Daily Bible Notes: January, 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
Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7
It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel -"HE careth for me." Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to "Lie passive in God’s hands, And know no will but His."
O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of His family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart.
Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.
Evening
Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening.
Ezekiel 33:22
In the way of judgment this may be the case, and, if so, be it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear the rod and Him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward towards eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand which bears the earth’s huge pillars up can sustain my spirit; the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea, that Jesu’s hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of God.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Psalms 105:1-15
1 Give thanks to the LORD! Call on his name! Make his doings known amongst the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvellous works.
3 Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength. Seek his face forever more.
5 Remember his marvellous works that he has done: his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth,
6 you offspring of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD, our God. His judgements are in all the earth.
8 He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,
9 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac,
10 and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute; to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance,"
12 when they were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners in it.
13 They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.
14 He allowed no one to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes,
15 "Don't touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!"
"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS"
"Count your blessings!" Yes, but over what area shall I look for them? There is my personal life. Let me search in every corner. I have found forget-me-nots on many a rutty road. I have found wild-roses behind a barricade of nettles. Professor Miall has a lecture on "The Botany of a Railway Station." He found something graceful and exquisite in the midst of its soot and grime. So I must look even in the dark patches of life, among my disappointments and defeats, and even there I shall find tokens of the Lord's presence, some flowers of His planting.
And there is my share in the life of the nation. "Ye seed of Abraham His servant, ye children of Jacob His chosen." There are hands that stretch out to me from past days, laden with bequests of privilege and freedom. Our feet "stand in a large place," and the place was cleared by the fidelity and the courage of the men of old. I have countless blessings that were bought with blood. The red marks of sacrifice are over all my daily ways. Let me not take the inheritance and overlook the blood marks, and stride about as though it were nought but common ground. Mercies abound on every hand! "Count your blessings!"
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
January 6th.
Holy Spirit, wilt Thou be my Redeemer to-day? Show me things that are now concealed! Give me glimpses of unexpected glory! Lead
me into the truth! May I find delight in my Lord's commandments! May I be an eager disciple in the school of Christ!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Yea, I will help thee!
Isaiah 41:10
Yesterday's promise secured us strength for what we have to do, but this guarantees us aid in cases where we cannot act alone. The Lord says, "I will help thee." Strength within is supplemented by help without. God can raise us up allies in our warfare if so it seems good in his sight; and even if he does not send us human assistance, he himself will be at our side, and this is better still. "Our August Ally" is better than legions of mortal helpers.
His help is timely: he is a very present help in time of trouble. His help is very wise: he knows how to give each man help meet and fit for him. His help is most effectual, though vain is the help of man. His help is more than help, for he bears all the burden, and supplies all the need. "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me."
Because he has already been our help, we feel confidence in him for the present and the future. Our prayer is, "Lord, be thou my helper"; our experience is, "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities"; our expectation is, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, whence cometh my help"; and our song soon will be, "Thou, Lord, hast holpen me."
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
John 7:37
Whenever the thirst comes, go to Him; He will quench it. You will never come to Him with an honest thirst that He cannot quench; and when He quenches thirst, it will not be simply the satisfaction of the present moment, but, filling and flooding you, the river will rush to bless someone else.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Thy Father Which seeth in secret.
Matthew 6:4
That is in some sense the central light upon a section of our Lord's ethical teaching. He had warned His disciples against doing righteousness to be seen of men; and He applied that warning in the matters of alms, prayer, and fasting. The one conditioning motive in each case must be that of the Divine approval. This being so, we are to remember that our Father seeth in secret. In this assurance there is great solemnity, and great comfort. The solemnity is created as we remember His holiness. Nothing can be hidden from the eyes of eternal Purity. He knows why we give or pray or fast. We may deceive others, and unless we are ever conscious of the watching eyes of God, we may deceive ourselves. Him we cannot so deceive. All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do. All this is most solemnizing, and yet its chief note is that of comfort. The very sense of fear which the statement creates in the soul is of the nature of health. It makes us afraid of the base, the ignoble, the impure; for He approves the high, the noble, the pure. And more, it is good to know that He sees in secret, and understands when men misunderstand. That great confidence has enabled men and women to endure with courage and cheerfulness in terrible hours of opprobrium and suffering. The certainty that our Father sees in secret, is a sanctuary into which we may retire at all times, for correction, for encouragement, and for comfort. Let that knowledge be at all times, and under all circumstances, the inspiration and strength of our lives.
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.