Daily Bible Notes: July, 14th
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
If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Exodus 20:25
God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own Word are defilements and pollutions. The proud heart of man is very anxious to have a hand in the justification of the soul before God; preparations for Christ are dreamed of, humblings and repentings are trusted in, good works are cried up, natural ability is much vaunted, and by all means the attempt is made to lift up human tools upon the divine altar.
It were well if sinners would remember that so far from perfecting the Saviour’s work, their carnal confidences only pollute and dishonour it. The Lord alone must be exalted in the work of atonement, and not a single mark of man’s chisel or hammer will be endured. There is an inherent blasphemy in seeking to add to what Christ Jesus in His dying moments declared to be finished, or to improve that in which the Lord Jehovah finds perfect satisfaction. Trembling sinner, away with thy tools, and fall upon thy knees in humble supplication; and accept the Lord Jesus to be the altar of thine atonement, and rest in Him alone.
Many professors may take warning from this morning’s text as to the doctrines which they believe. There is among Christians far too much inclination to square and reconcile the truths of revelation; this is a form of irreverence and unbelief, let us strive against it, and receive truth as we find it; rejoicing that the doctrines of the Word are unhewn stones, and so are all the more fit to build an altar for the Lord.
Evening
As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre.
Matthew 28:1
Let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Notice how she sought. She sought the Saviour very early in the morning. If thou canst wait for Christ, and be patient in the hope of having fellowship with Him at some distant season, thou wilt never have fellowship at all; for the heart that is fitted for communion is a hungering and a thirsting heart. She sought Him also with very great boldness . Other disciples fled from the sepulchre, for they trembled and were amazed; but Mary, it is said, "stood" at the sepulchre. If you would have Christ with you, seek Him boldly. Let nothing hold you back. Defy the world. Press on where others flee. She sought Christ faithfully - she stood at the sepulchre . Some find it hard to stand by a living Saviour, but she stood by a dead one. Let us seek Christ after this mode, cleaving to the very least thing that has to do with Him, remaining faithful though all others should forsake Him. Note further, she sought Jesus earnestly - she stood "weeping ." Those tear-droppings were as spells that led the Saviour captive, and made Him come forth and show Himself to her. If you desire Jesus’ presence, weep after it! If you cannot be happy unless He come and say to you, "Thou art My beloved," you will soon hear His voice.
Lastly, she sought the Saviour only . What cared she for angels, she turned herself back from them; her search was only for her Lord. If Christ be your one and only love, if your heart has cast out all rivals, you will not long lack the comfort of His presence. Mary Magdalene sought thus because she loved much . Let us arouse ourselves to the same intensity of affection; let our heart, like Mary’s, be full of Christ, and our love, like hers, will be satisfied with nothing short of Himself. O Lord, reveal Thyself to us this evening!
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Matthew 9:1-13
1 He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city.
2 Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralysed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you."
3 Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."
4 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk?'
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins-" (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go to your house."
7 He arose and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9 As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him.
10 As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
13 But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE UNLIKELY
A Disciple from among the publicans! In what waste places our Lord Jesus finds His jewels! What exquisite possibilities Ruskin saw in a pinch of common dust! What radiant glory the lapidary can see in the rough, unpolished gem! The Lord loves to go into the unlikely place, and lead forth His saints. "In the wilderness shall waters break out!"
We must prayerfully cultivate this sacred confidence in the possibilities of the unlikely. We can never be successful helpers of the Lord unless we can see the diamond in the soot, and the radiant saint in the disregarded publican. It is a most gracious art to cultivate, this of discerning a man's possible excellencies even in the blackness of his present shame. To see the future best in the present worst, that is the true perception of a child of light.
"O give us eyes to see like Thee!" Well, this is the medium of vision: - "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," and the god-like, even in the wilderness of sin. "Anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou may'st see!"
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
July 14th.
My Father, wilt Thou control the going out and coming in of all my days? May I begin my days well!
May I end them in triumph! From beginning to end let there be light.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalms 55:22
It is a heavy burden, roll it on Omnipotence. It is thy burden now, and it crushes thee; but when the Lord takes it, he will make nothing of it. If thou art called still to bear it, "he will sustain thee." It will be on thee, and not on thee. Thou wilt be so upheld under it that the burden will be a blessing. Bring the Lord into the matter and thou wilt stand upright under that which in itself would bow thee down.
Our worst fear is lest our trial should drive us from the path of duty; but this the Lord will never suffer. If we are righteous before him he will not endure that our affliction should move us from our standing. In Jesus he accepts us as righteous, and in Jesus he will keep us so.
What about the present moment? Art thou going forth to this day's trial alone? Are thy poor shoulders again to be galled with the oppressive load? Be not so foolish. Tell the Lord all about thy grief, and leave it with him. Don't cast your burden down, and then take it up again; but roll it on the Lord, and leave it there. Then shalt thou walk at large, a joyful and unburdened believer, singing the praises of thy great Burden-bearer.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life ... his blood will I require at thine hand.
Ezekiel 3:18
Any doctrine, any philosophy, that makes it easy to sin, whether by excusing it, minimising its enormity, or denying its existence, is of hell; and not merely are those held guilty who teach the doctrine and practise the sin, but that Church also which is not clear and outspoken in its protests against sin.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Love never faileth.
1 Corinthians 13:8
That is not only a glorious declaration, it is one of the most searching for the soul. If that be true, how much that we have thought was love, should be called by some other name? Its final proof is in God, and there we are secure. His love never faileth, and the measure and strength of it can only be expressed by the mystic "so" of the declaration that "God so loved the world"; and we only begin to appreciate the real significance of that "so," as we complete the statement: "that He gave His only-begotten Son." That is the love that never faileth. In the presence of it, we are sometimes almost afraid to call anything of ours love at all. There is so much of selfishness lurking in us all. We do so often love them that love us, and that because they love us. Well, such love has its place, but there is neither merit nor praiseworthiness in it. Of such love, Jesus said: "What thank have ye?" True love, the love with which God loves - the love which is shed abroad in our hearts - loves in spite of unworthiness, in spite of failure. That is the love which inspires and indeed compels service, which is sacrificial. All the attitudes and habits and activities of such love are set forth in this wonderful chapter. The more we ponder it, the more we feel how far we come short - nay, that we are helpless - and that we can only love like that, as the very love of God Himself shall possess and master us.
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.