DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)
Gracious God, we pray, work in us such a holy love to you, that we may give to you all that we have. We have sometimes said in our soul: “Take not tithe, but take it all.” Keep us true to this. May we feel that we are “not our own, but bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20) and let this be no sentiment which ought to have power over us, but a real force which constrains us, because “For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15).
We do pray for grace, that we may spend all our time, every faculty, and all that we possess in glorifying our Lord and Master among the sons of men.
Amen.
VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)
“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
Paul reminded us that we were redeemed from the punishment due us, redeemed from the wrath of God, redeemed to Christ to be his forever. “You were bought” implies a price, but the words “at a price” are added to show that it was not for nothing that we were purchased; something inestimably precious was paid for us—the precious blood of Christ.
Our being “bought at a price” is the most important fact in our present existence. It determines all we do and are as Christians. If bought, we are not our own. Now if it is true that we are not our own, then the inferences from this are that we have no right to injure what does not belong to us; and, as we are not our own, we have no right to be idle or to waste our talents.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Teach kids about the wonder that our Lord served us.
Today we prayed and reflected on the glorious reality that our great God, the Lord of all creation, laid down his life for us. We are sinful, through and through, but we have been “bought with a price.” This is a marvelous thought that we must never forget.
A great resource for teaching this glorious divine paradox of a great King who is also a lowly servant is Jesus and the Very Big Surprise by Randall Goodgame. This is a really thoughtful and fun picture book, based on Jesus’ parable of the servants who waited for the master to return.
This book is an amazing balance of biblical faithfulness and really fun (and funny) creativity. Your kids will love it, and so will you.