Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Evening Reading
They constrained him, saying, Abide with us.—LUKE 24:29.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.—Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?—I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.
Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.—I am come into my garden.—I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.
Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.—I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.—Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.—The world seeth me no more; but, ye see me.
Rev. 3:20. -Song 1:7. -Song 3:4.Song 4:16. -Song 5:1. -Isa. 45:19.Matt. 28:20. -Heb. 13:5. -Matt. 18:20. -John 14:19.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Luke 19:40
But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of him who created them by the word of his power; they could extol the wisdom and power of their Maker who called them into being. Shall not we speak well of him who made us anew, and out of stones raised up children unto Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the handiwork of God in successive stages of creation’s drama; and cannot we talk of God’s decrees, of God’s great work in ancient times, in all that he did for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they could tell of their breaker, how he took them from the quarry, and made them fit for the temple, and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who broke our hearts with the hammer of his word, that he might build us into his temple? If the stones should cry out they would magnify their builder, who polished them and fashioned them after the similitude of a palace; and shall not we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us in our place in the temple of the living God? If the stones could cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell by way of memorial, for many a time hath a great stone been rolled as a memorial before the Lord; and we too can testify of Ebenezers, stones of help, pillars of remembrance. The broken stones of the law cry out against us, but Christ himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let them: we will hush their noise with ours; we will break forth into sacred song, and bless the majesty of the Most High, all our days glorifying him who is called by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Genesis 48
48. Manasseh and Ephraim
Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons
48
After this Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.2When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” he summoned his strength and sat up in bed.3And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and he blessed me,4and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers; I will make of you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your offspring after you for a perpetual holding.’5Therefore your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are now mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.6As for the offspring born to you after them, they shall be yours. They shall be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance.7For when I came from Paddan, Rachel, alas, died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”10Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed them and embraced them.11Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face; and here God has let me see your children also.”12Then Joseph removed them from his father’s knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.13Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them near him.14But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.15He blessed Joseph, and said,
“The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16
the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.18Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”19But his father refused, and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”20So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will invoke blessings, saying,
‘God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’ ”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.21Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors.22I now give to you one portion more than to your brothers, the portion that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
New Testament in Four Years - Romans 10:19-21
10. Israel's Unbelief
19 Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Psalm a Day - Psalm 60
60. Psalm 60
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1
O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2
You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3
You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4
You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot. Selah
5
Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6
God has promised in his sanctuary:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
8
Moab is my washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9
Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11
O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
12
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.