Daily Devotionals

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Devotional: July 9th

" God is faithful, by whom we were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:9.

Called unto the fellowship of Christ, seems to mean, called unto a community of interest and of destiny with Christ. One Spirit is to be common to the believer and Christ; to each there is one life of humiliation, one eternity of glory; to each the hatred of the world. Christ’s peace and joy are the believer’s; the same love of the Father is given to each; there is to each a resurrection and ascension. But he that is called to a part is called to the whole. If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him; not otherwise. He is indeed the Captain of our salvation; and the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Though crucified with him, yet there were sacrificial sorrows of his which we know not.

Of course it will be thought a sublime thing in the last day, to sit down with Jesus on his throne, and participate a glory that shall light up the universe. But only he shall sit there who is now cordially associated with Christ in the midst of a gainsaying and perverse generation. The marvel is that, with the certainty of such an exalted destiny in reserve, there should be so little readiness to pursue the path that leads to it. Is it thought that God is not faithful, and that after enduring countless humiliations for the name of Christ, the reward will be withheld? But God is not only faithful, he is faithfulness itself; he must cease to be himself before he can be unfaithful. Faithfulness in God is simply acting in accordance with his own character, simply having his own way. In order to induce a man to be faithful, we labor to make him go out of himself, - control his own inclinations and tendencies; it is almost like asking a barque driven with the wind and tossed, to remain motionless on the bosom of the agitated waters. But God is a rock; and a strange spectacle it would indeed be, if he should vacillate and be thrown from his native steadfastness. He knew our nature perfectly before he took that nature in hand to redeem it. He cannot be taken by surprise at any developments in us. It was not because he believed us somewhat corrupt, that he undertook our redemption; he knew us to be what we are only gradually discovering ourselves to be, utterly corrupt. Heaven and earth then may pass away, but He will remain faithful to his own declared purpose, and present us to the scrutiny of the universe, holy, unblemished, unblameable.

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