Daily Bible Notes: July, 10th
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
Fellow citizens with the saints.
Ephesians 2:19
What is meant by our being citizens in heaven? It means that we are under heaven’s government . Christ the king of heaven reigns in our hearts; our daily prayer is, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The proclamations issued from the throne of glory are freely received by us: the decrees of the Great King we cheerfully obey. Then as citizens of the New Jerusalem, we share heaven’s honours . The glory which belongs to beatified saints belongs to us, for we are already sons of God, already princes of the blood imperial; already we wear the spotless robe of Jesu’s righteousness; already we have angels for our servitors, saints for our companions, Christ for our Brother, God for our Father, and a crown of immortality for our reward. We share the honours of citizenship, for we have come to the general assembly and Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven. As citizens, we have common rights to all the property of heaven . Ours are its gates of pearl and walls of chrysolite; ours the azure light of the city that needs no candle nor light of the sun; ours the river of the water of life, and the twelve manner of fruits which grow on the trees planted on the banks thereof; there is nought in heaven that belongeth not to us. "Things present, or things to come," all are ours. Also as citizens of heaven we enjoy its delights . Do they there rejoice over sinners that repent - prodigals that have returned? So do we. Do they chant the glories of triumphant grace? We do the same. Do they cast their crowns at Jesu’s feet? Such honours as we have we cast there too. Are they charmed with His smile? It is not less sweet to us who dwell below.
Do they look forward, waiting for His second advent? We also look and long for His appearing. If, then, we are thus citizens of heaven , let our walk and actions be consistent with our high dignity.
Evening
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1:5
The evening was "darkness" and the morning was "light," and yet the two together are called by the name that is given to the light alone ! This is somewhat remarkable, but it has an exact analogy in spiritual experience. In every believer there is darkness and light, and yet he is not to be named a sinner because there is sin in him, but he is to be named a saint because he possesses some degree of holiness. This will be a most comforting thought to those who are mourning their infirmities, and who ask, "Can I be a child of God while there is so much darkness in me?" Yes; for you, like the day, take not your name from the evening, but from the morning; and you are spoken of in the word of God as if you were even now perfectly holy as you will be soon. You are called the child of light, though there is darkness in you still. You are named after what is the predominating quality in the sight of God, which will one day be the only principle remaining. Observe that the evening comes first . Naturally we are darkness first in order of time, and the gloom is often first in our mournful apprehension, driving us to cry out in deep humiliation, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." The place of the morning is second, it dawns when grace overcomes nature. It is a blessed aphorism of John Bunyan, "That which is last, lasts for ever."
That which is first, yields in due season to the last; but nothing comes after the last. So that though you are naturally darkness, when once you become light in the Lord, there is no evening to follow; "thy sun shall no more go down." The first day in this life is an evening and a morning; but the second day, when we shall be with God, for ever, shall be a day with no evening, but one, sacred, high, eternal noon.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Matthew 17:1-13
1 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.
2 He was changed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.
3 Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
4 Peter answered, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let's make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."
6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid.
7 Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and don't be afraid."
8 Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Don't tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."
10 His disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11 Jesus answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things,
12 but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn't recognise him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them."
13 Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptiser.
THE GREAT RENUNCIATION
What if the Transfiguration was the type of the purposed consummation of every life? If we had remained "without sin," it may be that we should have gradually ripened up to a moment when we should have become transfigured, and in the surpassing brilliance have been translated to higher planes of being. Perhaps our Lord had reached this material consummation, and was now on the wonderful border land, and could by choice slip into "the glory!"
But He made another choice. And this was, of a truth, the "great renunciation!" He turned His back on the glory, and deliberately faced the darkening way which led to Calvary and the grave. I do not wonder that His mysterious visitors spake with Him "of the decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem." He could talk about nothing else! He "set His face to go."
And in my Master's choice of death I find my hope of life. Through "the dark gate" I can find "the mount." My transfiguration is made possible in His humiliation. If my Lord had never descended I could never have ascended. If He had abode on the mount I should have remained in my sin. He has "opened to me the gates of righteousness."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
July 10th.
Holy Father, I turn to Thee for rest. I would forget the feverishness of the busy days. I would enter into peace.
Deliver me this day from all petty care, and from all disturbing ambitions.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.
For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
Psalms 102:13, 14
Yes, our prayers for the church will be heard. The set time is come. We love the prayer meeting, and the Sunday-school, and all the services of the Lord's house. We are bound in heart to all the people of God, and can truly say,
- "There's not a lamb in all thy flock
I would disdain to feed;
There's not a foe before whose face
I'd fear thy cause to plead."
If this is the general feeling, we shall soon enjoy times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Our assemblies will be filled, saints will be revived, and sinners will be converted. This can only come of the Lord's mercy; but it will come, and we are called upon to expect it. The time, the set time, is come. Let us bestir ourselves. Let us love every stone of our Zion, even though it may be fallen down. Let us treasure up the least truth, the least ordinance, the least believer, even though some may despise them as only so much dust. When we favour Zion, God is about to favour her. When we take pleasure in the Lord's work, the Lord himself will take pleasure in it.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
In everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge.
1 Corinthians 1:5, R.V.
No single branch of knowledge is out of place to the man who is going to do the work of an evangelist. You may gather illustrations from all sciences, from all literature, and if you are only living close to the centre, and close to Christ, you will see light gleaming and breaking everywhere.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
1 Corinthians 9:22
That would seem a superlative application, and it is somewhat startling. Moreover, it is none the less so when interpreted by Paul's illustrations of its working in his own case; to the Jews, under law, he had become as one under law; to the Gentile, without law, he had become as one without law; to the weak he had become weak. The question arises as to how far we may go in this direction. Many applications might be suggested which would seem to us in danger of imperilling our testimony and our usefulness. A second look at the Apostolic word will save us from all doubt in the matter. Paul became all things to all men that he might save some. The purpose in view must for ever qualify our accommodations. To go so far with men as to imperil our chances of saving them, is wrong. Thus the idea of these words is, not that the end justifies the means; but rather that the end qualifies the means. In our modern life, it means that I may travel sympathetically with men along the pilgrimage of their doubts, but I must not go so far as to deny my faith. If I do, I cannot help them to faith. Or again, it means that in order to save men I may enter into their social life and share their recreations, but never in such ways as to imperil my power to help them in spiritual matters.
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.