Daily Bible Notes: July, 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
The earnest of our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:14
Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, "‘Tis but a taste!"
We have tasted "that the Lord is gracious," but we do not yet know how good and gracious He is, although what we know of His sweetness makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage.
We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, "He that has been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth." We have many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer.
Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of Him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon His throne shalt thou sit. The triumph of His glory shall be shared by thee; His crown, His joy, His paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be co-heir with Him who is the heir of all things.
Evening
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?
Jeremiah 2:18
By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had proved Himself to be worthy of Israel’s trust. Yet they broke down the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own true and living God, and followed after false gods.
Constantly did the Lord reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God’s expostulating with them, "What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of the muddy river? - for so it may be translated. "Why dost thou wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?" Is there not here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure can give thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon His bosom. Do the trifles, the songs, the honours, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford once said, "I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it hath put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys." Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them? Jesus asks thee this question this evening - what wilt thou answer Him?
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Mark 11:11-19
11 Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry.
13 Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 Jesus told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and his disciples heard it.
15 They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves.
16 He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.
17 He taught, saying to them, "Isn't it written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it a den of robbers!"
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
19 When evening came, he went out of the city.
DEFILING THE HOLY PLACE
It was a teaching of the old Rabbis that no one should make a thoroughfare of the Temple, or enter it with the dust upon his feet. The teaching was full of sacred significance, however far their practice may have departed from its truth.
Let me not use the Temple as a mere passage to something else. Let me not use my religion as an expedient for more easily reaching "the chief seats" among men. Let me not put on the garments of worship in order that I may readily and quickly fill my purse. Let me not make the sanctuary "a short cut" to the bank!
And let me not carry the dust of the world on to the sacred floor. Let me "wipe my feet." Let me sternly shake off some things - all frivolity, easeful indifference, the spirit of haste and self-seeking. Let me not defile the courts of the Lord.
And let me remember that "the whole earth is full of His glory." Everywhere, therefore, I am treading the sacred floor! Lord, teach me this high secret! Then shall I not demean the Temple into a market, but I shall transform the market into a temple. "Lo, God is in this place, and I knew it not!"
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
July 20th.
Gracious Lord, I thank Thee for all softening influences in our land. I thank Thee for the presence of little children.
I thank Thee for winsome old age. I thank Thee for all gracious men. I thank Thee for strong men who impress by their gentleness.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:28
This is our hope. He to whom we have already looked as coming once to bear the sins of many will have another manifestation to the sons of men; this is a happy prospect in itself. But that second appearing has certain peculiar marks which glorify it exceedingly.
Our Lord will have ended the business of sin. He has so taken it away from his people, and so effectually borne its penalty, that he will have nothing to do with it at his second coming. He will present no sin-offering, for he will have utterly put sin away.
Our Lord will then complete the salvation of his people. They will be finally and perfectly saved, and will in every respect enjoy the fulness of that salvation. He comes not to bear the result of our transgressions, but to bring the result of his obedience; not to remove our condemnation, but to perfect our salvation.
Our Lord thus appears only to those who look for him. He will not be seen in this character by men whose eyes are blinded with self and sin. To them he will be a terrible Judge, and nothing more. We must first look to him, and then look for him; and in both cases our look shall be life.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged.
Isaiah 42:4
Every worker with God is conscious of the presence of evil in the world. Let that consciousness always be held in connection with the glorious fact that over all, Christ is absolute Master. The Church is not fighting a conflict, the issue of which is uncertain. The victory has been won, and therefore it must be won.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
This ... veil ... is done away in Christ. - 2 Corinthians 3:14
This is a superlative statement of the perfection and permanence of the glory of Christ. The illustration is taken from the story of how Moses veiled his face when speaking to the people, after he descended from the Mount. The reason for that veiling was not that they should not see the shining of his face, but that they should not see that it was passing away. They saw the shining and it was so glorious that they were filled with fear, and Moses did not put the veil on until he "had done speaking with them" (Exodus 34:33). Paul distinctly says that the veil was worn by Moses, "that the children of Israel should not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away." They looked on the glory, and then it was veiled, and the sense of the glory remained. Had they seen it pass, that sense would have been lost. This interprets these words: "This ... veil ... is done away in Christ." It is done away because His glory has no waning; it does not pass away. The ministration of Moses, that is, of the law, is that of condemnation. The ministration of Christ, that is, of grace, is that of righteousness. The former has a glory, and it is sublime, but there is no hope in it for sinning men; and so it passes, for it leaves them sinners. The latter has a glory, more sublime, for there is hope in it for sinning men; and so it never passes, for it makes them righteous. Because of the finality of the glory of Christ, He lifts an unveiled face upon men.
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.