Daily Bible Notes: June, 6th
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
Behold, I am vile.
Job 40:4
One cheering word, poor lost sinner, for thee! You think you must not come to God because YOU are vile. Now, there is not a saint living on earth but has been made to feel that he is vile. If Job, and Isaiah, and Paul were all obliged to say "I am vile," oh, poor sinner, wilt thou be ashamed to join in the same confession? If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer, how dost thou hope to do it thyself? and if God loves His people while they are yet vile, dost thou think thy vileness will prevent His loving thee? Believe on Jesus, thou outcast of the world’s society! Jesus calls thee , and such as thou art. "Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners, Jesus came to call."
Even now say, "Thou hast died for sinners; I am a sinner, Lord Jesus, sprinkle Thy blood on me"; if thou wilt confess thy sin thou shalt find pardon. If, now, with all thy heart, thou wilt say, "I am vile, wash me," thou shalt be washed now. If the Holy Spirit shall enable thee from thy heart to cry Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come!" thou shalt rise from reading this morning’s portion with all thy sins pardoned; and though thou didst wake this morning with every sin that man hath ever committed on thy head, thou shalt rest to-night accepted in the Beloved; though once degraded with the rags of sin, thou shalt be adorned with a robe of righteousness, and appear white as the angels are.
For "now," mark it, "Now is the accepted time." If thou "believest on Him who justifieth the ungodly thou art saved." Oh! may the Holy Spirit give thee saving faith in Him who receives the vilest.
Evening
Are they Israelites? so am I.
2 Corinthians 11:22
We have here A PERSONAL CLAIM, and one that needs proof . The apostle knew that His claim was indisputable, but there are many persons who have no right to the title who yet claim to belong to the Israel of God.
If we are with confidence declaring, "So am I also an Israelite," let us only say it after having searched our heart as in the presence of God. But if we can give proof that we are following Jesus, if we can from the heart say, "I trust Him wholly, trust Him only, trust Him simply, trust Him now, and trust Him ever," then the position which the saints of God hold belongs to us - all their enjoyments are our possessions; we may be the very least in Israel, "less than the least of all saints," yet since the mercies of God belong to the saints AS SAINTS, and not as advanced saints, or well-taught saints, we may put in our plea, and say, "Are they Israelites? so am I; therefore the promises are mine, grace is mine, glory will be mine."
The claim, rightfully made, is one which will yield untold comfort. When God’s people are rejoicing that they are His, what a happiness if they can say, "So AM I!" When they speak of being pardoned, and justified, and accepted in the Beloved, how joyful to respond, "Through the grace of God, SO AM I." But this claim not only has its enjoyments and privileges, but also its conditions and duties. We must share with God’s people in cloud as well as in sunshine. When we hear them spoken of with contempt and ridicule for being Christians, we must come boldly forward and say, "So am I." When we see them working for Christ, giving their time, their talent, their whole heart to Jesus, we must be able to say, "So do I." O let us prove our gratitude by our devotion, and live as those who, having claimed a privilege, are willing to take the responsibility connected with it.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
1 John 3:11-18
11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13 Don't be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death.
15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17 But whoever has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God's love remain in him?
18 My little children, let's not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
LOVE'S EXPENDITURES
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because "He laid down His life for us." And the real test of any love is what it is prepared to "lay down." How much is it ready to spend? How much will it bleed? There is much spurious love about. It lays nothing down; it only takes things up! It is self-seeking, using the speech and accents of love. It is a "work of the flesh," which has stolen the label of a "fruit of the Spirit." Love may always be known by its expenditures, its self-crucifixions, its Calvarys. Love is always laying down its life for others. Its pathway is always a red road. You may track its goings by the red "marks of the Lord Jesus."
And this is the life, the love-life, which the Lord Jesus came to create among the children of men. It is His gracious purpose to form a spiritual fellowship in which every member will be lovingly concerned about his fellows' good. A real family of God would be one in which all the members bleed for each, and each for all.
How can we gain this disposition of love? "God is love." "We love because He first loved us." At the fountain of eternal love we too may become lovers, becoming "partakers of the divine nature," and filled with all "the fulness of God."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
June 6th.
My Father, may my influence to-day be for good! May I not be a barrier to any inspiring soul! May my fellowship be elevating!
May all with whom I have to do feel the better for my communion! May I lead them nearer to God!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalms 6:9
The experience here recorded is mine. I can set to my seal that God is true. In very wonderful ways he has answered the prayers of his servant many and many a time. Yes, and he is hearing my present supplication, and he is not turning away his ear from me. Blessed be his holy name!
What then? Why, for certain the promise which lies sleeping in the Psalmist's believing confidence is also mine. Let me grasp it by the hand of faith: "The Lord will receive my prayer." He will accept it, think of it, and grant it in the way and time which his loving wisdom judges to be best. I bring my poor prayer in my hand to the great King, and he gives me audience, and graciously receives my petition. My enemies will not listen to me, but my Lord will. They ridicule my tearful prayers, but my Lord does not; he receives my prayer into his ear and his heart.
What a reception this is for a poor sinner! We receive Jesus, and then the Lord receives us and our prayers for his Son's sake. Blessed be that dear name which franks our prayers so that they freely pass even within the golden gates. Lord, teach me to pray, since thou hearest my prayers.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands.
1 Thessalonians 4:11, R.V.
Not only the law of God, tender and beneficent, but the law of human society, too often stern and cruel, says to man, Thou shalt work! The fact that there are any who escape obedience to the command is the saddest fact in sociology.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
God is the King of all the earth.
Psalms 47:7
That tremendous truth is the burden of this song. Whereas, in the previous Psalm, the central thought was that of God as a refuge for His own people; here, the Word of God recorded in the tenth verse of Psalm 46 is seen as triumphant, and the outlook is wider. The whole earth is in view. The song opens with a call to all the nations to recognize God as King. His own people are still in view as those through whom His power is to be demonstrated, but He is seen as reigning over all the nations. The princes of the nations are referred to as "the shields of the earth," and they are declared to belong unto God. All this is a subject for our most careful thought. There are times when we are at least in danger of interpreting the reign of God as wholly in the future. There is a sense in which that view is warranted. We have been taught to pray for the coming of the Kingdom. But there is a sense in which God is now King of all the earth. He reigns in absolute sovereignty and power. Neither nation nor individual escapes from that sovereignty, or from the compelling pressure of that power. But this fact does not satisfy the heart of God, and it ought not to satisfy us. He desires to reign by the consent of the governed. He would establish His authority upon the understanding of the peoples. Observe the appeal of the words: "Sing ye praises with understanding."
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.