Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Morning Reading
He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.—JOB 23:10.
He knoweth our frame.—He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.—I . . . will refine them as silver is refined, . . . they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God.
Psa. 103:14. -Lam. 3:33.II Tim. 2:19-21.Mal. 3:3. -Zech. 13:9.
Spurgeon's Morning Reading
“Sing forth the honour of his name, make his praise glorious.”
Psalm 66:2
It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day. It is true we have no authoritative rubric for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving: but the law written upon the heart teaches us that it is right to praise God; and the unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone, or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian’s duty to praise God. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute obligation of his life. Think not ye who are always mourning, that ye are guiltless in this respect, or imagine that ye can discharge your duty to your God without songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of his love to bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in your mouth, for you are blessed, in order that you may bless him; “this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise”; and if you do not praise God, you are not bringing forth the fruit which he, as the Divine Husbandman, has a right to expect at your hands. Let not your harp then hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive, with a grateful heart, to bring forth its loudest music. Arise and chant his praise. With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will hearken from heaven and accept your music.
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“E'en so I love thee, and will love, And in thy praise will sing, Because thou art my loving God, And my redeeming King.” |
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Lamentations 5
5. Appeal for God's Forgiveness
A Plea for Mercy
5
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
look, and see our disgrace!
2
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our homes to aliens.
3
We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are like widows.
4
We must pay for the water we drink;
the wood we get must be bought.
5
With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven;
we are weary, we are given no rest.
6
We have made a pact with Egypt and Assyria,
to get enough bread.
7
Our ancestors sinned; they are no more,
and we bear their iniquities.
8
Slaves rule over us;
there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
9
We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness.
10
Our skin is black as an oven
from the scorching heat of famine.
11
Women are raped in Zion,
virgins in the towns of Judah.
12
Princes are hung up by their hands;
no respect is shown to the elders.
13
Young men are compelled to grind,
and boys stagger under loads of wood.
14
The old men have left the city gate,
the young men their music.
15
The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16
The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
17
Because of this our hearts are sick,
because of these things our eyes have grown dim:
18
because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.
19
But you, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures to all generations.
20
Why have you forgotten us completely?
Why have you forsaken us these many days?
21
Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored;
renew our days as of old—
22
unless you have utterly rejected us,
and are angry with us beyond measure.
New Testament in Four Years - Acts 2:36-41
2. Pentecost
36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
The First Converts
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”38Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”40And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”41So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 68:1-18
68. Psalm 68
Psalm 68
Praise and Thanksgiving
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1
Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3
But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
4
Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
5
Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6
God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7
O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,Selah
8
the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9
Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
10
your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11
The Lord gives the command;
great is the company of those who bore the tidings:
12
“The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil,
13
though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.
14
When the Almighty scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.
15
O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16
Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside forever?
17
With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.
18
You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.