Archive for August, 2008
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Verse: “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.“
– John 11:41
Quote: “God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God is formed in me the Father will always hear my prayers.”
What an amazing promise! It is easy for us to take the effects Christ’s sacrifice for granted because it’s all we’ve ever known, but through His death on the cross, Jesus opened up a direct line of communication between us and the Father. God hears and answers our prayers because we pray on behalf of the life of Christ hid within us. This is an enormous blessing that we should daily take full advantage of.
Tags:Bible, blessing, communication, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 11:41, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Prayer in the Father's Hearing, sacrifice
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Friday, August 8th, 2008
Verse: “That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.“
– Luke 1:35
Quote: “Am I continually saying with amazement to my common-sense life—why do you want to turn me off here? Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
That quote doesn’t really go with either the title or the verse for today’s devotion, but it struck a chord with me. I often find myself struggling with what seems like my natural instinct to behave a certain way, and I usually just try to deal with it. But I like the picture of actually rebuking my flesh when it tries to lead me away from where God has me.
That thing that was born in you when you submitted yourself to Jesus Christ was the life of the Son of God. You must act accordingly now to the new life that is in you, letting nothing interfere with you being face to face with your Father.
Tags:Bible, born, child, daily devotion, face, God, Jesus Christ, life, Luke 1:35, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Prayer in the Father's Honour, Son
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Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Verse: “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”
– Joshua 1:7
Quote: “Ours is to be a straightforward course, which bends neither to the right nor to the left. We are not to err by being more rigid than the law, nor turn out of levity to a more free and easy way.”
I try to quote the verse in the same version that is presented in the devotion I am reading. I did that today, but was very tempted to “modernize” it, though I trust you get the point.
Balance is key. It’s often said that Satan’s greatest tool is using half-lies. If you start with something true and then twist it, you are less likely to notice that you have gone astray. God’s Word warns us sternly to pay close attention to our course, and continually look to God for direction lest you “bend” to the right or the left.
As Christians, we have just as much tendency to make the law more tedious as we do to ignore it altogether. Remember that it was the teachers of the law who conflicted more with Jesus during His time here on earth, because of their rigidness. Spend time communicating with the God of the Law, follow as He leads, and you will remain in His light.
Tags:bend, Bible, C.H. Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Joshua 1:7, law, levity, rigid, straightforward
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Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Verse: “At that day ye shall ask in My name.“
– John 16:26
Quote: “We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God’s grace.”
Prayer is about communication with God, not having our wishes granted us. God promises to give the desires of our heart, but He also promises to change our hearts to line up with His if we will pursue Him. Focus on talking to God in prayer, not on the answers. The answers will come, but not always in the way we hoped for.
Tags:answer, Bible, communication, daily devotion, God, heart, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 16:26, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, The Cross in Prayer, will
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Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Verse: “And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished….And they understood none of these things.“
– Luke 18:31, 34
Quote: “If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are.”
It is of no concern to us where God is leading, we are but to follow. We should never focus on, or even desire the end result. Our goal should be obedience, and our joy in the consistency in which we follow lest our future becomes brighter than the God who is present.
Tags:Bible, follow, future, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, joy, lead, Luke 18:31, Luke 18:34, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, present, The Baffling Call of God
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Monday, August 4th, 2008
Verse: “The He took unto Him the twelve.“
– Luke 18:31
Quote: “The comradeship of God is made up out of men who know their poverty. He can do nothing with the man who thinks he is of use to God.”
We must put completely out of our mind the notion that God needs us in any shape or fashion. God chooses by His perfect grace and mercy to work through us and give us an opportunity to give back with what was never ours to begin with. Before you can be of use to God, you must realize your uselessness without Him.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, friend, friendship, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Luke 18:31, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, poverty, The Brace Comradeship of God, usefulness
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Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Verse: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.“
– Luke 18:31
Quote: “We are not taken up into conscious agreement with God’s purpose, we are taken up into God’s purpose without any consciousness at all.”
We do not have to know where God is headed in order to follow Him effectively. His vision is so much clearer than ours, that it is impossible for us to see the end result the way He sees it. All we have to do is submit the way Jesus did in Jerusalem: “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30 NKJV).
Tags:Bible, conscious agreement, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Luke 18:31, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, purpose, The Big Compelling, will
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Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
Verse: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
Quote: “An average view of the Christian life is that it means deliverance from trouble. It is deliverance in trouble, which is very different.”
This verse alone is enough to give courage to the weakest Christian will, but Chambers always has a way of expounding which sheds light in a new way. God never gives us more power than we need immediately, lest we store it up and attempt to rely on our silo instead of Him. If there were no trouble for us, God would get no glory from our choices. It is how we respond to God in trouble that reveals our true relationship to Him.
Where do you turn for strength when your world crashes down on you? Who do you call for help when calamity strikes? Do not make the mistake of resenting God when trouble befalls, but give Him praise as you overcome with the power He gives you.
Tags:Bible, courage, daily devotion, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, John 16:33, life, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, power, strength, The Discipline of Difficulty, trouble
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Friday, August 1st, 2008
Verse: “When Jesus had made an end of commanding His disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.“
– Matthew 11:1
Quote: “When we are certain of the way God is going to work, He will never work in that way any more.”
There are times when God sends us away so that He may work in the lives of those you have been ministering to. If you do not obey when He says “Go,” but stay behind and say “this is where my duty is,” you rob those people of the blessings and teachings of God.
We cannot predict how God will work, or where His work is for us, all we can do is obey immediately when He directs us. As soon as we feel that we have an idea on how God is going to work, He will change His methods until all you can do is rely squarely on His voice.
Tags:Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, leading, Matthew 11:1, minister, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Something More about His Ways, voice, work
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