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Daily Light's Evening Reading
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lend those that are with young.—ISA. 40:11.
I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: . . . I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.—We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
They brought young children to him, and he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant.—The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.—Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.—I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
Matt. 15:32. -Heb. 4:15.Mark 10:13,16.Psa. 119:176. -Luke 19:10. -I Pet. 2:25.Luke 12:32. -Ezek. 34:15.
Spurgeon's Evening Reading
“And there was no more sea.”
Revelation 21:1
Scarcely could we rejoice at the thought of losing the glorious old ocean: the new heavens and the new earth are none the fairer to our imagination, if, indeed, literally there is to be no great and wide sea, with its gleaming waves and shelly shores. Is not the text to be read as a metaphor, tinged with the prejudice with which the Oriental mind universally regarded the sea in the olden times? A real physical world without a sea it is mournful to imagine, it would be an iron ring without the sapphire which made it precious. There must be a spiritual meaning here. In the new dispensation there will be no division—the sea separates nations and sunders peoples from each other. To John in Patmos the deep waters were like prison walls, shutting him out from his brethren and his work: there shall be no such barriers in the world to come. Leagues of rolling billows lie between us and many a kinsman whom tonight we prayerfully remember, but in the bright world to which we go there shall be unbroken fellowship for all the redeemed family. In this sense there shall be no more sea. The sea is the emblem of change; with its ebbs and flows, its glassy smoothness and its mountainous billows, its gentle murmurs and its tumultuous roarings, it is never long the same. Slave of the fickle winds and the changeful moon, its instability is proverbial. In this mortal state we have too much of this; earth is constant only in her inconstancy, but in the heavenly state all mournful change shall be unknown, and with it all fear of storm to wreck our hopes and drown our joys. The sea of glass glows with a glory unbroken by a wave. No tempest howls along the peaceful shores of paradise. Soon shall we reach that happy land where partings, and changes, and storms shall be ended! Jesus will waft us there. Are we in him or not? This is the grand question.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - 2 Kings 5
5. Naaman Healed of Leprosy
The Healing of Naaman
5
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.5And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.”11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.13But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.”16But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!” He urged him to accept, but he refused.17Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord.18But may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count.”19He said to him, “Go in peace.”
Gehazi’s Greed
But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance,20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let that Aramean Naaman off too lightly by not accepting from him what he offered. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something out of him.”21So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he jumped down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything all right?”22He replied, “Yes, but my master has sent me to say, ‘Two members of a company of prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim; please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’ ”23Naaman said, “Please accept two talents.” He urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them in front of Gehazi.24When he came to the citadel, he took the bags from them, and stored them inside; he dismissed the men, and they left.
25 He went in and stood before his master; and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant has not gone anywhere at all.”26But he said to him, “Did I not go with you in spirit when someone left his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept money and to accept clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves?27Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you, and to your descendants forever.” So he left his presence leprous, as white as snow.
New Testament in Four Years - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
5. The Coming of the Lord
16Rejoice always,17pray without ceasing,18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.19Do not quench the Spirit.20Do not despise the words of prophets,21but test everything; hold fast to what is good;22abstain from every form of evil.Psalm a Day - Psalm 121
121. Psalm 121
Psalm 121
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
2
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.