Daily Bible Notes: November, 30th
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
And amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.
2 Chronicles 25:9
A very important question this seemed to be to the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more weight with the tried and tempted O Christian.
To lose money is at no times pleasant, and when principle involves it, the flesh is not always ready to make the sacrifice. "Why lose that which may be so usefully employed? May not the truth itself be bought too dear?
What shall we do without it? Remember the children, and our small income!" All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to unrighteous gain, or stay himself from carrying out his conscientious convictions, when they involve serious loss. All men cannot view these matters in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the doctrine of "we must live" has quite sufficient weight. The Lord is able to give thee much more than this is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for His sake He can repay a thousand-fold. It is ours to obey His will, and we may rest assured that He will provide for us. The Lord will be no man’s debtor at the last. Saints know that a grain of heart’s-ease is of more value than a ton of gold. He who wraps a threadbare coat about a good conscience has gained a spiritual wealth far more desirable than any he has lost. God’s smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit. Let the worst come to the worst, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Meanwhile, even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth He withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Evening
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.
Revelation 12:7
War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility; the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers of darkness. Michael will always fight ; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon’s foe, and that not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil.
All His servants, whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors - at the cross they enter into covenant never to make truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defence and fierce in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon. The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray ; they are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon, fair or foul. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the myrmidons of hell. The church may become slothful, but not so her great antagonist; his restless spirit never suffers the war to pause; he hates the woman’s seed, and would fain devour the church if he could. The servants of Satan partake much of the old dragon’s energy, and are usually an active race. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.
Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall be cast out and for ever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with Him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords to-night, and pray the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Psalms 130
1 Out of the depths I have cried to you, LORD.
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD. My soul waits. I hope in his word.
6 My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, hope in the LORD, for there is loving kindness with the LORD. Abundant redemption is with him.
8 He will redeem Israel from all their sins.
THE SPRING AND THE RIVER
"With the Lord there is mercy."
That is the ultimate spring. All the pilgrims of the night may meet at that fountain. We have no other common meeting-place. If we make any other appointment we shall lose one another on the way. But we can meet one another at the fountain, men of all colours, and of all denominations, and of all creeds. "By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord!"
"There is forgiveness with Thee." That is the quickening river. Sin and guilt scorch the fair garden of the soul as the lightning withers and destroys the strong and beautiful things in woodland and field. The graces are stricken, holy qualities are smitten, and the soul languishes like a blasted heath. But from the fountain of God's mercy there flows the vitalizing stream of His forgiveness. "There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God." It is the mystic "river of life, clear as crystal." "Everything shall live whither the river cometh."
"With Him is plenteous redemption." Salvation is not merely a recovered flower, it is a recovered garden. It is not the restoring merely of a withered hand; "He restoreth my soul." God does not make an oasis in a surrounding desert; He makes the entire wilderness to "rejoice and blossom as the rose."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
November 30th.
Lord Christ my Saviour, help me to glory in Thy Cross. May I make my boast in the merits of my Saviour!
May I find my glory in Thy redemption! Save me from exalting my own service. Deliver me from all self-conceit. May I hide myself in Thee!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
The Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee:
fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8
In the presence of a great work or a great warfare, here is a text which should help us to buckle on our harness. If Jehovah himself goes before us, it must be safe to follow. Who can obstruct our progress if the Lord himself is in the van? Come, brother soldiers, let us make a prompt advance! Why do we hesitate to pass on to victory?
Nor is the Lord before us only; he is with us. Above, beneath, around, within is the omnipotent, omnipresent One. In all time, even to eternity, he will be with us even as he has been. How this should nerve our arm! Dash at it boldly, ye soldiers of the cross, for the Lord of hosts is with us!
Being before us and with us, he will never withdraw his help. He cannot fail in himself, and he will not fail towards us. He will continue to help us according to our need, even to the end. As he cannot fail us, so he will not forsake us. He will always be both able and willing to grant us strength and succour till fighting days are gone.
Let us not fear nor be dismayed; for the Lord of hosts will go down to the battle with us, will bear the brunt of the fight, and give us the victory.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:16
The man who openly blasphemes, and who, standing under the sun, looks up at the heavens and says, "I hate God," is far less dangerous in the influence of his life than the man who says, "I love God," and disobeys Him.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Knowing that the same sufferings are being accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.
1 Peter 5:9
These words constitute the gounds of the Apostle's appeal to Christians to withstand the adversary who is ever "seeking whom he may devour"; and, rightly apprehended, they are full of power and of comfort. The outlook is on the whole conflict of the saints. It is seen as one. No soul is fighting alone. Each one is at once supporting, and supported by, all the rest. Therefore it follows that to cease to with-stand is to weaken all the line of battle, and to create a vantage ground for the enemy; while to continue to withstand is to strengthen that line, and to make it difficult for the foe to break through the plan of the great Captain of salvation. This means that in order to help me to withstand, all the saints are fighting. The resources of the enemy are not limitless. The greater the number of loyal soldiers opposed to him, the greater the difficulty he has in breaking through upon one soul. The resources of our Lord are limitless, and in proportion as we avail ourselves of them we are invincible. How it will help us if we remember this in hours of temptation! If we yield, we weaken the whole battle-line. If we withstand steadfast in our faith, the strength of our victory is a contribution of power to all the ranks. And moreover, we need not yield, not only because our Lord is on our side - that is enough - but also because all the saints who resist are helping us. We never fight alone.
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.