it is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Every morning he renders his judgment,
each dawn without fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
6
I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without people, without inhabitants.
7
I said, “Surely the city will fear me,
it will accept correction;
it will not lose sight
of all that I have brought upon it.”
But they were the more eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
Punishment and Conversion of the Nations
8
Therefore wait for me, says the Lord,
for the day when I arise as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all the heat of my anger;
for in the fire of my passion
all the earth shall be consumed.
9
At that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, my scattered ones,
shall bring my offering.
11
On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12
For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord—
13
the remnant of Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
Then they will pasture and lie down,
and no one shall make them afraid.
A Song of Joy
14
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18
as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20
At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
New Testament in Four Years - Acts 27:21-26
27. Paul Sails For Rome
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss.22I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.23For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,24and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’25So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.26But we will have to run aground on some island.”
Psalm a Day - Psalm 148
148. Psalm 148
Psalm 148
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
3
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6
He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!