I am going to take a risk to do something I have never done before. I want to share a good sample of a classic daily devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, written by Oswald Chambers. I’m doing it because 1) my writing skills are not advanced enough to clearly describe what he has written or how I feel about this book. 2) I know that some today may not be familiar with these writings and I want everyone I connect with to at least know about it.
What he writes in this book has proven over 9 decades to be a ‘must read’ for all serious Christ-followers. More than 13 million copies have been sold worldwide. It oozes with wisdom and the passion of his heart for God and grabs the heart of a person hungry for knowing and following God.
SERVICE OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION
“Lovest thou Me?… Feed My sheep” (John 21:16).
Jesus did not say—Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me. We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed. “If any man come to Me and hate not…. he cannot be My disciple.” There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply—If you would be My disciple, you must be devoted to Me. A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says—”Now I see Who Jesus is,” and that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offence to the educated mind of today that does not want Him in any other way than as a Comrade. Our Lord’s first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a door-mat. The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is its unobtrusiveness. It is like a corn of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will spring up and alter the whole landscape John 12:24).
My prayer is that the Holy Spirit has caused what you just have just read to resonate deep within you as it has within me. The truth he communicates in this is timeless and offers a variety of insights. Oswald’s devotional is available to be borrowed or purchased on-line and most likely is in your local library or Christian bookstore.
Enjoy the blessings God’s Spirit plans to give you today.
Thank you!
If a meal is a gift toward life, this is both the meal and the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Your introduction did justice in setting the table.
Thank you for sharing this excellent devotional from Chambers, Bob. It has been a great source for inspiration and growth in relationship to Jesus in my life.