Daily Bible Notes: January, 17th
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
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.
Revelation 14:1
The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, "I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!"
This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly state is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." Nothing else attracted the apostle’s attention so much as the person of that Divine Being, who hath redeemed us by His blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for thee; thou hast looked, and thou hast seen the Lamb. Through thy tears thine eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while, when thine eyes shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the same Lamb exalted on His throne. It is the joy of thy heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus; thou shalt have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; thou shalt enjoy the constant vision of His presence; thou shalt dwell with Him for ever. "I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!" Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, "Heaven and Christ are the same thing;" to be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one of his glowing letters -"O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want." It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not thy soul say so?
"Not all the harps above Can make a heavenly place, If God His residence remove, Or but conceal His face."
All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is "to be with Christ."
Evening
And it came to pass in an evening-tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house.
2 Samuel 11:2
At that hour David saw Bathsheba. We are never out of the reach of temptation. Both at home and abroad we are liable to meet with allurements to evil; the morning opens with peril, and the shades of evening find us still in jeopardy. They are well kept whom God keeps, but woe unto those who go forth into the world, or even dare to walk their own house unarmed. Those who think themselves secure are more exposed to danger than any others. The armour-bearer of Sin is Self-confidence.
David should have been engaged in fighting the Lord’s battles, instead of which he tarried at Jerusalem, and gave himself up to luxurious repose, for he arose from his bed at eventide. Idleness and luxury are the devil’s jackals, and find him abundant prey. In stagnant waters noxious creatures swarm, and neglected soil soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and briars.
Oh for the constraining love of Jesus to keep us active and useful! When I see the King of Israel sluggishly leaving his couch at the close of the day, and falling at once into temptation, let me take warning, and set holy watchfulness to guard the door.
Is it possible that the king had mounted his housetop for retirement and devotion? If so, what a caution is given us to count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin! While our hearts are so like a tinder-box, and sparks so plentiful, we had need use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan can climb housetops, and enter closets, and even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to work our ruin unless grace prevent. Reader, beware of evening temptations. Be not secure. The sun is down but sin is up. We need a watchman for the night as well as a guardian for the day. O blessed Spirit, keep us from all evil this night. Amen.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
John 10:19-30
19 Therefore a division arose again amongst the Jews because of these words.
20 Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?"
21 Others said, "These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn't possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?"
22 It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem.
23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon's porch.
24 The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, "How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you don't believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify about me.
26 But you don't believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and the Father are one."
SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
"My sheep hear My voice!"
This is spiritual discernment. We may test our growth in grace by our expertness in detecting the voice of our Lord. It is the skill of the saint to catch "the still small voice" amid all the selfish clamours of the day, and amid the far more subtle callings of the heart. It needs a good ear to catch the voice of the Lord in our sorrows. I think it requires a better ear to discern the voice amid our joys! The twilight helps me to be serious; the noonday glare tends to make me heedless.
"And they follow Me!" Discernment is succeeded by obedience. That is the one condition of becoming a saint - to follow the immediate call of the Lord. And it is the one condition of becoming an expert listener. Every time I hear the voice, and follow, I sharpen my sense of hearing, and the next time the voice will sound more clear.
"And I give unto them eternal life." Yes, life is found in the ways of a listening obedience. Every faculty and function will be vitalized when I follow the Lord of life and glory. "In Christ shall all be made alive."
My Saviour, graciously give me the listening ear! Give me the obedient heart.
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
January 17th.
My Father, may the Holy Spirit accompany me throughout the hours of this day! May His presence illumine my mind and
warm my heart! May He teach me how to think and how to speak! May I not offend in speech or in deed!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee.
Exodus 3:12
Of course, if the Lord sent Moses on an errand, he would not let him go alone. The tremendous risk which it would involve, and the great power it would require, would render it ridiculous for God to send a poor lone Hebrew to confront the mightiest king in all the world, and then leave him to himself. It could not be imagined that a wise God would match poor Moses with Pharaoh and the enormous forces of Egypt. Hence he says, "Certainly I will be with thee," as if it were out of the question that he would send him alone.
In my case, also, the same rule will hold good. If I go upon the Lord's errand, with a simple reliance upon his power, and a single eye to his glory, it is certain that he will be with me. His sending me binds him to back me up. Is not this enough? What more can I want? If all the angels and archangels were with me, I might fail; but if HE is with me, I must succeed. Only let me take care that I act worthily towards this promise. Let me not go timidly, half-heartedly, carelessly, presumptuously. What manner of person ought he to be who has God with him! In such company it behoveth me to play the man, and like Moses go in unto Pharaoh without fear.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
James 4:14
Man comes and goes, a bubble on the stream on which for a few passing moments the lights and shadows play, and then is "forgotten as a dream dies at the opening day."
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.
Matthew 17:5
Thus by a voice out of an overshadowing cloud, God broke in upon and corrected the confused and foolish suggestion of Peter, the dazed disciple. That it was a foolish suggestion might be shown in many ways. We should remember that Mark tells us that Peter said this when he "knew not what to say," and Luke that he spoke "not knowing what he said." We are warranted, however, in carefully noticing the emphasis of the Divine interruption. Peter suggested the retention of the three in association: Moses, the law-giver; Elijah, the reformer; and Jesus, the Messiah. The voice declared in effect that such an association was impossible. First, because of Who Jesus was - This is My Son. This Peter had confessed at Caesarea Philippi, but evidently he had not realized the full significance of the fact. The Son of God can never be placed on the same level as servants in the House of God, however faithful they may be. And again, because the Son came to deliver the full and final message of God to men. When He has spoken, we have no need of any partial truth revealed through others. Hear ye Him! By that voice on the Holy Mount, Peter and all Christian teachers are forbidden to look upon the Son of God as One among others. In Him God has said everything that man needs to hear.
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.