Daily Bible Notes: March, 18th
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
Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26
The fatherhood of God is common to all his children . Ah! Little-faith, you have often said, "Oh that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas, I stumble at every straw, and a shadow makes me afraid." List thee, Little-faith. Great-heart is God’s child, and you are God’s child too; and Great-heart is not one whit more God’s child than you are. Peter and Paul, the highly- favoured apostles, were of the family of the Most High; and so are you also; the weak Christian is as much a child of God as the strong one. "This cov’nant stands secure, Though earth’s old pillars bow; The strong, the feeble, and the weak, Are one in Jesus now."
All the names are in the same family register. One may have more grace than another, but God our heavenly Father has the same tender heart towards all. One may do more mighty works, and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose name is the least in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the King’s mighty men.
Let this cheer and comfort us, when we draw near to God and say, "Our Father."
Yet, while we are comforted by knowing this, let us not rest contented with weak faith, but ask, like the Apostles, to have it increased. However feeble our faith may be, if it be real faith in Christ, we shall reach heaven at last, but we shall not honour our Master much on our pilgrimage, neither shall we abound in joy and peace. If then you would live to Christ’s glory, and be happy in His service, seek to be filled with the spirit of adoption more and more completely, till perfect love shall cast out fear.
Evening
As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you.
John 15:9
As the Father loves the Son, in the same manner Jesus loves His people.
What is that divine method? He loved Him without beginning , and thus Jesus loves His members. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love ."
You can trace the beginning of human affection; you can easily find the beginning of your love to Christ, but His love to us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity. God the Father loves Jesus without any change . Christian, take this for your comfort, that there is no change in Jesus Christ’s love to those who rest in Him. Yesterday you were on Tabor’s top, and you said, "He loves me:" to-day you are in the valley of humiliation, but He loves you still the same. On the hill Mizar, and among the Hermons, you heard His voice, which spake so sweetly with the turtle-notes of love; and now on the sea, or even in the sea, when all His waves and billows go over you, His heart is faithful to His ancient choice.
The Father loves the Son without any end , and thus does the Son love His people. Saint, thou needest not fear the loosing of the silver cord, for His love for thee will never cease. Rest confident that even down to the grave Christ will go with you, and that up again from it He will be your guide to the celestial hills. Moreover, the Father loves the Son without any measure , and the same immeasurable love the Son bestows upon His chosen ones.
The whole heart of Christ is dedicated to His people. He "loved us and gave Himself for us." His is a love which passeth knowledge. Ah! we have indeed an immutable Saviour, a precious Saviour, one who loves without measure, without change, without beginning, and without end, even as the Father loves Him! There is much food here for those who know how to digest it. May the Holy Ghost lead us into its marrow and fatness!
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Job 19:23-27
23 "Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth.
26 After my skin is destroyed, then I will see God in my flesh,
27 whom I, even I, will see on my side. My eyes will see, and not as a stranger. "My heart is consumed within me.
SERENITY IN THE TEMPEST
Perhaps I am akin to Job in having experienced the pressure of calamity. I have felt the shock of adverse circumstances, and the house of my life has trembled in the convulsion. Or death has been to my door and has returned again and again, and every time he has left me weeping! All God's billows have gone over me! Verily, I can take my place by the patriarch Job.
But can I share his witness, "I know that my Redeemer liveth"? Have I a calm assurance that my ruler is not caprice, and that my comings and goings are not determined by unfeeling chance? When death knocked at my door, did I know that the King had sent him? When some cherished scheme toppled into ruin, had I any thought that the Lord's hand was concerned in the shaking? Even when my circumstances are dubious, and I cannot trace a gracious purpose, do I know that my Vindicator liveth, and that some day He will justify all the happenings of the troubled road?
I will pay for this gracious confidence. I would have a firm step even among disappointments; yea, I would "sing songs in the night!"
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
March 18th.
I thank Thee for little children. I thank Thee for the cheer they bring into the heavy, crowded ways of life; I thank Thee
for the sunshine they bring into sad and weary hearts. May they keep my heart young and buoyant!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
The prayer of the upright is his delight.
Proverbs 15:8
This is as good as a promise, for it declares a present fact, which will be the same throughout all ages. God takes great pleasure in the prayers of upright men; he even calls them his delight. Our first concern is to be upright. Neither bending this way nor that, continue upright: not crooked with policy, nor prostrate by yielding to evil, be you upright in strict integrity and straight-forwardness. If we begin to shuffle and shift, we shall be left to shift for ourselves. If we try crooked ways, we shall find that we cannot pray, and if we pretend to do so, we shall find our prayers shut out of heaven.
Are we acting in a straight line and thus following out the Lord's revealed will? Then let us pray much and pray in faith. If our prayer is God's delight, let us not stint him in that which gives him pleasure. He does not consider the grammar of it, nor the metaphysics of it, nor the rhetoric of it; in all these men might despise it. He, as a Father, takes pleasure in the lispings of his own babes, the stammerings of his new-born sons and daughters. Should we not delight in prayer since the Lord delights in it? Let us make errands to the throne. The Lord finds us enough reasons for prayer, and we ought to thank him that it is so.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
One generation shall praise thy works to another.
Psalm 145:4
God fulfils Himself in many ways. In every new awakening there are fresh manifestations of God, new unfoldings of truth meeting requirements of the age.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst!
Mark 9:23
This was the response of our Lord to a man who came to Him haltingly. He was a father, in sore trouble. His boy from childhood had suffered, and nothing could be done for him. The man had heard of the fame of Jesus, and brought the boy to Him, only to find that He was not with His disciples, having gone away to the mountain. In this dilemma he appealed to the disciples, and they were unable to deal with the case. Perhaps it was this inability on their part which made him doubtful as to whether their Master could help. It is probable that men are often hindered from faith in Christ, because of our failure to do things which we could do if our fellowship with Him were more complete. Be that as it may, his cry was that of a great anguish, in which hope and doubt mingled: "If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us." To this the reply of the Lord was an ejaculatory and rebuking repetition of the man's word, "If thou canst!" He then revealed the secret of His own ability to be that of faith as He said, "All things are possible to him that believeth." He was the file-leader and vindicator of faith. The man immediately understood the principle and applied it to himself as he said: "I believe; help Thou mine unbelief"; and the response of Christ was immediate. It is when our faith is inspired by His that we make contact with His ability to do the things which we cannot do ourselves.
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.