Bowen's Daily Meditations

A reference to the context will show that this declaration is intended for those who are smarting under the chastisements of God; for those of his professing people who have brought upon themselves by disobedience and worldliness, the rebuke of the Most High. Out of the cloud there comes a voice telling of the blue sky beyond and of the way in which it may become visible. The blessings connected with the uplifted light of God's countenance are not to be recovered by those who have once...

This is an invitation to thee to give over the keeping of thyself entirely into the Lord's hands. Let him be thy keeper and he will keep thee from all evil. That no harm ever befalls the Christian, cannot be said. But while he follows that which is good, no harm befalls him. While he suffers the Lord to guide him, he is preserved infallibly.

It is only by faith that we can appreciate the guidance of the Lord as being everything that an enlightened love could desire for us. When we...

In other words, blessed is he that blesseth. Happy is he who makes it his chief concern to bestow happiness on others. Rich is he who seeks to enrich. " Consider thyself," says the world; "study the advancement of thy interests; for there is none to do thee good if thou neglect thy own good. Will men sell and buy for thee whilst thou art busied about the poor? Will they supply thy wardrobe if thou empty it for the poor?

Will they send medicines to thee and a physician, when thou...

There is a beautiful conception of the character of God involved in the use of the word "rich" in this connection. For he is said to be rich not in respect of what he has, but of what he bestows. Used of men the word indicates one to whom much has accrued; but it is used here of God to designate one from whom infinite wealth of blessing accrues to the sons of men. It is for us he is rich, his wealth is ours; we have a marvellous and inexhaustible treasury in him. God, in fact, proposes to...

Thou art willing to be kept by him. Thou knowest thine own helplessness and ignorance; the power and malignity of the adversary; the sufficiency, love and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ; the reality of the Spirit; thou distinguishest his still, small voice; the word of God is a lamp to thy feet; thou meditatest therein day and night; thou hast the shield of faith. Thou knowest the voice of thy keeper, and knowest not the voice of strangers. In prosperity, in adversity, and in the...

Art thou unwilling, believer, to drink the cup which thy Father giveth thee? It is a very different cup from that which the Saviour consented to drink for thee. It is wreathed around with the declaration, " All things shall work together for good to them that love God." It comes to thee by the hand of Jesus, the hand that was pierced for thee. In it you behold as in a transparency a crown of glory that fadeth not away, purchased for you by the Saviour's righteousness. He that spared not his...

When Adam sinned then was there the abolition of life. The empire of death began. Death advanced by steps. There was a process observed in the establishment of his kingdom. He needed subjects, and therefore he did not cause the bodies of Adam and Eve to crumble to dust at once. He showed what he could do when Abel fell by the hand of his brother. He made havoc of everything heavenly in the spiritual nature of man; brought out his instruments of torture to assail and overthrow his physical...

The Lord's people are satisfied with his goodness, even in this life, in such a sense that they willingly forsake all and follow him. In the privation of all other things they are still so satisfied with the love of their divine Saviour, that they cast no regretful looks behind. Ah, but there are some, esteemed the people of God, who seem not to be satisfied with the simple goodness of their heavenly Father: there is too manifest a grasping after the riches and dignities of the earth. Would...

The best thing that a man can do for his children, is to fear the Lord. Piety is not hereditary; but there is a strong probability that the children of a truly God-fearing man, will be converted and brought to make the Lord their refuge. Yet how many there are who make the alleged interests of their children a pretext for not giving themselves and all they have unreservedly to the Lord. They would lay up treasure in heaven, were it not that they must lay up for their children. Their faith...

A good man is one whose steps are ordered by the Lord. Having come to the conclusion that there is none good but God, he has sought such an alliance with God as secures to him the benefit of the divine goodness. A good man is one in whom you can behold the goodness of the Lord. To the world's apprehension a good man is one who is able to order his steps aright, able of himself to know and to pursue the best path. This is a fundamental error; and religion can only begin with its overthrow....

The faithfulness of the Lord to his people is secured not more by the fact that he delighteth in mercy than by the fact that he loveth judgment. The propitiation made for sin is so effectual that by it all the perfections of God become pledged to promote the everlasting interests of those who believe. It is God in the unlimited fulness of his nature, not a part of God, that is made favorable to the sinner by the blood of Jesus The believer should understand that he is not taking refuge in...

If we could look into the books of immortality, and turn over its pages of the future, and trace the paths of light belonging to the names that are now ascendant in our skies, we should see them to be of length unequal: one brilliant luminary of our day soon vanishing into night, and another passing on, but sooner or later, like all the rest disappearing from the heaven of fame. But when the lights of this world shall have gone out, then will be seen coming up in indescribable splendor and...

There was thick darkness no doubt in the den where Daniel lay; in the dungeon where Paul and Silas sat; and in the living prison where Jonah was confined. There is no light so beautiful, so precious as that which ariseth to make glad the countenance of the righteous as he gropes in darkness. He says, " It is well for me that I have had experience of the darkness that I might be enraptured with the light." Before the light ariseth, there must be a victory of faith in his soul. He must...

He has pronounced his own condemnation. Christ is the test of all men and of all things. Every man that hears of Christ, discovers the outline of his character, gets a vision of his voluntary suffering, and death, and glorious resurrection, and unchanging love, and yet believes not on him, every such man declares himself to be unworthy of everlasting life. There is no affinity between him and Christ, and it is easily calculated, therefore, what are his true affinities. There is no need for...