Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Evening Reading
I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.—HOS. 2:14.
Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.—Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Jesus, . . . that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
[Jesus] said, . . . Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.—The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
II Cor. 6:17,l5. -II Cor. 7:1.Heb. 13:12,13.Mark 6:31. -Psa. 23:1-3.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“And I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a moment, is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so the heart of flesh.
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“If to the right or left I stray, That moment, Lord, reprove; And let me weep my life away, For having grieved thy love” |
The heart of flesh is tender of God’s will. My Lord Will-be-will is a great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God’s will; but when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven, and bows like an osier in every breeze of God’s Spirit. The natural will is cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form, but the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon moulded by the hand of grace. In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection towards him. The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says; “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee; help me to love thee more!” Many are the privileges of this renewed heart; “'Tis here the Spirit dwells, 'tis here that Jesus rests.” It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honour and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defence against sin, and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of flesh?
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Joshua 5
5. Circumcision at Gilgal
The New Generation Circumcised
5
When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites a second time.”3So Joshua made flint knives, and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath-haaraloth.4This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the warriors, had died during the journey through the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt.5Although all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people born on the journey through the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.6For the Israelites traveled forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the warriors who came out of Egypt, perished, not having listened to the voice of the Lord. To them the Lord swore that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.7So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.
8 When the circumcising of all the nation was done, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.9The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
The Passover at Gilgal
10 While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho.11On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.12The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Joshua’s Vision
13 Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?”14He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my lord?”15The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
New Testament in Four Years - 2 Corinthians 12:1-6
12. Paul's Vision and His Thorn
Paul’s Visions and Revelations
12
It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.2I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.3And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—4was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.5On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.6But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,
Psalm a Day - Psalm 25
25. Psalm 25
Psalm 25
Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance
Of David.
1
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11
For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12
Who are they that fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13
They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
14
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15
My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17
Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my distress.
18
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19
Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20
O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22
Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.