Daily Bible Notes: October, 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
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.
John 4:14
He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore. The believer is not the man whose days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in religion such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy. Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, he will meet the "friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Blast all his gourds, and he will find shadow beneath the Rock of Ages; sap the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord. The heart is as insatiable as the grave till Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to overflowing. There is such a fulness in Christ that He alone is the believer’s all. The true saint is so completely satisfied with the all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more - except it be for deeper draughts of the living fountain. In that sweet manner, believer, shalt thou thirst; it shall not be a thirst of pain, but of loving desire; thou wilt find it a sweet thing to be panting after a fuller enjoyment of Jesus’ love. One in days of yore said, "I have been sinking my bucket down into the well full often, but now my thirst after Jesus has become so insatiable, that I long to put the well itself to my lips, and drink right on." Is this the feeling of thine heart now, believer? Dost thou feel that all thy desires are satisfied in Jesus, and that thou hast no want now, but to know more of Him;, and to have closer fellowship with Him? Then come continually to the fountain, and take of the water of life freely. Jesus will never think you take too much, but will ever welcome you, saying, "Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
Evening
He had married an Ethiopian woman.
Numbers 12:1
Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of Him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men.
Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus’ love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret guiltiness, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dissolved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and sovereignty of grace. Jesus must have found the cause of His love in His own heart, He could not have found it in us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Rutherford said of himself what we must each subscribe to - "His relation to me is, that I am sick, and He is the Physician of whom I stand in need. Alas! how often I play fast and loose with Christ! He bindeth, I loose; He buildeth, I cast down; I quarrel with Christ, and He agreeth with me twenty times a day!" Most tender and faithful Husband of our souls, pursue Thy gracious work of conforming us to Thine image, till Thou shalt present even us poor Ethiops unto Thyself, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Moses met with opposition because of his marriage, and both himself and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and His spouse, and especially when great sinners are converted? for this is ever the Pharisee’s ground of objection, "This man receiveth sinners." Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, "Because he had married an Ethiopian woman."
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Psalms 103:13-22
13 Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.
17 But the LORD's loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfil his word, obeying the voice of his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.
22 Praise the LORD, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul!
HE KNOWETH OUR FRAME
"He knoweth our frame." The Bible abounds in such gracious and tender words. "He remembereth us in our low estate." "I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." "He will not permit you to be tempted above that ye are able." The burden is suited to our strength. The revelation is determined by our experience. The pace is regulated by our years. "He carrieth the lambs in His arms." He "leads on softly." Nothing is done in ignorance. "The Lord is mindful of His own. He remembereth His children."
And so I must practise the belief in God's compassionate nearness. In my childhood I used to sing "There's a Friend for little children, Above the bright blue sky." I know better now. He is nearer to me than I can dream. I used to sing "There is a happy land, Far, far away." Now I sing, "There is a happy land, Not far away." The good Father and His home are not in some remote realm. They are very, very near to me, and He knows all about me. "He knoweth our frame."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
October 6th.
My Father, help me to remember that I am a member of a great family. May I keep in mind the vast necessities of the race!
I pray for all peoples. May the barriers that divide us be destroyed! May we come into a living kinship in Jesus Christ our Lord!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.
John 16:13
Truth is like a vast cavern into which we desire to enter, but we are not able to traverse it alone. At the entrance it is clear and bright; but if we would go further and explore its innermost recesses, we must have a guide, or we shall lose ourselves. The Holy Spirit, who knows all truth perfectly, is the appointed guide of all true believers, and he conducts them as they are able to bear it, from one inner chamber to another, so that they behold the deep things of God, and his secret is made plain to them.
What a promise is this for the humbly enquiring mind! We desire to know the truth, and to enter into it. We are conscious of our own aptness to err, and we feel the urgent need of a guide. We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is come and abides among us. He condescends to act as a guide to us, and we gladly accept his leadership. "All truth" we wish to learn, that we may not be one-sided and out of balance. We would not be willingly ignorant of any part of revelation lest thereby we should miss blessing, or incur sin. The Spirit of God has come that he may guide us into all truth: let us with obedient hearts hearken to his words and follow his lead.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Follow after righteousness.
1 Timothy 6:11
If a man shall build his character upon the basis of truth, which shall find itself in harmony with God, then that man has made a success, though he never make a fortune, and never make a name.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead.
Romans 6:13
Christianity is a living religion. The way of entrance is that of death, but it is the way that leadeth into life. This was so in the work of our Lord. In order to save, He died. The salvation into which He brings men through His death is that of life, and that more abundantly. So with all who receive that salvation. The condition upon which they do so is that of death, the self-denial which is the ending of all confidence in self, and all endeavour to win life by effort. When that condition is fulfilled, life is received as a grace-gift of God. Then dedication begins. This is an important distinction. When the soul yields to Christ, it is not giving anything to God. It has nothing to give. It is sinful, unworthy. It yields just as it is, because it cannot make itself worthy, and because in grace He calls for its surrender and trust. When this surrender of a sinful and unworthy being is made, He takes the polluted life, and pardons, cleanses, and renews it. Now the renewed, cleansed, pardoned one is called upon to present himself or herself to God, as alive from the dead. "Just as 'I am," I cannot dedicate myself to God; but I can yield myself to the Saviour. When I am what the Saviour makes me, I can present myself to God, and I shall be accepted in the Beloved. Such dedication is implicit in my yielding to Christ. It must be explicit in the resulting life.
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.