Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Morning Reading
Christ, who is the image of God.—II COR. 4:4.
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.—No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.—He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.—The brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.—God was manifest in the flesh.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.—Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Isa. 40:5. -John 1:18,14. -John 14:9. -Heb. 1:3. -I Tim. 3:16.Col. 1:14,15. -Rom. 8:29.I Cor. 15:49.
Spurgeon's Morning Reading
“Exceeding great and precious promises.”
2 Peter 1:4
If you would know experimentally the preciousness of the promises, and enjoy them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises which are like grapes in the wine-press; if you will tread them the juice will flow. Thinking over the hallowed words will often be the prelude to their fulfilment. While you are musing upon them, the boon which you are seeking will insensibly come to you. Many a Christian who has thirsted for the promise has found the favour which it ensured gently distilling into his soul even while he has been considering the divine record; and he has rejoiced that ever he was led to lay the promise near his heart.
But besides meditating upon the promises, seek in thy soul to receive them as being the very words of God. Speak to thy soul thus, “If I were dealing with a man’s promise, I should carefully consider the ability and the character of the man who had covenanted with me. So with the promise of God; my eye must not be so much fixed upon the greatness of the mercy—that may stagger me; as upon the greatness of the promiser—that will cheer me. My soul, it is God, even thy God, God that cannot lie, who speaks to thee. This word of his which thou art now considering is as true as his own existence. He is a God unchangeable. He has not altered the thing which has gone out of his mouth, nor called back one single consolatory sentence. Nor doth he lack any power; it is the God that made the heavens and the earth who has spoken thus. Nor can he fail in wisdom as to the time when he will bestow the favours, for he knoweth when it is best to give and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I will and must believe the promise.” If we thus meditate upon the promises, and consider the Promiser, we shall experience their sweetness, and obtain their fulfilment.
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Deuteronomy 20
20. Going to War
Rules of Warfare
20
When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots, an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.2Before you engage in battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the troops,3and shall say to them: “Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them;4for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory.”5Then the officials shall address the troops, saying, “Has anyone built a new house but not dedicated it? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another dedicate it.6Has anyone planted a vineyard but not yet enjoyed its fruit? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another be first to enjoy its fruit.7Has anyone become engaged to a woman but not yet married her? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another marry her.”8The officials shall continue to address the troops, saying, “Is anyone afraid or disheartened? He should go back to his house, or he might cause the heart of his comrades to melt like his own.”9When the officials have finished addressing the troops, then the commanders shall take charge of them.
10 When you draw near to a town to fight against it, offer it terms of peace.11If it accepts your terms of peace and surrenders to you, then all the people in it shall serve you at forced labor.12If it does not submit to you peacefully, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it;13and when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword.14You may, however, take as your booty the women, the children, livestock, and everything else in the town, all its spoil. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you.15Thus you shall treat all the towns that are very far from you, which are not towns of the nations here.16But as for the towns of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not let anything that breathes remain alive.17You shall annihilate them—the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—just as the Lord your God has commanded,18so that they may not teach you to do all the abhorrent things that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the Lord your God.
19 If you besiege a town for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down. Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you?20You may destroy only the trees that you know do not produce food; you may cut them down for use in building siegeworks against the town that makes war with you, until it falls.
New Testament in Four Years - 2 Corinthians 6:11-13
6. Reconciliation
11 We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you.12There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours.13In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 9
9. Psalm 9
Psalm 9
God’s Power and Justice
To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3
When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.
4
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5
You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6
The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7
But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.
8
He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.
9
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13
Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14
so that I may recount all your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.
15
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16
The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.Higgaion. Selah
17
The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
18
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19
Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.
20
Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human.Selah