The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections 

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July 8
Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest
Joshua 24:15 
"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve."

Surrendered, Yet Still Choosing

God calls us to surrender our will, yet He also commands us to use our will.

Chambers' message today sounded like a contradiction, at first. We have been reading about surrendering the self, sin, and the willful will. And then today he tells us we cannot give up the will— that we must exercise it. So how can we give it up and use it also?

That is the heart of discipleship, and the heart of Chambers' message today.

When you surrender your will to God, you are not losing your will. You are laying down your independent self-rule — your right to direct your own life.

You still have a will. 
You still choose. 
You still decide whom you will serve.

So when Chambers says, "I cannot give up my will — I must exercise it," he is not contradicting himself. He is clarifying the misunderstanding. Surrender does not erase the will — it redirects it.

Surrender is not passivity. 
Surrender is not "God, You make every choice for me." 
Surrender is the alignment of the will with God’s will.

Chambers also says, "A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person."

Your will is not your feelings, moods, or desires. 
Your will is what you do.

When God places truth before you — a conviction, a direction, a calling — the question is never:

"What will God do?" 
The question is: 
"What will I do?"

Will I obey? 
Will I respond? 
Will I choose Him?

God gives the vision. 
God gives the power. 
But He never forces the choice.

Chambers urges us to remember the moments when obedience was easy: 
When you were saved. 
When you first saw Jesus clearly. 
When truth broke open in your heart. 
When surrender felt natural and beautiful.

Those moments soften the will. 
They remind you that choosing God is not heavy — it is holy.

Every new proposal from God requires the same simple "yes."

Not automatic. 
Not accidental. 
Not emotional. 
A deliberate determination.

Chambers says: "Do not confer with flesh and blood."

When God calls you to a step: 

Don’t poll opinions. 
Don’t seek approval.
Don’t ask others to validate your obedience.

People may not understand the step you’re taking. 
They may not see what God is doing in you. 
They may even become more distant as you move forward.

 
That tension is normal. 
That isolation is part of the narrow way.

Your obedience is between you and God alone. 
You act, you take the next step toward what God asks you to do. 
Step out in faith—He will lead.

Declare It Before Him: "I Will Be Faithful." 

Or just say it plainly: "I choose You, Lord"

Your declaration becomes your anchor. 
Your own words become your witness. 
Your will becomes your offering.

And remember — give others credit for being faithful too. 
Everyone has their own proposals from God. 
Everyone has their own obedience to walk out.

Grace belongs to all of us.

You surrendered your will — but you still use it.
You laid down self‑rule — but you still choose obedience.
You gave God your allegiance — but you still exercise your will to follow Him.

This is the beautiful paradox:
Surrender is not the end of choosing — it is the beginning of making the right choice.

Breath Prayer

I will be faithful, Lord

I choose you

Selah,

~ Quil

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Scripture References

Joshua 24:15 — Choose whom you will serve. 
Galatians 1:16 — Do not confer with flesh and blood. 
Philippians 2:13 — God works in you to will and to act. 
Psalm 143:10 — Teach me to do Your will.