Meditate
with a daily devotion
Daily Light's Morning Reading
Our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep.—HEB. 13:20.
The chief Shepherd.—I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
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.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.—I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.—I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.—Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
I Pet. 5:4. -John 10:14,27,28.Psa. 23:1-3.Isa. 53:6. -John 10:11. -Ezek. 34:16. -I Pet. 2:25.
Spurgeon's Morning Reading
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”
Psalm 55:22
Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy he will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to his plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding upon his province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are “careful for nothing” because he undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”
Old Testament Chapter a Day - Leviticus 22
22. Unacceptable Sacrifices
The Use of Holy Offerings
22
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2Direct Aaron and his sons to deal carefully with the sacred donations of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name; I am the Lord.3Say to them: If anyone among all your offspring throughout your generations comes near the sacred donations, which the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he is in a state of uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.4No one of Aaron’s offspring who has a leprous disease or suffers a discharge may eat of the sacred donations until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man who has had an emission of semen,5and whoever touches any swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or any human being by whom he may be made unclean—whatever his uncleanness may be—6the person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the sacred donations unless he has washed his body in water.7When the sun sets he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food.8That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the Lord.9They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur guilt and die in the sanctuary for having profaned it: I am the Lord; I sanctify them.
10 No lay person shall eat of the sacred donations. No bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred donations;11but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the person may eat of them; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.12If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the sacred donations;13but if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, without offspring, and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food. No lay person shall eat of it.14If a man eats of the sacred donation unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it, and give the sacred donation to the priest.15No one shall profane the sacred donations of the people of Israel, which they offer to the Lord,16causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their sacred donations: for I am the Lord; I sanctify them.
Acceptable Offerings
17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:18Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them: When anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens residing in Israel presents an offering, whether in payment of a vow or as a freewill offering that is offered to the Lord as a burnt offering,19to be acceptable in your behalf it shall be a male without blemish, of the cattle or the sheep or the goats.20You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable in your behalf.
21 When anyone offers a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd or from the flock, to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.22Anything blind, or injured, or maimed, or having a discharge or an itch or scabs—these you shall not offer to the Lord or put any of them on the altar as offerings by fire to the Lord.23An ox or a lamb that has a limb too long or too short you may present for a freewill offering; but it will not be accepted for a vow.24Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the Lord; such you shall not do within your land,25nor shall you accept any such animals from a foreigner to offer as food to your God; since they are mutilated, with a blemish in them, they shall not be accepted in your behalf.
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:27When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as the Lord’s offering by fire.28But you shall not slaughter, from the herd or the flock, an animal with its young on the same day.29When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that it may be acceptable in your behalf.30It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall not leave any of it until morning: I am the Lord.
31 Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe them: I am the Lord.32You shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel: I am the Lord; I sanctify you,33I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord.
New Testament in Four Years - 1 Corinthians 7:36-40
7. Sexual Immorality and Marriage
36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his fiancée, if his passions are strong, and so it has to be, let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry.37But if someone stands firm in his resolve, being under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiancée, he will do well.38So then, he who marries his fiancée does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.
39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord.40But in my judgment she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Psalm a Day - Psalm 109:1-15
109. Psalm 109
Psalm 109
Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1
Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3
They beset me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4
In return for my love they accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.
5
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6
They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand on his right.
7
When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8
May his days be few;
may another seize his position.
9
May his children be orphans,
and his wife a widow.
10
May his children wander about and beg;
may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11
May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12
May there be no one to do him a kindness,
nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13
May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14
May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord,
and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15
Let them be before the Lord continually,
and may his memory be cut off from the earth.