Meditate
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Daily Light's Evening Reading
Broken cisterns, that can hold no water.—JER. 2:13.
Eve . . . bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven. The Lord scattered them.—Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; it was well watered every where, even as the garden of the Lord. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.—I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I gathered me also silver and gold. Then I looked on all, and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit.
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.—He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Gen. 4:1.Gen. 11:4,8. -Gen. 13:11,10,13.Eccl. 1:17,18. -Eccl. 2:4,8,11.John 7:37. -Psa. 107:9.Col. 3:2.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
Mark 16:9
Mary of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil. She was possessed by not one devil only, but seven. These dreadful inmates caused much pain and pollution to the poor frame in which they had found a lodging. Hers was a hopeless, horrible case. She could not help herself, neither could any human succour avail. But Jesus passed that way, and unsought, and probably even resisted by the poor demoniac, he uttered the word of power, and Mary of Magdala became a trophy of the healing power of Jesus. All the seven demons left her, left her never to return, forcibly ejected by the Lord of all. What a blessed deliverance! What a happy change! From delirium to delight, from despair to peace, from hell to heaven! Straightway she became a constant follower of Jesus, catching his every word, following his devious steps, sharing his toilsome life; and withal she became his generous helper, first among that band of healed and grateful women who ministered unto him of their substance. When Jesus was lifted up in crucifixion, Mary remained the sharer of his shame: we find her first beholding from afar, and then drawing near to the foot of the cross. She could not die on the cross with Jesus, but she stood as near it as she could, and when his blessed body was taken down, she watched to see how and where it was laid. She was the faithful and watchful believer, last at the sepulchre where Jesus slept, first at the grave whence he arose. Her holy fidelity made her a favoured beholder of her beloved Rabboni, who deigned to call her by her name, and to make her his messenger of good news to the trembling disciples and Peter. Thus grace found her a maniac and made her a minister, cast out devils and gave her to behold angels, delivered her from Satan, and united her forever to the Lord Jesus. May I also be such a miracle of grace!
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Deuteronomy 33
33. Moses Blesses the Tribes
Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
33
This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death.2He said:
The Lord came from Sinai,
and dawned from Seir upon us;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
With him were myriads of holy ones;
at his right, a host of his own.
3
Indeed, O favorite among peoples,
all his holy ones were in your charge;
they marched at your heels,
accepted direction from you.
4
Moses charged us with the law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5
There arose a king in Jeshurun,
when the leaders of the people assembled—
the united tribes of Israel.
6
May Reuben live, and not die out,
even though his numbers are few.
7 And this he said of Judah:
O Lord, give heed to Judah,
and bring him to his people;
strengthen his hands for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.
8 And of Levi he said:
Give to Levi your Thummim,
and your Urim to your loyal one,
whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah;
9
who said of his father and mother,
“I regard them not”;
he ignored his kin,
and did not acknowledge his children.
For they observed your word,
and kept your covenant.
10
They teach Jacob your ordinances,
and Israel your law;
they place incense before you,
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11
Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those that hate him, so that they do not rise again.
12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord rests in safety—
the High God surrounds him all day long—
the beloved rests between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said:
Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choice gifts of heaven above,
and of the deep that lies beneath;
14
with the choice fruits of the sun,
and the rich yield of the months;
15
with the finest produce of the ancient mountains,
and the abundance of the everlasting hills;
16
with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness,
and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai.
Let these come on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
17
A firstborn bull—majesty is his!
His horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he gores the peoples,
driving them to the ends of the earth;
such are the myriads of Ephraim,
such the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;
and Issachar, in your tents.
19
They call peoples to the mountain;
there they offer the right sacrifices;
for they suck the affluence of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.
20 And of Gad he said:
Blessed be the enlargement of Gad!
Gad lives like a lion;
he tears at arm and scalp.
21
He chose the best for himself,
for there a commander’s allotment was reserved;
he came at the head of the people,
he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his ordinances for Israel.
22 And of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s whelp
that leaps forth from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, sated with favor,
full of the blessing of the Lord,
possess the west and the south.
24 And of Asher he said:
Most blessed of sons be Asher;
may he be the favorite of his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in oil.
25
Your bars are iron and bronze;
and as your days, so is your strength.
26
There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
majestic through the skies.
27
He subdues the ancient gods,
shatters the forces of old;
he drove out the enemy before you,
and said, “Destroy!”
28
So Israel lives in safety,
untroubled is Jacob’s abode
in a land of grain and wine,
where the heavens drop down dew.
29
Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord,
the shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
and you shall tread on their backs.
New Testament in Four Years - 2 Corinthians 10:7-11
10. Paul Defends His Ministry
7 Look at what is before your eyes. If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we.8Now, even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.9I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters.10For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”11Let such people understand that what we say by letter when absent, we will also do when present.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 20
20. Psalm 20
Psalm 20
Prayer for Victory
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1
The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3
May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.Selah
4
May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill all your plans.
5
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6
Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
9
Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.