05.13.09
“THE DELIGHT OF DESPAIR”
.
This devotion was written by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
.
THE DELIGHT OF DESPAIR
.
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.” Revelation 1:17
.
It may be that like the apostle John you know Jesus Christ intimately, when suddenly He appears with no familiar characteristic at all, and the only thing you can do is to fall at His feet as dead. There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awfulness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair; if you are ever to be raised up, it must be by the hand of God.
“He laid His right hand upon me.” In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes, nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say – “Fear not.” His tenderness is ineffably sweet. Do I know Him like that?
Watch some of the things that strike despair. There is despair in which there is no delight, no horizon, no hope of anything brighter; but the delight of despair comes when I know that “in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” I delight to know that there is that in me which must fall prostrate before God when He manifests Himself, and if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I get to the limit of the possible.
05.05.09
“THE UNRIVALED POWER OF PRAYER”
.
This devotion was written by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest..
.
THE UNRIVALED POWER OF PRAYER.
.
“We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
.
We realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer, and we know what it is to pray in accordance to the Spirit; but we don’t often realize that the HOly Spirit Himself prays prayers in us which we cannot utter ourselves. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.
“He,” the Holy Spirit in you, “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (8:27). And God searches your heart, not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what the prayer of the Holy Spirit is.
The Spirit of God uses the nature of the believer as a temple in which to offer His prayers of intercession. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1Corinthians 6:19). When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, “…He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.” (Mark 11:16). The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out everyone who bough and sold in teh temple, and said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer…But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’ ” (Mark 11:17)
Have we come to realize that our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have ot remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of the total person, is to be regarded by us as a “temple of theHoly Spirit.” He will be responsible for the unconscious part, which we don’t know, but we must pay careful attentio to and guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.”
04.22.09
“BEWARE OF THE LEAST LIKELY TEMPTATION”
.
This devotion is from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest, April 19
.
BEWARE OF THE LEAST LIKELY TEMPTATION
.
“Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom” (1Kings 2:28)
.
Joab withstood the greatest test of his life, remaining absolutely loyal to David by not turning to follow after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom. Yet toward the end of his life he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back (see 1Corinthians 10:11-13). You may have just victoriously gone through a great crisis, but now be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt you. Beware of thinking that the areas of your life where you have experienced victory in the past are now the least likely to cause you to stumble and fall.
We are apt to say, “It is not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I would now turn back to the things of the world.” Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least likely thing that is the real danger. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you. You have remained true to God under great and intense trials–now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before God. Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptation will be effective in sapping strength. The Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never weak ones.
“…kept by the power of God…” that is the only safety (1Peter 1:5)
04.21.09
” THE OVERSHADOWING OF GOD’S PERSONAL DELIVERANCE”
.
This devotion is from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest, June 27
.
THE OVERSHADOWING OF GOD’S PERSONAL DELIVERANCE
.
” ‘…I am with you to deliver you,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8).
.
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally– “…your life shall be as a prize to you…” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Whenever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout amongst us become atheistic in this regard–we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean on our own understanding, instead o f trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
04.16.09
“ARE YOU LISTENING TO GOD?”
.
This devotion is from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest, Feb. 12
.
ARE YOU LISTENING TO GOD?
.
“They said to Moses, ‘You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’” (Exodus 20:19)
.
We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God–we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them–not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.
“You speak with us,…but let not God speak with us…” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”
Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.
01.27.09
“LOOK AGAIN AND THINK”
.
From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest An Updated Edition In Today’s Language, (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1992) January 27.
.
Look Again And Think
“Do not worry about your life….” (Matthew 6:25)
.
A warning which needs to be reiterated is that “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust of other things entering in, will choke out the life of God that God puts in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring tides of this invasion. If the frontline of the attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or the lack of friends; or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.
.
“I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Our Lord says be careful only about one thing–our relationship to Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says – “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the pint where they become the primary concern of our life. Whenever they are cmpeting concerns in your life, be sure always to put your relationship to God first.
“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (6:34) How much trouble has begun to threaten you to-day? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying , “Now what are your plans for next month – this summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father (6:30).
01.23.09
“THE GOOD OR THE BEST”
.
From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest An Updated Edition In Today’s Language, (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1992) May 25.
.
THE GOOD OR THE BEST
.
If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. (Genesis 13:9)
.
As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice.
.
Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. In this passage, it would seem that the wisest thing in the world for Abram to do would be to choose. It was his right, and the people around him would consider him to be a fool for not choosing.
.
Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has it s eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, “…walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:11)
01.15.09
“READINESS”
From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest An Updated Edition In Today’s Language, (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1992) April 18
..
READINESS
..
“God called to him…And he said, ‘Here I am” ” (Exodus 3:4)
..
When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer. Moses’ reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready. Readiness means having a right relationship with God and having the knowledge of where we are. We are so busy telling God where we like to go. Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes. WE wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensational will be coming our way, and when it does come we are quick to cry out, “Here I am.” Whenever we sense that Jesus Christ is rising up to take authority over some great task, we are there, but we are nt ready for some obscure duty.
.
Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing–it makes no difference. It means we have no choice–it makes no difference. IT means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God’s plans may be, we are there and ready. Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear God’s voice as our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us just as His Father did with Him. He can put us wherever he wants, in pleasant duties or in menial ones, because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father. “…that they may be one as We are one…” (John 17:22)
..
Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready–he is ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready once God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the person who is ready , and it is on fire with the presence of God Himself.
01.05.09
“LET US KEEP TO THE POINT”
.
From Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest An Updated Edition In Today’s Language, (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1992) January 1.
.
LET US KEEP TO THE POINT
.
“…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20)
My Utmost for His Highest. “…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed…” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest–my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point–He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only–my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death–it makes no difference!” (see1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide–for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
