Bowen's Daily Meditations

Christ's love takes us as it finds us; but it does not leave us so. If it did not make us better, it would not be Christ's love, but just common earth-love. There are two mighty chapters in the history of Christ's love. One relates to the means by which he brings us to himself, the other to the means by which he keeps us with himself. After we have been brought to him, a sublime work expands itself before him. We are to be made like unto himself. He will not rest until he has communicated...

These disciples were the representatives of the universal church. They stood in the place of all believers. We were all there by proxy. It must never be supposed that the beautiful words and condescending acts of Christ were just for Peter, John, James, and their companions. John is not the only beloved disciple who is encouraged to lean upon the bosom of his Lord. His love for the family of Bethany is not a singular love, with which other families have nothing to do. It is a specimen of his...

This is a valid argument with those that are concerned for the glory of God. It is addressed to those who are acquainted with this spring of action. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork; but in vain, till Christians in a far higher degree exhibit his glory by showing that Christ is the true vine, and that they who abide in him obtain the communications of a divine life, and produce heavenly fruits on earth. What the sun, moon, and stars, the hills and...

Christ makes his will, the hour of his departure having come. Silver and gold he has none. To the eye of the world it is a pauper going his way; and the wonder is that there should be any to attend him in his last hours. He has lived in the world and amassed nothing; not so much as to pay his funeral expenses. His life is a failure; he has had the usual advantages, yet, leaves the world as he entered it. You will find no parchments in his drawers; no stray pieces of gold in his coffers; it...

Jude wanted to know how the manifestation of Christ unto his people exclusively, was to be effected. Christ in reply, says, that the believer has something and God something to do; it does not concern the believer to know how God will do his part; all that concerns him is to know how he is to do his part. Let him then keep the words of Christ, and the manifestation will be brought about; the Godhead shall take up its abode with him; let him keep the words of Christ, and he will keep Christ...

More literally, I will not leave you orphans - bereaved of all that you hold most dear, most necessary - helpless in the presence of many foes - friendless in the presence of many trials - skilless in the presence of an immense task. The parents are the complement of the little child. It operates through their wisdom and power and resources, to keep its place in the world, and act its part. The Christian without Christ, if such a thing can be conceived, is the most deplorably helpless being...

Let the Spirit have the control of all your movements. Do this thing, let alone that, adopt this habit, forsake that, speak this word, dismiss that, go, stay, as the Spirit shall choose. It is certainly a marvellous invention of God that the Spirit should come down from heaven, enter into these satanized constitutions of ours, and undertake to exhibit a divine life upon the earth through the instrumentality of anything so utterly intractable as these members, these hearts, these darkened...

You are always receiving; you are always needing. There is no position that you are called to occupy in which you will not find some expressions of divine goodness. There is no cup so bitter given you by your heavenly Father that has not in it some commingled good. In everything give thanks. In the pit of Joseph. In his prosperity. In his prison. In the belly of the fish. Upon Job's dunghill. Let John the Baptist in prison give thanks that he had received boldness to declare the truth. Let...

How everything in this world wears the appearance of a house the master of which is away, far, far away; as good as dead. Every one doeth that which is right in his own eyes, and goeth about as though he had himself inherited all authority. A few, indeed, proclaim in this chamber and in that, the remembered will of the master, and endeavor to turn back the tide of rebellion and of ungodliness. But the others listen not. They say, " Our Lord delayeth his coming, and there is not the slightest...

Every man looks upon himself as belonging to a small minority composed of the world's best men. If there were one enormous circle drawn, and another very small one, the former for the great transgressors and the latter for the comparatively innocent, all the world with one consent would seek to crowd into the smaller circle. And in this they would be acting quite conscientiously. They are accustomed in their self-estimates to overrate the good and underrate the evil. Again, they judge of...

We cross sea and land to visit the holy places. We exult to look upon the wretched city that bears the name of the place where Christ was condemned to death. We say, this stream he crossed, this mountain he stood upon, this valley he traversed, this shore he visited, in this town he was born, in this place he was brought up. Romanists, Greeks, Armenians, who know of no other holy places, jostle us and outstrip us. But the question, " Where is Christ to be found now?" is far more important...

You have false conceptions of some being, some one that has claims upon your cordial love and heartiest obedience; his claims you cannot recognize, his worth is utterly hidden from you, and your embittered mind will not allow you to behold him otherwise than as invested with dark and forbidding qualities. Knowing the force of your prejudice, he comes to you in the disguise of a mean man, and is hired by you as a servant. Gradually you marvel at the admirable characteristics of this servant....

Men have what they regard as life; and if you tell them that it is not life, they smile at your quaint way of viewing things, and at your figurative language. But, really, what men call life is but a momentary evasion of death. Death dogs you everywhere. He hath long since written his name upon you; and he suffers not a day to go by in which he does not extort a new confession from your mortal constitution, to the effect that you are his. All pain, all weariness, all loss, all decay,...

Excellency is to be estimated by adaptation. Viewed in himself, Christ is without a peer. With all beings before him, the Father chose Christ, saying, " This is my elect, in whom my soul delighteth." When God has pronounced, what need remains of deliberation? But happily for us, there is in Christ not only infinite excellency, but adaptation to our state and requirements.

As he is excellent, so is the knowledge of him excellent; for we possess him by knowing him. There is nothing in...