Daily Bible Notes: May, 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
The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.
Psalm 138:8
Most manifestly the confidence which the Psalmist here expressed was a divine confidence . He did not say, "I have grace enough to perfect that which concerneth me - my faith is so steady that it will not stagger - my love is so warm that it will never grow cold - my resolution is so firm that nothing can move it; no, his dependence was on the Lord alone. If we indulge in any confidence which is not grounded on the Rock of ages, our confidence is worse than a dream, it will fall upon us, and cover us with its ruins, to our sorrow and confusion. All that Nature spins time will unravel, to the eternal confusion of all who are clothed therein. The Psalmist was wise, he rested upon nothing short of the Lord’s work. It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is He who has carried it on; and if he does not finish it, it never will be complete. If there be one stitch in the celestial garment of our righteousness which we are to insert ourselves, then we are lost; but this is our confidence, the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. Unbelief insinuates - "You will never be able to stand. Look at the evil of your heart, you can never conquer sin; remember the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that beset you, you will be certainly allured by them and led astray." Ah! yes, we should indeed perish if left to our own strength. If we had alone to navigate our frail vessels over so rough a sea, we might well give up the voyage in despair; but, thanks be to God, He will perfect that which concerneth us, and bring us to the desired haven. We can never be too confident when we confide in Him alone, and never too much concerned to have such a trust.
Evening
Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money.
Isaiah 43:24
Worshippers at the temple were wont to bring presents of sweet perfumes to be burned upon the altar of God: but Israel, in the time of her backsliding, became ungenerous, and made but few votive offerings to her Lord: this was an evidence of coldness of heart towards God and His house. Reader, does this never occur with you? Might not the complaint of the text be occasionally, if not frequently, brought against you? Those who are poor in pocket, if rich in faith, will be accepted none the less because their gifts are small; but, poor reader, do you give in fair proportion to the Lord, or is the widow’s mite kept back from the sacred treasury? The rich believer should be thankful for the talent entrusted to him, but should not forget his large responsibility, for where much is given much will be required; but, rich reader, are you mindful of your obligations, and rendering to the Lord according to the benefit received? Jesus gave His blood for us, what shall we give to Him? We are His, and all that we have, for He has purchased us unto Himself - can we act as if we were our own? O for more consecration! and to this end, O for more love! Blessed Jesus, how good it is of Thee to accept our sweet cane bought with money! nothing is too costly as a tribute to Thine unrivalled love, and yet Thou dost receive with favour the smallest sincere token of affection!
Thou dost receive our poor forget-me-nots and love-tokens as though they were intrinsically precious, though indeed they are but as the bunch of wild flowers which the child brings to its mother. Never may we grow niggardly towards Thee, and from this hour never may we hear Thee complain of us again for withholding the gifts of our love. We will give Thee the first fruits of our increase, and pay Thee tithes of all, and then we will confess "of Thine own have we given Thee."
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Acts 2:1-21
1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them.
4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky.
6 When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.
7 They were all amazed and marvelled, saying to one another, "Behold, aren't all these who speak Galileans?
8 How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!"
12 They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"
13 Others, mocking, said, "They are filled with new wine."
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, "You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these aren't drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
18 Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
WIND AND FIRE
The Holy Spirit will minister to me as a wind. He will create an atmosphere in my life which will quicken all sweet and beautiful growth. And this shall be my native air. Gracious seeds, which have never awaked, shall now unfold themselves, and "the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." It was a saying of Huxley, that if our little island were to be invaded by tropical airs, tropical seeds which are now lying dormant in English gardens and fields would troop out of their graves in bewildering wealth and beauty! "Breathe on me, breath of God!"
And the Holy Spirit will minister to me as a fire. And fire is our supreme minister of cleansing. Fire can purify when water is impotent. The great fire burnt out the great plague. There are evil germs which cannot be dealt with except by the searching ministry of the flame. "He shall baptize you ... with fire." He will create a holy enthusiasm in my soul, an intense and sacred love, which will burn up all evil intruders, but in which all beautiful things shall walk unhurt.
"Kindle a flame of sacred love
On these cold hearts of ours."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
May 23rd.
My Lord, forgive what is faulty in the past, and bless what has been true! May all my best vows be renewed! May broken
purposes be taken up again! May the end be better than the beginning, and may the evening be filled with light!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
Psalms 72:12
The needy cries; what else can he do? His cry is heard of God; what else need he do? Let the needy reader take to crying at once, for this will be his wisdom. Do not cry in the ears of friends, for even if they can help you it is only because the Lord enables them. The nearest way is to go straight to God, and let your cry come up before him. Straight-forward makes the best runner: run to the Lord, and not to secondary causes.
"Alas!" you cry, "I have no friend or helper." So much the better; you can rely upon God in both capacities - as without supplies and without helpers. Make your double need your double plea. Even for temporal mercies you may wait upon God, for he careth for his children in these temporary concerns. As for spiritual necessities, which are the heaviest of all, the Lord will hear your cry, and will deliver you and supply you.
O poor friend, try your rich God. O helpless one, lean on his help. He has never failed me, and I am sure he will never fail you. Come as a beggar, and God will not refuse you help. Come with no plea but his grace. Jesus is King, will he let you perish of want? What! Did you forget this?
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17, R.V.
We have not merely to claim that Jesus is Lord, but we have to demonstrate that He is Lord. We have to show to this age in the light of a new century, with all its advance, and progress, and civilisation, that Jesus Christ is Lord, not merely because God has appointed Him King - though that is true - but because of His inherent royalty.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Where are the nine?
Luke 17:17
There is a plaintive note in this question of Jesus. On the border line between Samaria and Galilee, ten lepers had appealed to Him for help. He had put their faith to the test as He had commanded them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they made the venture they were all healed. One of them, and he a Samaritan, turned back and rendered his homage and his thanksgiving to the Lord. Then the question was asked, and it at once proves the value He sets upon the service of praise. The glad outpouring of a grateful heart was acceptable to Him, and He missed that of the nine who had faith and were healed, but forgot to return to Him with expressions of their gratitude. One wonders whether it is not so that our Lord has been asking this question very constantly. We are all in danger of failing to give Him the adoration which is ever due to Him. Sometimes we may be restrained by the very natural feeling that our offerings of praise must be, at the best, poor and unworthy. But we have no right, for any such cause, to withhold from Him what He evidently values. Let us neither be forgetful, nor mastered by a modesty which may become pride; but rather let us with the abandon of our utmost love, go to Him constantly, telling Him of our joy and gratitude. All such worship is the very incense which gladdens His heart, however amazing the fact may seem to 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.