Daily Bible Notes: December, 20th
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
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3
Sometimes the Lord Jesus tells His Church His love thoughts. "He does not think it enough behind her back to tell it, but in her very presence He says, ‘Thou art all fair, my love.’ It is true, this is not His ordinary method; He is a wise lover, and knows when to keep back the intimation of love and when to let it out; but there are times when He will make no secret of it; times when He will put it beyond all dispute in the souls of His people" (R. Erskine’s Sermons). The Holy Spirit is often pleased, in a most gracious manner, to witness with our spirits of the love of Jesus. He takes of the things of Christ and reveals them unto us. No voice is heard from the clouds, and no vision is seen in the night, but we have a testimony more sure than either of these. If an angel should fly from heaven and inform the saint personally of the Saviour’s love to him, the evidence would not be one whit more satisfactory than that which is borne in the heart by the Holy Ghost. Ask those of the Lord’s people who have lived the nearest to the gates of heaven, and they will tell you that they have had seasons when the love of Christ towards them has been a fact so clear and sure, that they could no more doubt it than they could question their own existence. Yes, beloved believer, you and I have had times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and then our faith has mounted to the topmost heights of assurance. We have had confidence to lean our heads upon the bosom of our Lord, and we have no more questioned our Master’s affection to us than John did when in that blessed posture; nay, nor so much: for the dark question, "Lord, is it I that shall betray thee?" has been put far from us. He has kissed us with the kisses of His mouth, and killed our doubts by the closeness of His embrace. His love has been sweeter than wine to our souls.
Evening
Call thy labourers, and give them their hire.
Matthew 20:8
God is a good paymaster; He pays His servants while at work as well as when they have done it; and one of His payments is this: an easy conscience . If you have spoken faithfully of Jesus to one person, when you go to bed at night you feel happy in thinking, "I have this day discharged my conscience of that man’s blood." There is a great comfort in doing something for Jesus . Oh, what a happiness to place jewels in His crown, and give Him to see of the travail of His soul! There is also very great reward in watching the first buddings of conviction in a soul ! To say of that girl in the class, "She is tender of heart, I do hope that there is the Lord’s work within." To go home and pray over that boy, who said something in the afternoon which made you think he must know more of divine truth than you had feared! Oh, the joy of hope! But as for the joy of success ! it is unspeakable. This joy, overwhelming as it is, is a hungry thing - you pine for more of it. To be a soul-winner is the happiest thing in the world. With every soul you bring to Christ, you get a new heaven upon earth. But who can conceive the bliss which awaits us above! Oh, how sweet is that sentence, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord !" Do you know what the joy of Christ is over a saved sinner? This is the very joy which we are to possess in heaven. Yes, when He mounts the throne, you shall mount with Him. When the heavens ring with "Well done, well done," you shall partake in the reward; you have toiled with Him, you have suffered with Him, you shall now reign with Him; you have sown with Him, you shall reap with Him; your face was covered with sweat like His, and your soul was grieved for the sins of men as His soul was, now shall your face be bright with heaven’s splendour as is His countenance, and now shall your soul be filled with beatific joys even as His soul is.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
John 1:1-14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.
6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.
9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn't recognise him.
11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him.
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:
13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word became flesh, and lived amongst us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
THE COMING OF THE LORD
My Lord came as "the word." He came as the expression of the mind of the eternal God. Ordinary words could not have carried the "good news." Ordinary language was an altogether inadequate vessel for this new wine. And so the mighty news was spoken in the incarnation of the Lord.
My Lord came as "life." "In Him was life." But not a mere cupful of life, or even a cup running over. He came as "the fountain of life." Nay, if I had the requisite word I must get even behind and beyond this. For He was the Creator of fountains. "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well." Yes, He was the fountain of fountains!
The Lord came as "light." "The life was the light." True light is always the child of life. Our clearest light comes not from speech or doctrine, still less does it emerge from controversy. It is the fine, subtle issue of fine living. And my light is to "shine before men" by reason of the indwelling life of the Christ.
And my Lord came as "power." "To them gave He power." All the power I need for a full, holy, healthy life I can find in Him. Every obligation has its corresponding inspiration, and I am competent to do His will.
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
December 20th.
My risen Lord, on this day may I be reminded of Thy crucifixion! May I bear about in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus!
May Thy sufferings and Thy death add solemnity and seriousness to my life I May I go softly all my days!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be
made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast
feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
Isaiah 51:12, 13
Let the text itself be taken as the portion for to-day. There is no need to enlarge upon it. Trembling one, read it, believe it, feed on it, and plead it before the Lord. He whom you fear is only a man after all; while he who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the Creator of heaven and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very limited danger.
"Where is the fury of the oppressor? "It is in the Lord's hand. It is only the fury of a dying creature; fury which will end as soon as the breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we stand in awe of one who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonour our God by making a god of puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to him excessive fear as well as by paying him inordinate love. Let us treat men as men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in the path of duty, fearing the Lord, and fearing nobody else.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Galatians 6:8
So many live as though the whole purpose of life were realised in the little day on earth. Yet men know that it is not so, that this passing life is preparatory and probationary. today men sow, tomorrow they reap. The reaping depends upon the sowing.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Mystery, Babylon the great, the Mother of the harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.
Revelation 17:5
This chapter and the next constitute an interlude of interpretation dealing with the mystery of Babylon. It is represented under the figure of a woman upon whose forehead these revealing words are branded. The first word, Mystery, suggests the subtlety and spiritual nature of that which is in mind. Babylon stands for the whole system of organized godlessness in the history of the human race. It emerged into manifested activity as Babel when men organized to defeat the purposes of God. It is a spirit of evil, the mystery of lawlessness, which has been at work through every age. It has had countless manifestations, but its genius has been ever the same. It is described as the mother of harlots, in harmony with the unvarying method of Scripture, which ever refers to the departure of men from the true God to the worship of every form of idols, under that figure. This evil spirit, this mystery of iniquity, has been constantly garbed in the things of material splendour; "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls." This has been the method by which it has deceived the hearts of men. But she is the mother "of the abominations of the earth." All the things of vileness, of corruption, of cruelty, of tyranny, are her spawn. John saw her "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." This is the evil thing against which God, through the Lamb, proceeds in wrath.
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.