Daily Bible Notes: December, 6th
The following daily bible notes for every day of the year, are taken from six public domain sources:
- "Morning and Evening" by Charles H.Spurgeon
- "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by John H.Jowett
- "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
- "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by Charles H.Spurgeon
- "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan
- An Evening Meditation from "Searchlights from the Word" by G. Campbell Morgan
1. "Morning and Evening" by C.H.Spurgeon
Morning
As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1 Corinthians 15:48
The head and members are of one nature, and not like that monstrous image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The head was of fine gold, but the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet, part of iron and part of clay. Christ’s mystical body is no absurd combination of opposites; the members were mortal, and therefore Jesus died; the glorified head is immortal, and therefore the body is immortal too, for thus the record stands, "Because I live, ye shall live also." As is our loving Head, such is the body, and every member in particular. A chosen Head and chosen members; an accepted Head, and accepted members; a living Head, and living members. If the head be pure gold, all the parts of the body are of pure gold also. Thus is there a double union of nature as a basis for the closest communion. Pause here, devout reader, and see if thou canst without ecstatic amazement, contemplate the infinite condescension of the Son of God in thus exalting thy wretchedness into blessed union with His glory. Thou art so mean that in remembrance of thy mortality, thou mayest say to corruption, "Thou art my father," and to the worm, "Thou art my sister"; and yet in Christ thou art so honoured that thou canst say to the Almighty, "Abba, Father," and to the Incarnate God, "Thou art my brother and my husband." Surely if relationships to ancient and noble families make men think highly of themselves, we have whereof to glory over the heads of them all. Let the poorest and most despised believer lay hold upon this privilege; let not a senseless indolence make him negligent to trace his pedigree, and let him suffer no foolish attachment to present vanities to occupy his thoughts to the exclusion of this glorious, this heavenly honour of union with Christ.
Evening
Girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Revelation 1:13
One like unto the Son of Man" appeared to John in Patmos, and the beloved disciple marked that He wore a girdle of gold. A girdle , for Jesus never was ungirt while upon earth, but stood always ready for service, and now before the eternal throne He stays not is holy ministry, but as a priest is girt about with "the curious girdle of the ephod." Well it is for us that He has not ceased to fulfil His offices of love for us, since this is one of our choicest safeguards that He ever liveth to make intercession for us.
Jesus is never an idler; His garments are never loose as though His offices were ended; He diligently carries on the cause of His people. A golden girdle , to manifest the superiority of His service, the royalty of His person, the dignity of His state, the glory of His reward. No longer does He cry out of the dust, but He pleads with authority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause in the hands of our enthroned Melchisedek.
Our Lord presents all His people with an example. We must never unbind our girdles. This is not the time for lying down at ease, it is the season of service and warfare. We need to bind the girdle of truth more and more tightly around our loins. It is a golden girdle, and so will be our richest ornament, and we greatly need it, for a heart that is not well braced up with the truth as it is in Jesus, and with the fidelity which is wrought of the Spirit, will be easily entangled with the things of this life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It is in vain that we possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us like a girdle, surrounding our entire nature, keeping each part of our character in order, and giving compactness to our whole man. If in heaven Jesus unbinds not the girdle, much less may we upon earth. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
1 Chronicles 17:16-27
16 Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD; and he said, "Who am I, LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far?
17 This was a small thing in your eyes, God; but you have spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have respected me according to the standard of a man of high degree, LORD God.
18 What can David say yet more to you concerning the honour which is done to your servant? For you know your servant.
19 LORD, for your servant's sake, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things.
20 LORD, there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21 What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeem out of Egypt?
22 For you made your people Israel your own people forever; and you, LORD, became their God.
23 Now, LORD, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you have spoken.
24 Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of Armies is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel. The house of David your servant is established before you.'
25 For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you.
26 Now, LORD, you are God, and have promised this good thing to your servant.
27 Now it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, LORD, have blessed, and it is blessed forever."
THE GRACE OF LOWLINESS
It is by such lowliness that we arrive at our true sovereignty. All spiritual treasures are hidden along the ways of humility, and it is meekness which discovers them. The uplifted head of pride overlooks them, and its "finds" are only pleasure of the passing day.
Lowliness is the secret of spiritual perceptiveness. I find my sight in lowly places. The Sacred Word speaks of "the valley of vision." I usually associate vision and outlook with mountain summits, but in spiritual realms the very capacity to use the heights is acquired in the vale.
Lowliness is the secret of spiritual roominess. It is only the humble man who has any room for the Lord. All the chambers in the proud man's soul are thronged with self-conceits, and God is crowded out. Our Lord always finds ample room for Himself wherever the heart bows in humility and says: "I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
December 6th.
Almighty God, wilt Thou give me entrance into the heavenly places? May I walk in the light of Heaven! May I breathe
its atmosphere, and engage in its services! May I taste of its joy, and be a sharer in its peace! May my citizenship be in Heaven!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isaiah 43:2
Bridge there is none: we must go through the waters, and feel the rush of the rivers. The presence of God in the flood is better than a ferry-boat. Tried we must be, but triumphant we shall be; for Jehovah himself, who is mightier than many waters, shall be with us. Whenever else he may be away from his people, the Lord will surely be with them in difficulties and dangers. The sorrows of life may rise to an extraordinary height, but the Lord is equal to every occasion.
The enemies of God can put in our way dangers of their own making, namely, persecutions and cruel mockings, which are like a burning fiery furnace. What then? We shall walk through the fires. God being with us, we shall not be burned; nay, not even the smell of fire shall remain upon us.
Oh, the wonderful security of the heaven-born and heaven-bound pilgrim! Floods cannot drown him, nor fires burn him. Thy presence, O Lord, is the protection of thy saints from the varied perils of the road. Behold, in faith I commit myself unto thee, and my spirit enters into rest.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Whosever thou art that judgest ... thou condemnest thyself.
Romans 2:1
Job's judges and Christ's critics are on a level, and they are on a level with every one of us who tries to pass his sentences upon his fellow-men.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
Revelation 3:20
These words, of which such constant use has been made in evangelistic work, had their first application to a church; and while the other use may not be wholly unjustified, this is their true one. The words suggest two things full of solemnity. The first is that they show that it is possible for a Christian church still to exist in outward form, while yet it has excluded the Lord from its very life. Moreover, such a church may be perfectly satisfied with itself, for it may be saying: "I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing." It is more than probable also that other churches might consider it to be an influential church, if we are to judge by the way that word influential is often used today. Can anything be more ghastly? A church organized and busy, but Christless! The condition of such a church is that of tepidity, a condition so loathsome to the Lord that of it He says: "I will spew thee out of My mouth." All that leads to and emphasizes the second suggestion of these words. It is that, even in the case of such a church, He is still the patient and compassionate One. He waits at the door, and knocking, seeks re-admission, able and willing to bring to the church again all the true wealth. He stands waiting, offering such a church the hospitality of His love, and seeking that of her welcome. Oh, the poverty of the church from which He is excluded, whatever her worldly wealth and position may be; and oh, the wealth of the church where He is present and rules, whatever her material poverty may be!
Note: To the best of our knowledge we are of the understanding that the above material, all published before 1926 and freely available elsewhere on the internet in various formats, is in the public domain.