Daily Bible Notes: September, 19th
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 liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.
Galatians 5:1
This "liberty" makes us free to heaven’s charter - the Bible . Here is a choice passage, believer, "When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee." You are free to that. Here is another: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee"; you are free to that. You are a welcome guest at the table of the promises. Scripture is a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. It is the bank of heaven; you may draw from it as much as you please, without let or hindrance. Come in faith and you are welcome to all covenant blessings . There is not a promise in the Word which shall be withheld. In the depths of tribulations let this freedom comfort you; amidst waves of distress let it cheer you; when sorrows surround thee let it be thy solace. This is thy Father’s love-token; thou art free to it at all times. Thou art also free to the throne of grace . It is the believer’s privilege to have access at all times to His heavenly Father. Whatever our desires, our difficulties, our wants, we are at liberty to spread all before Him. It matters not how much we may have sinned, we may ask and expect pardon. It signifies nothing how poor we are, we may plead His promise that He will provide all things needful. We have permission to approach His throne at all times - in midnight’s darkest hour, or in noontide’s most burning heat. Exercise thy right, O believer, and live up to thy privilege.
Thou art free to all that is treasured up in Christ - wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It matters not what thy need is, for there is fulness of supply in Christ, and it is there for thee . O what a "freedom" is thine! freedom from condemnation, freedom to the promises, freedom to the throne of grace, and at last freedom to enter heaven!
Evening
For this child I prayed.
1 Samuel 1:27
Devout souls delight to look upon those mercies which they have obtained in answer to supplication, for they can see God’s especial love in them.
When we can name our blessings Samuel, that is, "asked of God," they will be as dear to us as her child was to Hannah. Peninnah had many children, but they came as common blessings unsought in prayer: Hannah’s one heaven-given child was dearer far, because he was the fruit of earnest pleadings. How sweet was that water to Samson which he found at "the well of him that prayed!" Quassia cups turn all waters bitter, but the cup of prayer puts a sweetness into the draughts it brings. Did we pray for the conversion of our children? How doubly sweet, when they are saved, to see in them our own petitions fulfilled! Better to rejoice over them as the fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies. Have we sought of the Lord some choice spiritual gift? When it comes to us it will be wrapped up in the gold cloth of God’s faithfulness and truth, and so be doubly precious. Have we petitioned for success in the Lord’s work? How joyful is the prosperity which comes flying upon the wings of prayer! It is always best to get blessings into our house in the legitimate way, by the door of prayer; then they are blessings indeed, and not temptations. Even when prayer speeds not, the blessings grow all the richer for the delay; the child Jesus was all the more lovely in the eyes of Mary when she found Him after having sought Him sorrowing. That which we win by prayer we should dedicate to God, as Hannah dedicated Samuel. The gift came from heaven, let it go to heaven. Prayer brought it, gratitude sang over it, let devotion consecrate it. Here will be a special occasion for saying, "Of Thine own have I given unto Thee." Reader, is prayer your element or your weariness? Which?
2. "My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year" by J.H.Jowett
John 6:1-21
1 After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias.
2 A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.
3 Jesus went up into the mountain, and he sat there with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?"
6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may receive a little."
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these amongst so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired.
12 When they were filled, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost."
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
14 When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, "This is truly the prophet who comes into the world."
15 Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea.
17 They entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
18 The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing.
19 When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.
20 But he said to them, "It is I. Don't be afraid."
21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
THE NEEDS OF THE BODY
The Lord who came to save His people was sensitive to His people's hunger. In the presence of the supreme need the smaller need was not forgotten. He honoured the body as well as the soul. He ministered to the transient as well as the eternal. And that is ever the characteristic of true kingliness; it has a kingly way of doing the smaller things. I can measure my own progress toward the throne by my sovereign attention to scruples. "He that is faithful in that which is least, the same also is great."
The Lord is not oppressed by the multitude of His guests. "He Himself knew what He would do." We need not jostle one another for His bounty. We shall not crowd one another out. "There is bread enough and to spare." Even in the material realm this is true, and everybody would have his daily bread if the will of the Lord were done. There is no straitness in the gracious Host! It is the greed of the guests which mars the satisfaction of the feast.
And how careful the Lord of Glory was to "gather up the fragments"! Our infinitely wealthy Lord is not wealthy enough to "throw things away." He cannot afford to waste bread. Can He afford to lose a soul? "He goeth out after that which is lost until He find it"!
3. "Yet Another Day - A Prayer for Every Day of the Year" by John H.Jowett
September 19th.
My Father, may I lift mine eyes to the hills! May I not be satisfied with the standards of the plains!
May I seek my ideals in the mount! May I breathe the mountain air even when I walk the valleys of time!
4. "The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith" by C.H.Spurgeon.
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in
his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
What a word is this! Jehovah God in the centre of his people in all the majesty of his power! This presence alone suffices to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless might are stored in our Jehovah, and he dwells in his church, therefore may his people shout for joy.
We not only have his presence, but he is engaged upon his choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving: he takes his name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger, for he is mighty to save.
Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same; he loves, he finds rest in loving, he will not cease to love. His love gives him joy. He even finds a theme for song in his beloved. This is exceedingly wonderful. When God wrought creation he did not sing, but simply said, "It is very good"; but when he came to redemption, then the sacred Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song. Think of it, and be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over his chosen bride. She is to him his love, his joy, his rest, his song. O Lord Jesus, by thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love thee, to rejoice in thee, and to sing unto thee our life-psalm.
5. "The Morning Message" by G.Campbell Morgan.
According to His good pleasure.
Ephesians 1:9
If we would know the good pleasure of God, man must be seen in all his perfection. In Christ we have the revelation of perfect manhood. Think of His perfection of tenderness, His beauty of character, of all the great overwhelming strength which centred in His sacred Person. In beholding Him, behold the "good pleasure of God."
6. "An Evening Meditation" taken from "Searchlights from the Word" by G.Campbell Morgan.
Supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings.
1 Timothy 2:1
These four words are not synonymous. They all describe activities of the soul in the presence of God, and so are synthetic. Each has its own peculiar value and suggestion. In the first and last, activities are described in which all unite out of a common experience. In the second, an activity which largely leaves behind the sense of human need. In the third, an activity which excludes personal need, and includes the needs of others. Supplications are requests which express a need in which all those offering them share. In my own view they refer to the deepest spiritual needs, for cleansing, for spiritual enablement, of which all worshippers are conscious as they approach the Holy Place. Prayers here are the distinct acts of worship, in which the saints offer pure praise to God. The sense of need is for the moment forgotten, and the sense of the majesty and mercy of God call forth adoration. Intercessions are those requests for others which are the expression of love for them, begotten of love for God, and in which those offering them are entirely forgetful of their own personal needs. Thanksgivings are those glad outpourings of grateful hearts in which they remember the Giver of all gifts, and render to Him the returns of expressed gratitude which are ever acceptable to Him. As we said, they are all exercises of the soul in the presence of God, and the variety of their suggestion helps us to realize how rich and glorious is the privilege of our access to God through Christ.
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.