Daily Bible Notes: July, 23rd
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
Even thou wast as one of them.
Obadiah 1:11
Brotherly kindness was due from Edom to Israel in the time of need, but instead thereof, the men of Esau made common cause with Israel’s foes.
Special stress in the sentence before us is laid upon the word thou ; as when Caesar cried to Brutus, "and thou Brutus"; a bad action may be all the worse, because of the person who has committed it. When we sin, who are the chosen favorites of heaven, we sin with an emphasis; ours is a crying offence, because we are so peculiarly indulged. If an angel should lay his hand upon us when we are doing evil, he need not use any other rebuke than the question, "What thou ? What dost thou here?" Much forgiven, much delivered, much instructed, much enriched, much blessed, shall we dare to put forth our hand unto evil? God forbid!
A few minutes of confession may be beneficial to thee, gentle reader, this morning. Hast thou never been as the wicked? At an evening party certain men laughed at uncleanness, and the joke was not altogether offensive to thine ear, even thou wast as one of them . When hard things were spoken concerning the ways of God, thou wast bashfully silent; and so, to on-lookers, thou wast as one of them . When worldlings were bartering in the market, and driving hard bargains, wast thou not as one of them? When they were pursuing vanity with a hunter’s foot, wert thou not as greedy for gain as they were? Could any difference be discerned between thee and them? Is there any difference ? Here we come to close quarters. Be honest with thine own soul, and make sure that thou art a new creature in Christ Jesus; but when this is sure, walk jealously, lest any should again be able to say, "Even thou wast as one of them." Thou wouldst not desire to share their eternal doom, why then be like them here? Come not thou into their secret, lest thou come into their ruin. Side with the afflicted people of God, and not with the world.
Evening
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7
"Cleanseth," says the text - not "shall cleanse." There are multitudes who think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh! how infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when I come to die. Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But forgiveness of sin is a present thing - a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. The moment a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the present tense, also indicates continuance ; it was "cleanseth" yesterday, it is "cleanseth" to-day, it will be "cleanseth" tomorrow: it will be always so with you, Christian, until you cross the river; every hour you may come to this fountain, for it cleanseth still. Notice, likewise, the completeness of the cleansing, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" - not only from sin, but "from all sin." Reader, I cannot tell you the exceeding sweetness of this word, but I pray God the Holy Ghost to give you a taste of it.
Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the bill be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the other. The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is gone, all gone at once, and all gone for ever. Blessed completeness! What a sweet theme to dwell upon as one gives himself to sleep. "Sins against a holy God; Sins against His righteous laws; Sins against His love, His blood; Sins against His name and cause; Sins immense as is the sea- From them all He cleanseth me."
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
2 Chronicles 6:12-21
12 He stood before the LORD's altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands
13 (for Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the middle of the court; and he stood on it, and knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands towards heaven)
14 and he said, "LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth; you who keep covenant and loving kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart;
15 who have kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today.
16 "Now therefore, LORD, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, 'There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.'
17 Now therefore, LORD, the God of Israel, let your word be verified, which you spoke to your servant David.
18 "But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can't contain you; how much less this house which I have built!
19 Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant, and to his supplication, LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you;
20 that your eyes may be open towards this house day and night, even towards the place where you have said that you would put your name; to listen to the prayer which your servant will pray towards this place.
21 Listen to the petitions of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray towards this place. Yes, hear from your dwelling place, even from heaven; and when you hear, forgive.
A GREAT SOUL AT PRAYER
Let me reverently study this great prayer in order that, when I go to the house of God, I may be able to enrich its ministry by the wealth of my own supplications.
Solomon prayed that the eyes of the Lord might be open toward the house "day and night." Like the eyes of a mother upon her child! Like the eyes of a lover upon his beloved! And therefore it is more than protective vision; shall we reverently say that it is inventive vision, devising gracious surprises, anticipating needs, preparing love-gifts; it is sight which is both insight and foresight, ever inspecting and prospecting for the loved one's good.
And Solomon prayed that God's ear might be open to the cry of His people's need. "Hear Thou from Thy dwelling-place." He prayed that the house of God might be the place of open communion. That is ever the secret of peace, and therefore of power. If I know that I have correspondence with the Holy One, I shall walk and work as a child of light. If God hear me, then I can sing!
And Solomon prays for the grace of forgiveness. He prays for the sense of sweet emancipation which is the gift of grace. It is the miracle of renewal, and it ought to happen every time we open the doors of the sanctuary.
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
July 23rd.
Gracious Father, I would remember all the sons and daughters of pain. May the remembrance make me sympathetic! May Thy
consolations abound towards the sufferers! May they feel the healing influence of Thy Presence! By their faith may they be able to endure.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17
According to this gracious covenant the Lord treats his people as if they had never sinned. Practically, he forgets all their trespasses. Sins of all kinds he treats as if they had never been; as if they were quite erased from his memory. O miracle of grace! God here doth that which in certain aspects is impossible to him. His mercy worketh miracles which far transcend all other miracles.
Our God ignores our sin now that the sacrifice of Jesus has ratified the covenant. We may rejoice in him without fear that he will be provoked to anger against us because of our iniquities. See! he puts us among the children; he accepts us as righteous; he takes delight in us as if we were perfectly holy. He even puts us into places of trust; makes us guardians of his honour, trustees of the crown jewels, stewards of the gospel. He counts us worthy, and gives us a ministry; this is the highest and most special proof that he does not remember our sins. Even when we forgive an enemy, we are very slow to trust him; we judge it to be imprudent so to do. But the Lord forgets our sins, and treats us as if we had never erred. O my soul, what a promise is this! Believe it and be happy.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.
Romans 3:25
To deny the vicarious nature of Christ's dying is to refuse to believe the account of His own view thereof, and, moreover, to affirm that the apostolic writings are false in interpretation.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
In everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God.
2 Corinthians 6:4
In these words the participle "commending" has close connection with the participle "working" in the first verse of the chapter. "Working together with God ... in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God." Here we have the secret of power, and the burden of responsibility in all Christian service. Whatever we are called upon to be, or do, or suffer, we find the necessary resources in our fellowship with God. Our responsibility is that we commend ourselves (first to God, and also to those among whom we serve) as ministers of God. Some of the things included in this "everything" follow in the Apostle's letter. First, things of trial; patience, afflictions, necessities, distresses; stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labours, watchings, fastings. Then things of grace; pureness, knowledge, longsuffering, kindness, the Holy Spirit, love unfeigned, the word of truth, the power of God. Then things of conflict; the armour of righteousness, glory and dishonour, evil report and good report. Then things of experience, the double experience of the servants of God, that of what the world thinks of them, and that of their secret life with God; deceivers, yet true; unknown, yet well known; dying, and living; chastened, not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making rich; having nothing, yet possessing all things. In all these things, working with God - that is comfort and strength. In all these things, commending ourselves as ministers of God - that is purpose and responsibility.
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.