Posts Tagged ‘Oswald Chambers’
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Verse: “Out of the heart proceed…“
– Matthew 15:19
Quote: “We resent what Jesus Christ reveals.”
We do not want to hear what Jesus Christ has to say when He tells us what is really in our hearts. “I could never…” Sure you could; you are capable of every possible evil when you reject Christ’s teachings and allow the enemy a foothold in your life. 1 John 3:15 says that whoever hates his brother is a murderer, James 2:10-11 says that if you break only one law you break every law because the same God decreed the entire law.
What does this mean for us? It means you must never take sin lightly, especially when Christ reveals an evil inside your heart. Don’t ever think a sin is too extreme for you to actually commit. If the Holy Spirit takes the time to confront you, take heed and listen. Our lives as Christians are under constant attack from the enemy, and quite frequently we fall in the most unsuspecting ways. Take time to ask God what areas of your life still have flesh dwelling in them, and expedite it’s removal.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, enemy, flesh, God, heart, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Matthew 15:19, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, sin, The Account with Purity
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Friday, July 25th, 2008
Verse: “Blessed are…”
– Matthew 5:3-10
Quote: “We have to decide whether we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words.”
The literal interpretation of Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount can be easily understood, but the actual application requires the perfect strength of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the statements of Christ seem so obvious that we allow them to “sink unobserved into our unconscious minds.” Or maybe they sound nice and well on paper, but in real life they just don’t appear practical. When once you allow the Holy Sprit to work through you, you find that the words of Jesus have the power to “explode” in your circumstances, and you realize the depth to those simple words.
Tags:Am I Blesses Like This, Beatitudes, Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:3-10, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, sermon on the mount
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Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Verse: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
– Matthew 5:20
Quote: “The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being.”
It is a difficult thing for many Christians to grasp that doing good is not enough; you must also be doing good for the right reason. I Chronicles 28:9 says to “serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” It has been said that God doesn’t want service, He wants obedience; that is to say, He wants us to want to do the right thing, not feel like we have to do it. It does God no good for us to just go through the motions hoping to earn a gold star at the end of the day. Our chief goal should be that we are so right in our living, motives, dreams, and recesses of our minds that “God Almighty can see nothing to censure” in us.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, Disposition and Deeds, God, heart, Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:20, motives, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, thoughts
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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
Verse: “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” – I Thessalonians 4:3
Quote: “[Sanctification] means being made one with Jesus.”
I don’t think it can be put more simply than that. Our goal as Christians is to become as closely resembling Jesus Christ as possible. He lived the perfect life and left the blueprint behind for us to follow. Not only that, He continues to personally help us follow that blueprint. The more our lives resemble the life of Christ, the more we resemble God, and the closer we are to His will.
Tags:Bible, God, I Thessalonians 4:3, Jesus Christ, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, Sanctification
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Monday, July 21st, 2008
Verse: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” – Matthew 5:3
Quote: “Jesus Christ did not come to teach only; He came to make me what He teaches I should be.”
That is such a great truth that can be easily missed. If Christ came only to teach, all He did was set a standard that could never be reached; but by showing us the course first-hand, and offering to help us every step of the way, He actually empowers us to do what is otherwise impossible. What better example to emulate than the One Who has perfected what you are trying to do? Jesus doesn’t just say “Do as I do,” but “Follow Me.”
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, example, follow, God, impossible, Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:3, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, teach, The Gateway to the Kingdom
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Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Verse: “They that wait upon the Lord…shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
Quote: “If our common-sense decisions are not His order, He will press through them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.”
This is one of my favorite things that Chambers frequently refers to: if we are in constant fellowship with God, the natural decisions we make will be in line with His will; and if they’re not, He will check us and point us back in the right direction. The idea is that as mature believers, we shouldn’t have to stop at every crossroads and ask God which way to go, we should instinctively know because of our daily communication with Him. There will be times where we are unsure of the next step, but that is where we stop and wait for the presence of God to guide us.
My parents will always welcome a phone call from me asking how long to leave a ham in the oven, or what type of drill bit I need to buy, but their real joy comes in seeing me personally make the correct decisions in my life based on the things they taught me. Even so, God wants us to act out the lessons we’ve learned while resting on His bosom.
Tags:Bible, communication, daily devotion, Dependent on God's Presence, fellowship, God, Isaiah 40:31, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
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Saturday, July 19th, 2008
Verse: “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” – John 13:13
Quote: “The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience.”
Jesus leaves us free from the obligation of obedience, and give us the ability to choose. “So free that we can spit in His face, as men did; so free that we can put Him to death, as men did; and He will never say a word.” We must learn that obedience is not our duty to Christ, for He never insists upon it, but it is a result of our relationship as sons of the Father.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, God, John 13:13, Mastery Over the Believer, My Utmost for His Highest, obedience, Oswald Chambers
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Friday, July 18th, 2008
Verse: “And he said, Who art Thou, Lord?” – Acts 9:5
Quote: “It is a matter of indifference to God’s grace how abominable I am if I come to the light, but woe be to me if I refuse the light.”
I had a rough day today. After waking up early yesterday to play golf, I went at it all day until my buddy Rob and I went to the midnight showing of The Dark Night (I’m out in Amarillo with Rob for a couple of weeks playing some shows with him, for those who didn’t know). We didn’t think about how late a midnight showing would go, so we didn’t get back home until 3:00am and had to get up at 6:00am to leave for Oklahoma where we’re playing at a camp with Rob’s brother, Kurt.
I felt out of it all day today, just completely out of my element. I couldn’t focus and rehearsal went awful because my brain couldn’t stay on track. Luckily we made it through the night without any train wrecks.
All of this rambling to say I didn’t feel like I had anything to offer God today, but He still chose to work through me by way of music tonight. And I am eternally grateful that He doesn’t care what shape I’m in, if I will open myself up to Him, He will use me.
I’m about to pass out staring at the screen right now, but I wanted to get this post up before I went to bed. I should be back on track and making sense tomorrow.
Tags:Acts 9:5, Bible, daily devotion, God, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, redemption, The Mystery of Believing
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Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
Verse: “How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” – Matthew 7:11
Quote: “Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural.”
Chambers believes Jesus’ emphasis was not on God giving you what you ask for, but that He can give it to you; God is all-powerful. Always keep your mind on the idea that God is in complete control of your circumstances, and communicate to Him with that understanding. Don’t ask blindly for everything you want, but out of the knowledge that God knows your situation and knows what’s best for you, and rest in perfect confidence that He will “give good things to them that ask Him.” If you pray along this line, it may be that what you receive is far greater than what you asked for.
Tags:ask, Bible, daily devotion, God, Jesus, Matthew 7:11, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, pray, receive, The Notion of Divine Control, trust
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Verse: “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians.” – Romans 1:14
Quote: “Quit praying about yourself and be spent for others as the bondslave of Jesus. That is the meaning of being made broken bread and poured-out wine in reality.”
Praying for yourself is not wrong, praying for God’s blessing and direction, etc. But only thinking of yourself in prayer, and denying your responsibility of intercessory prayer for others is wrong. As Christians we often forget that the only reason we are here, the reason God didn’t take us home as soon as we pledged our allegiance to Him, is to serve others and reveal the life and love of Jesus Christ.
Tags:Bible, daily devotion, God, honor, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, prayer, Romans 1:14
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