Daily Bible Notes: September, 10th
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 he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
Mark 3:13
Here was sovereignty. Impatient spirits may fret and fume, because they are not called to the highest places in the ministry; but reader be it thine to rejoice that Jesus calleth whom He wills. If He shall leave me to be a doorkeeper in His house, I will cheerfully bless Him for His grace in permitting me to do anything in His service. The call of Christ’s servants comes from above. Jesus stands on the mountain, evermore above the world in holiness, earnestness, love and power. Those whom He calls must go up the mountain to Him, they must seek to rise to His level by living in constant communion with Him. They may not be able to mount to classic honours, or attain scholastic eminence, but they must like Moses go up into the mount of God and have familiar intercourse with the unseen God, or they will never be fitted to proclaim the gospel of peace. Jesus went apart to hold high fellowship with the Father, and we must enter into the same divine companionship if we would bless our fellowmen. No wonder that the apostles were clothed with power when they came down fresh from the mountain where Jesus was. This morning we must endeavour to ascend the mount of communion, that there we may be ordained to the lifework for which we are set apart. Let us not see the face of man to-day till we have seen Jesus. Time spent with Him is laid out at blessed interest.
We too shall cast out devils and work wonders if we go down into the world girded with that divine energy which Christ alone can give. It is of no use going to the Lord’s battle till we are armed with heavenly weapons.
We must see Jesus, this is essential. At the mercy-seat we will linger till He shall manifest Himself unto us as He doth not unto the world, and until we can truthfully say, "We were with Him in the Holy Mount."
Evening
Evening wolves.
Habakkuk 1:8
While preparing the present volume, this particular expression recurred to me so frequently, that in order to be rid of its constant importunity I determined to give a page to it. The evening wolf, infuriated by a day of hunger, was fiercer and more ravenous than he would have been in the morning. May not the furious creature represent our doubts and fears after a day of distraction of mind, losses in business, and perhaps ungenerous tauntings from our fellow men? How our thoughts howl in our ears, "Where is now thy God?" How voracious and greedy they are, swallowing up all suggestions of comfort, and remaining as hungry as before. Great Shepherd, slay these evening wolves, and bid Thy sheep lie down in green pastures, undisturbed by insatiable unbelief. How like are the fiends of hell to evening wolves, for when the flock of Christ are in a cloudy and dark day, and their sun seems going down, they hasten to tear and to devour.
They will scarcely attack the Christian in the daylight of faith, but in the gloom of soul conflict they fall upon him. O Thou who hast laid down Thy life for the sheep, preserve them from the fangs of the wolf.
False teachers who craftily and industriously hunt for the precious life, devouring men by their false-hoods, are as dangerous and detestable as evening wolves. Darkness is their element, deceit is their character, destruction is their end. We are most in danger from them when they wear the sheep’s skin. Blessed is he who is kept from them, for thousands are made the prey of grievous wolves that enter within the fold of the church.
What a wonder of grace it is when fierce persecutors are converted, for then the wolf dwells with the lamb, and men of cruel ungovernable dispositions become gentle and teachable. O Lord, convert many such: for such we will pray to-night.
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
Romans 2:1-11
1 Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practise the same things.
2 We know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practise such things.
3 Do you think this, O man who judges those who practise such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgement of God?
4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
5 But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgement of God;
6 who "will pay back to everyone according to their works:"
7 to those who by perseverance in well-doing seek for glory, honour, and incorruptibility, eternal life;
8 but to those who are self-seeking, and don't obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath, indignation,
9 oppression, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
10 But glory, honour, and peace go to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
11 For there is no partiality with God.
CRITICISM AND PIETY
"Thinkest thou, that judgest them that do such things, that thou shalt escape?"
That is always my peril, to assume that by being severe with others I exculpate myself. I go on to the bench, and deliver sentence upon my brother, when my proper place is in the dock. And this is the subtlety of the snare, that I regard my criticisms and condemnations of other people as signs of my own innocence. This is the last refinement in temptation, and multitudes fall before its power.
The way to moral and spiritual health is to direct my criticisms upon myself. I must stand in the dock, and hear the grave indictment of my own soul. Unless I pass through the second chapter of Romans I can never enter the fifth and sixth, and still less the glorious forgiveness of the eighth. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." I pass into that warm, cheery light through the cold road of acknowledged guilt and sin.
"If we confess our sins He is just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
September 10th.
My Father, wilt Thou lead me into a rich conception of sonship? Being the son of a King, may my behaviour be regal and
royal! May there be nothing low and mean about my life! May it be large and full of courtesy, revealing its sonship in its grace!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deuteronomy 28:6
The blessings of the law are not cancelled. Jesus confirmed the promise when he bore the penalty. If I keep the commands of my Lord, I may appropriate this promise without question.
This day I will come in to my house without fear of evil tidings, and I will come into my closet expecting to hear good news from my Lord. I will not be afraid to come in unto myself by self-examination, nor to come in to my affairs by a diligent inspection of my business. I have a good deal of work to do indoors, within my own soul; oh for a blessing upon it all, the blessing of the Lord Jesus, who has promised to abide with me.
I must also go out. Timidity makes me wish that I could stay within doors, and never go into the sinful world again. But I must go out in my calling, and I must go out that I may be helpful to my brethren, and useful to the ungodly. I must be a defender of the faith and an assailant of evil. Oh for a blessing upon my going out this day! Lord, let me go where thou leadest, on thy errands, under thy command, and in the power of thy Spirit.
Lord Jesus, turn in with me and be my guest; and then walk out with me, and cause my heart to burn whilst thou speakest with me by the way.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Luke 10:20, R.V.
There is one Scroll of Honour, and it is never kept on the earth, but in the heavens; and in that Book of Remembrance have been written the names of those who, amidst rampant apostasy, have been faithful; amidst the prevalence of darkness have witnessed to the light; amidst the seeming conquest of evil have been true to righteousness and God.
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for Thou shalt inherit all the nations.
Psalms 82:8
Such is the prayer with which this song closes. To gather its force we need the whole Psalm. It is a brief but mighty poem concerning justice, the righteous administration of human affairs. Observe its structure. First a brief but luminous description of the ideal (verse 1). Then a protest against the maladministration of the judges with a sentence pronounced upon them (verses 2-7). Finally this prayer. In reading the first verse, we may be helped if we retain the Hebrew words so far as we may, thus: "Elohim, standeth in the congregation of El; He judgeth among the elohim." Here we have the word elohim twice, but with differing values. The first is that of the intensive use of the plural, and the word is the name of God. The second is the simple use of the plural, and the word is used of those constituting the assembly of El - that is, of God. It is a singularly radiant picture, this of the final court of appeal. Central to it is God Himself, the One Who judges. Gathered around Him is an assembly of judges who are called elohim, because they are His delegates; they administer His will; they are His executive agents. That is a perfect setting forth of the true way of justice for the world. Read the protest against the judges, who have failed, and thereby know how God judges, and how we may test all human authority. To do so, is to join the singer in this final prayer. When we do so, let us remember that the prayer is already heard, and is being answered; for "He hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man Whom He hath ordained" (Acts 17:31).
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.