January 6: Morning
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - 1 Peter 5:7
It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel--"HE careth for me." Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to
"Lie passive in God's hands,
And know no will but his."
O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in his providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, his heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of his family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not his grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that he loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.
Evening
"Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening." -Ezekiel 33:22
In the way of judgment this may be the case, and, if so, be it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear the rod and him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward towards eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why his healing hand should be laid upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand which bears the earth's huge pillars up can sustain my spirit; the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea, that Jesus' hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of God.
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Meshullam
[Mēshŭl'lam] - associate or a friend.
1. An ancestor of Shaphan, the scribe of King Josiah's time (2 Kings 22:3).
2. A son of Zerubbabel and descendant of Jeconiah, son of King Jehoiakim (1 Chron. 3:19).
3. A leading man among the Gadites in the reign of Jothan (1 Chron. 5:13).
4. A Benjamite, descended from Shaharaim through Elpaal (1 Chron. 8:17).
5. A Benjamite, father of Sallu, who dwelt in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 9:7; Neh. 11:7).
6. Another Benjamite, son of Shephathiah, also of Jerusalem (1 Chron. 9:8).
7. A priest, son of Zadok and father of the high priest, Hilkiah, who lived in Josiah's reign (1 Chron. 9:11; Neh. 11:11).
8. A priest, son of Mishilemith of the house of Immer (1 Chron. 9:12).
9. A Kohathite Levite who, with others, superintended the repair of the Temple in Josiah's time (2 Chron. 34:12).
10. A chief man who, with others, returned from exile with Ezra (Ezra 8:16).
11. One who assisted in the numbering of those who had married foreign wives (Ezra 10:15).
12. A son of Bani who had married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:29).
13. A son of Berechiah who helped to repair two portions of the wall (Neh. 3:4, 30; 6:18).
14. The son of Besodeiah who also repaired a part of the city wall (Neh. 3:6).
15. A prince or priest who stood beside Ezra as he read and explained the Law (Neh. 8:4).
16. A priest who, on behalf of his father's house, signed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. 10:7).
17. A chief of the people who also signed the covenant (Neh. 10:20).
18. A priest of the family of Ezra who assisted at the dedication of the wall (Neh. 12:13, 33).
19. Another priest, head of his father Ginnethon's house, in the days of Joiakim the priest (Neh. 12:16).
20. A Levite, and sanctuary porter after the exile (Neh. 12:25)
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Today's reading: Genesis 16-17, Matthew 5:27-48 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Genesis 16-17
Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
...read the rest on Bible Gateway
Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 5:27-48
Adultery
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
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