Every Day Will I Bless Thee Online
My book of meditations, first published in 1998, has been out of print for a few years. It’s going back into print this year, and we’ve taken some advance orders, but meanwhile I’m pleased to say that we have uploaded all the meditations to this website, and they are available to read right now. In fact, they’ve been available for several weeks already, but I just haven’t gotten around to announcing it. If you look at the top of this page, or the top of the home page, you’ll see several subheadings, and second from the right you’ll see “Daily Devotions.” Hover over that and you’ll see the seasons of the year. Click on the season you want and you’ll see listed each week of the season. Scroll down and click on the week you want, and you’ll see the Psalm of the week, and then each day of the week. Click on the day, and there you’ll see the reading printed out, followed by the meditation. It’s all there! If you know what day of the church year it is, you can always find a meditation for that day.
So, for today, you’d go to the Trinity season, then to Trinity IX, and then to Monday of Trinity IX, and voila! Here’s what you see:
Monday of Trinity IX
Psalm 54
Reading: II Corinthians 8:1–24 or 8:1–9
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.
Meditation: The poor at Jerusalem were in great need, so part of the reason for Paul’s journey was to take a collection for them. These poor were held in highest regard by the Apostle, for they were suffering on account of their steadfast faith, even as Christ Himself had suffered at Jerusalem on account of His Gospel. Therefore the Macedonians, in giving alms for them at great cost to themselves, were proving thereby that they too held the faithful poor in high regard. Thus now he encourages also Corinth, not by commandment, but, he says,Testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. The evidence of the Macedonians’ faith was seen in their own selfless expression of love for the faithful poor; even as Christ Himself was selfless: who, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. Now His riches are not earthly but heavenly; therefore who will hoard earthly riches? He can hardly desire also the heavenly.