June 20

Morning

For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground. — Amos 9:9 BSB

Every trial and testing comes by divine command and permission. Satan must first ask for permission before he can lay a finger on Job. Indeed, in a profound sense, our siftings are part of heaven’s work, for the Scripture says, “I will sift the house of Israel.” Satan, like a laborer, may hold the sieve, hoping to destroy the grain, but the Master’s sovereign hand is using the very process to purify the grain, turning the enemy’s efforts to His glory.

Precious but much-sifted grain of the Lord’s floor, be comforted by the fact that the Lord directs both the flail and the sieve for His own glory and your eternal good. The Lord Jesus will use His fan and separate the precious from the worthless. Not all who are of Israel truly belong to Israel; the heap on the barn floor is not yet clean. Therefore, the winnowing must be done. In the sieve, only true weight matters. The husks and chaff, being empty and without substance, will be blown away, but the solid grain will remain.

Take note of the complete safety of the Lord’s wheat; not even the smallest grain will be lost. God Himself does the sifting, and His work is always just and effective. He sifts His people in every place, “among all nations.” He does it thoroughly, “as grain is sifted in a sieve,” and yet, for all of this, not the smallest, lightest, or most shriveled grain will fall to the ground.

Every believer is precious in the eyes of the Lord. A shepherd would not lose a single sheep, a jeweler would not lose one diamond, a mother would not lose one child, and a man would not lose a single limb. In the same way, the Lord will not lose one of His redeemed. However small we may be, if we belong to the Lord, we can rejoice that we are preserved in Christ Jesus.

Evening

And at once they left their nets and followed Him. — Mark 1:18 BSB

When Simon and Andrew heard the call of Jesus, they obeyed immediately, without hesitation. If we would always act with the same promptness and resolute zeal, applying what we hear as soon as possible or at the first opportunity, our time in worship and our reading of good books would enrich us spiritually. The one who eats his bread as soon as it is offered will not lose it, and the one who acts upon the doctrine he receives cannot be deprived of its benefit.

Most readers and hearers of the Word are moved enough to resolve to make changes, but too often these resolutions are like blossoms that never bear fruit. They hesitate, they delay, and then they forget—like ponds that thaw during the day but freeze over again at night.

That fatal "tomorrow" has been stained red with the blood of countless good intentions. It is the graveyard of innocent resolutions. We are deeply concerned that these evening readings should not be fruitless, so we pray that readers will not only read but also put the Word into practice. The most profitable reading is that which leads to action. If any duty presses on your heart while reading these pages, don’t delay—act on it while your heart is still warmed. Leave your nets, and all that you have, rather than resist the Master’s call. Don’t give the devil a foothold by delaying! Seize the moment when opportunity and conviction are joined. Don’t let yourself be ensnared by the world—break free from its entanglements.

Happy is the writer who meets readers determined to put his teachings into practice. His harvest will be a hundredfold, and his Master will be greatly honored. May this be the outcome of these brief meditations. Grant it, Lord, to Your servant!