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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
January 21: Morning
"And so all Israel shall be saved." - Romans 11:26
Then Moses sang at the Red Sea, it was his joy to know that all Israel were safe. Not a drop of spray fell from that solid wall until the last of God's Israel had safely planted his foot on the other side the flood. That done, immediately the floods dissolved into their proper place again, but not till then. Part of that song was, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed." In the last time, when the elect shall sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lamb, it shall be the boast of Jesus, "Of all whom thou hast given me, I have lost none." In heaven there shall not be a vacant throne.
"For all the chosen race
Shall meet around the throne,
Shall bless the conduct of his grace,
And make his glories known."
As many as God hath chosen, as many as Christ hath redeemed, as many as the Spirit hath called, as many as believe in Jesus, shall safely cross the dividing sea. We are not all safely landed yet:
"Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now."
The vanguard of the army has already reached the shore. We are marching through the depths; we are at this day following hard after our Leader into the heart of the sea. Let us be of good cheer: the rear-guard shall soon be where the vanguard already is; the last of the chosen ones shall soon have crossed the sea, and then shall be heard the song of triumph, when all are secure. But oh! if one were absent--oh! if one of his chosen family should be cast away--it would make an everlasting discord in the song of the redeemed, and cut the strings of the harps of paradise, so that music could never be extorted from them.
"For all the chosen race
Shall meet around the throne,
Shall bless the conduct of his grace,
And make his glories known."
As many as God hath chosen, as many as Christ hath redeemed, as many as the Spirit hath called, as many as believe in Jesus, shall safely cross the dividing sea. We are not all safely landed yet:
"Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now."
The vanguard of the army has already reached the shore. We are marching through the depths; we are at this day following hard after our Leader into the heart of the sea. Let us be of good cheer: the rear-guard shall soon be where the vanguard already is; the last of the chosen ones shall soon have crossed the sea, and then shall be heard the song of triumph, when all are secure. But oh! if one were absent--oh! if one of his chosen family should be cast away--it would make an everlasting discord in the song of the redeemed, and cut the strings of the harps of paradise, so that music could never be extorted from them.
Evening
"He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst?" - Judges 15:18
Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes "halting on his thigh!" Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said, "I have slain a thousand men." His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people. Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, "I am this day weak, though anointed king." You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.
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Ehud
[Ē'hŭd] - strong or union.
1. The son of Bilhan, great-grandson of Benjamin (1 Chron. 7:10; 1 Chron. 8:6).
2. The son of Gera, the second judge of Israel (Judg. 3:15-26; Judg. 4:1).
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Greetings from Bible Gateway! We hope your year is off to a good start. We've got two exciting new items to announce, so without further ado, let's get to the news.
Girlfriends in God: everyday insight for women
Looking for some Biblical inspiration and insight to brighten your day? We're thrilled to announce a new email devotional at Bible Gateway: Girlfriends in God ! Girlfriends in God is a weekday devotional that aims to build up women in their everyday Christian walk. You can sign up at our Newsletters page, or by clicking "Manage Subscriptions" at the very bottom of this email and selecting the Girlfriends in God checkbox.
The Girlfriends in God devotional ministry is built on their belief that just as God sent Ruth to Naomi and Mary to Elizabeth, God continues to use women to encourage and equip other women in their spiritual journey. Each devotional contains a Scripture passage, a short reflection and prayer, and several thought-provoking questions that encourage you to apply the teachings of Scripture to your own unique circumstances. We're very excited to add it to our library of email newsletters and devotionals.
The devotional begins on Monday, January 24, so sign up now!
NLT Verse of the Day now available
Our Verse of the Day email is now available in the New Living Translation (NLT)!
As with the Girlfriends in God devotional, you can sign up for the NLT Verse of the Day at our Newsletters page or by clicking "Manage Subscriptions" below. If you currently subscribe to one of our other Verse of the Day emails and want to switch to the NLT version, just select or unselect the appropriate checkboxes.
Since we launched our Verse of the Day email last year, we've received many requests to make it available in different Bible versions. It's currently available in the NIV, KJV, and the Spanish Nueva Versión Internacional; and the new NLT Verse of the Day email newsletter adds another popular and highly readable Bible version to the mix.
That's all the news for today! We hope you'll enjoy these two new resources--don't hesitate to let us know what you think, or to tell us what other email resources you'd like to see in the future.
Sincerely,
The Bible Gateway team
Girlfriends in God: everyday insight for women
Looking for some Biblical inspiration and insight to brighten your day? We're thrilled to announce a new email devotional at Bible Gateway: Girlfriends in God ! Girlfriends in God is a weekday devotional that aims to build up women in their everyday Christian walk. You can sign up at our Newsletters page, or by clicking "Manage Subscriptions" at the very bottom of this email and selecting the Girlfriends in God checkbox.
The Girlfriends in God devotional ministry is built on their belief that just as God sent Ruth to Naomi and Mary to Elizabeth, God continues to use women to encourage and equip other women in their spiritual journey. Each devotional contains a Scripture passage, a short reflection and prayer, and several thought-provoking questions that encourage you to apply the teachings of Scripture to your own unique circumstances. We're very excited to add it to our library of email newsletters and devotionals.
The devotional begins on Monday, January 24, so sign up now!
NLT Verse of the Day now available
Our Verse of the Day email is now available in the New Living Translation (NLT)!
As with the Girlfriends in God devotional, you can sign up for the NLT Verse of the Day at our Newsletters page or by clicking "Manage Subscriptions" below. If you currently subscribe to one of our other Verse of the Day emails and want to switch to the NLT version, just select or unselect the appropriate checkboxes.
Since we launched our Verse of the Day email last year, we've received many requests to make it available in different Bible versions. It's currently available in the NIV, KJV, and the Spanish Nueva Versión Internacional; and the new NLT Verse of the Day email newsletter adds another popular and highly readable Bible version to the mix.
That's all the news for today! We hope you'll enjoy these two new resources--don't hesitate to let us know what you think, or to tell us what other email resources you'd like to see in the future.
Sincerely,
The Bible Gateway team
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Today's reading: Exodus 1-3, Matthew 14:1-21 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Exodus 1-3
The Israelites Oppressed
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country...."
Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 14:1-21
John the Baptist Beheaded
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus....
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