Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Evening Reading
The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.—JOHN 13:16,17.
There was . . . a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.—Even the Son man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?”
Luke 24:38
“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?” The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but his particular providence is over his saints. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” “Precious shall their blood be in his sight.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.” Let the fact that, while he is the Saviour of all men, he is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are his peculiar care; his regal treasure which he guards as the apple of his eye; his vineyard over which he watches day and night. “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Let the thought of his special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. “Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” We lose much consolation by the habit of reading his promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.” Think you see him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for he is there, and he is saying, “Fear not, it is I; be not afraid.” Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile—accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, “Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under his shadow with great delight.”
Old Testament Chapter a Day - 1 Samuel 23
23. Saul Pursues David
David Saves the City of Keilah
23
Now they told David, “The Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.”2David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”4Then David inquired of the Lord again. The Lord answered him, “Yes, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”5So David and his men went to Keilah, fought with the Philistines, brought away their livestock, and dealt them a heavy defeat. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.7Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand; for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”8Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.”10David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.11And now, will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.” The Lord said, “He will come down.”12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The Lord said, “They will surrender you.”13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.14David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the Lord did not give him into his hand.
David Eludes Saul in the Wilderness
15 David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh when he learned that Saul had come out to seek his life.16Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the Lord.17He said to him, “Do not be afraid; for the hand of my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so.”18Then the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon.20Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”21Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord for showing me compassion!22Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.23Look around and learn all the hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”24So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.25Saul and his men went to search for him. When David was told, he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon.26Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.27Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.”28So Saul stopped pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.29David then went up from there, and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
New Testament in Four Years - Philippians 1:1-6
1. Thanksgiving and Prayer
Salutation
1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians
3 I thank my God every time I remember you,4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 83
83. Psalm 83
Psalm 83
Prayer for Judgment on Israel’s Foes
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1
O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2
Even now your enemies are in tumult;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3
They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against those you protect.
4
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5
They conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8
Assyria also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.Selah
9
Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,
10
who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
11
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12
who said, “Let us take the pastures of God
for our own possession.”
13
O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14
As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane.
16
Fill their faces with shame,
so that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace.
18
Let them know that you alone,
whose name is the Lord,
are the Most High over all the earth.