Daily Bible Notes: May, 28th
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
Whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Romans 8:30
Here is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God’s child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory.
Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If He hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from His love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death’s dark gloom to immortality’s unuttered splendours.
Rest assured, the heart of Him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where, "Far from a world of grief and sin, With God eternally shut in," thou shalt rest for ever and ever.
Evening
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Lamentations 3:21
Memory is frequently the bondslave of despondency. Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every gloomy feature in the present; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood. There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection which in its left hand brings so many gloomy omens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron, she may encircle her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars. Thus it was in Jeremiah’s experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: "My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me"; and now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort.
There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers to joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to remember the lovingkindness of the Lord, and to rehearse His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, "the bosom-spring of joy," and when the Divine Comforter bends it to His service, it may be chief among earthly comforters.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Romans 8:9-17
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.
10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
15 For you didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
17 and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
THE SONS OF GOD
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God."
And how unspeakably wealthy are the implications of the great word!
If a son, then what holy freedom is mine! Mine is not "the spirit of bondage." The son has "the run of the house." That is the great contrast between lodgings and home. And I am to be at home with the Lord.
And if a son, then heir! "All things are yours." Samuel Rutherford used to counsel his friends to "take a turn" round their estate. And truly it is an inspiring exercise! The Spirit shall lead me over my estate, and I will survey, with the sense of ownership, "the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
I wonder if I have the manner of a king's son? I wonder if there is anything in my very "walk" which indicates distinguished lineage and royal blood? Or am I like a vagrant who has no possessions and no heartening expectations?
"Lord, I would serve, and be a son!"
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
May 28th.
My Father, wilt Thou rid my heart of all bitterness? If I now begin the day in any ill-feeling, wash it all away.
If I am harbouring a sour disposition, sweeten it by Thine own constraining love. Melt away all coolness in the fervour
of spiritual affection.
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.
Genesis 32:12
This is the sure way of prevailing with the Lord in prayer. We may humbly remind him of what he has said. Our faithful God will never run back from his word, nor will he leave it unfulfilled; yet he loves to be enquired of by his people, and put in mind of his promise. This is refreshing to their memories, reviving to their faith, and renewing to their hope. God's word is given, not for his sake, but for ours. His purposes are settled, and he needs nothing to bind him to his design of doing his people good; but he gives the promise for our strengthening and comfort. Hence he wishes us to plead it, and say to him, "Thou saidst."
"I will surely do thee good" is just the essence of all the Lord's gracious sayings. Lay a special stress on the word "surely." He will do us good, real good, lasting good, only good, every good. He will make us good, and this is to do us good in the very highest degree. He will treat us as he does his saints while we are here, and that is good. He will soon take us to be with Jesus and all his chosen, and that is supremely good. With this promise in our hearts we need not fear angry Esau, nor anyone else. If the Lord will do us good, who can do us hurt?
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.
Philippians 3:10
All the working values of the Gospel of grace are founded upon the fact of the resurrection of Jesus.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
I am in the midst of you as He that serveth.
Luke 22:27
These words constitute our Master's supreme and perpetual rebuke of the spirit which prompts the desire for that greatness which consists of power to compel others to serve our ends. Thus they reveal the true greatness, which consists of the power to yield ourselves up entirely to such activity as shall serve the ends of others. There is no more powerful evidence of how sorely we need His grace, than that of the slowness with which we learn this lesson. The persistence of the desire to be served is appalling. It invades our highest spiritual experiences, save as we pass completely under the dominion of the Spirit of God. Service given, not gained, is the true greatness, for it is the sign of a real fellowship with the Lord Himself. The prophetic prediction concerning Him has indeed been verified. He is great, and His greatness is rooted in that self-emptying wherein and whereby He for ever serves others. The very greatness of God is finally demonstrated, not in the height and glory of His eternal throne, but in the depth and grace of His amazing stoop to our humanity and to the death of the Cross. In the midst of the throne is "a Lamb as though it had been slain." He reigns and rules in undisputed and unhindered authority because He laid His glory by to serve. Shall we not seek with all earnestness the greatness which comes by the way of service? Our unceasing eagerness should be to find need, and to serve in comradeship with our Lord.
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.