The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 26 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you . . ." His Peace For Your Troubles Chambers says it best, there are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. We are so unaware of reality that nothing troubles us yet—not because we have peace, but because life has not thrown anything at us yet. But most people are a little troubled inside and have no inner peace. Because when faced with the overwhelming realities of life, true inner peace is impossible, unless it is received from the only one that can give it—Jesus.  As our anchor verse tells us: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you"  When He speaks peace, it is created, because His words are Spirit and life. God sovereignly allows turbulence to enter our lives. Are you striving to find that peace in your ...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 25 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest  John 15:15 "I have called you friends . . ."  Sacrifice Without Hesitation The Lord called the disciples His friends and laid down His life for them. John 15:13-14; "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." We are asked to sacrifice ourselves to Him without hesitation. There is no greater love... and the Holy Spirit has that love waiting for us when we give ourselves to Him.  But we tend to hesitate and put stipulations on our self-sacrifice saying: "I would surrender but..." or "I guess I have to devote myself to Christ now..." with a reluctant tone. These attitudes steal the joy that the Holy Spirit has waiting for us. When we finally come to the realization that self-sacrifice must be wholehearted, the Holy Spirit pours out a love for Jesus ...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 24 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 7:9 "What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Our Life's Foundation—Prayer Prayer is the foundation of our relationship with the Father, and that relationship is the foundation of our life. Prayer is what sustains that relationship. If our prayer life is failing, that means we are not staying in touch with the source of all that is good in our lives. Without God we are nothing. Without a faithful friendship with Him, our relationship with others will suffer.  We often come to God asking for answers, but He looks at our relationships first.  What earthly father gives his son a stone when he has asked for bread? Surely no one. Therefore, if an earthly father knows how to give good gifts, then our heavenly Father would surely know how to give good gifts to his chi...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 23 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 6:6 "When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" The Secret Place Do you have a "secret place" where you meet God? Behind closed doors? Jesus said to go to your room, shut the door, and pray to the Father in secret...  I have to confess, I do not have a secret place. If I shut the door someone is going to open it or knock on it and want to come in... but if I leave my door open one assumes there is nothing to see so they just move right along and leave me in peace. But once I shut that door...  So, I just maintain my secret place inside of me. Or I find a time when everyone else is asleep.  Chambers says that most of the time our biggest challenge is our wandering thoug...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 22 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water . . . but He . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" Repent Where I End and He Begins Repentance Complete repentance comes only when we reach the point of absolute helplessness. It is not a feeling of sinfulness — it is the deep, inward realization that we are utterly unworthy. We come face‑to‑face with the truth that we are not even worthy to carry His sandals. There is no defense left in us. No argument. No self‑explanation. Only unworthiness. Have we come to this point yet? Or is there still a small corner inside us that believes it can defend itself — justify itself — explain itself? If so, that is the very reason God cannot come into my life and do His work. As long as I hold onto even a shred of self‑defense, His way is blocked. We must come to the re...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 21 Devotional Special The 3-Part Surrender Series Part Three The Sweet Life The Intimacy of the Surrendered Life There is a sweetness that comes only after surrender — a sweetness so gentle, so quiet, so unmistakably holy that it cannot be produced by effort, emotion, or striving. It is the sweetness of Christ drawing near. The sweetness of His presence settling over a life that has finally laid down its will. The sweetness of knowing Him, not in theory, but in experience. Surrender gave Him full access to all of me… and gave me full access to all of Him. That is the sweet life. It is not dramatic. It is not loud. It is not emotional. It is not forced. It is the quiet sweetness of a God who comes close. The Sweetness of His Nearness The sweetest part of surrender is the nearness of Christ. Not imagined. Not hoped for. Not wished for. Not “felt” in a moment of worshi...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Aug 21 Devotional Special The 3-Part Surrender Series Part Two The Surrendered Will A Clear Teaching on What Surrender Really Is Surrender is not complicated, but it is serious. It is a simple, deliberate decision to stop running your own life and let Christ take His rightful place as Lord. This is what happened to me on April 8. And this is what I want to explain in a simple manner. 1. What the Will Actually Is Your will is the part of you that decides. Your will is:  your ability to choose your ability to say yes or no your ability to obey or resist your ability to follow Christ or follow yourself God created your will. He does not override it. He does not force it. He waits for it. Meaning He is patient and He will wait for you to release control of your life to Him. You tell Him that you want Him to be on the throne of your life, that you will willingly step do...