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   Jun 18 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 14:29-30 ". . . Peter . . . walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid . . ." Reckless Abandonment Reckless Faith in the Midst of the Waves Peter recklessly abandoned all precaution and stepped onto the water, and began walking toward Jesus.  When Peter saw Jesus, he had no thought to his own preservation; he just threw caution to the wind and stepped out of the boat and went toward Jesus.  Then he began to notice his surroundings. The winds were wild, the waves were tremendous, and he lost his focus on the Lord, and down he went. He called out to Jesus for help... ... the Lord reached out a hand and saved him.  How many people are going to throw caution to the wind and step out onto a wild, wet sea of water? Not very many of us. Even when we ha...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page May 8 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Revelation 3:10   “Because you have kept My command to persevere…” The Aim of God There are seasons when God feels less like a gentle shepherd and more like an archer — pulling, stretching, drawing us back farther than we ever wanted to go. Chambers says God stretches us until His purpose is in sight, and only then does He release the arrow.  Some days, that stretch feels holy. Other days, it feels unbearable. But perseverance is not passive suffering. It is not “just hang on.” It is active trust — the kind that keeps saying, “Lord, I don’t understand this stretch, but I trust the One holding me.” Chambers reminds us that faith is not emotion. It is not inspiration. It is not spiritual adrenaline. Faith is confidence in God’s character — especially when His methods confuse us. It is the supreme effort of throwing ourselves wit...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page May 1 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We walk by faith, not by sight" Walking by Faith—Not Emotion Chambers reminds us that there are seasons when God’s presence feels close and unmistakable. But those moments are not meant to carry us. They are not the standard of the Christian life. When God begins to use us, He often leads us into quieter, hidden places where we do the work He gives us without carrying a glow about us and continually feeling inspired. We are not meant to live as if heaven must stay open for us to move. Nor are we meant to wait for a feeling, a sign, or a fresh moment of inspiration from God before we obey. God calls us to live as ordinary men and women in an ordinary world — but with a strength that comes from being born from above. Chambers warns that when we try to recreate past moments with God, or insist that He spea...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Apr 22 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest 2 Corinthians 3:18 “We all, with unveiled face, beholding…the glory of the Lord…” Look To Him There are seasons when the Lord allows the lights around us to fade. People who once encouraged us grow quiet. Those who once stood beside us drift away. It feels like loss, but it is actually God’s mercy. He is teaching us to build our faith on the One who never leaves, never dims, and never fails. When the familiar lights go out, we learn to look directly to Him. Not to people. Not to support systems. Not to the voices we once leaned on. We learn to look into the face of God for ourselves — for truth, for direction, for strength, and for the steadying of our inner life. This is where real growth happens. This is where faith becomes personal. This is where the servant’s life is formed. A Christian does not live by borrowed light. W...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Mar 28 Today's Reflection from My Utmost For His Highest John 11:7-8 " 'Let us go to Judea again.' The disciples said to Him,'...are You going there again?' " When God's Way Doesn't Look Right Reflection There are moments when Jesus directs us toward a path that makes no sense to our natural mind. The disciples felt this when Jesus said, “Let us go to Judea again.” They remembered the danger, the hostility, the stones raised against Him (see John 10:31–39). Returning looked reckless. But what looked wrong to them was exactly right in the Father’s plan. Lazarus had died, and through that miracle Jesus would reveal Himself as the Resurrection and the Life (see John 11:1–6, 14–15). They couldn’t see the purpose — but Jesus was already walking in it. We often respond the same way. We hesitate, measure, and question, believing our caution is wisdom. ...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Mar 21 Today's Reflection from My Utmost For His Highest Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ ..." A Faith Not Our Own Galatians 2:20 is not a verse about trying harder — it is a declaration of identification. Chambers presses into the truth that the Christian life does not begin with imitation, but with a death. Not a dramatic emotional moment, not a vow to do better, but a moral verdict: my right to myself has been crucified with Christ. This is the part we resist. We want to offer God our intentions, our longing, our prayers for a better self. But Paul speaks of the life he now lives — the life others can actually see — and he says it is no longer sourced in him at all. His individuality remains, but the old claim to self‑ownership has been destroyed. And then comes the miracle: Paul lives by a faith that did not originate in him. It is not “faith in fa...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Mar 19 Today's Reflection from My Utmost For His Highest Hebrews 11:8 "He went out, not knowing where he was going"  Faith: When God Leads Into the Unknown   Abraham’s story reminds us that faith rarely begins with a clear path. It begins with a call — a voice that asks us to trust before we understand, to step before we see the path. “He went out, not knowing where he was going.” His separation was not about abandoning people, but about loosening the grip of old patterns, old loyalties, and old ways of thinking so he could belong fully to God. We often imagine faith as a string of mountaintop moments, but Scripture paints a quieter picture. Faith is the steady, daily walk — the choosing, again and again, to trust the One who leads us. It is not built on outcomes or success, but on relationship. We follow because we know Him, not because we know the way. Abraham’s lif...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Bible Verse Hebrews 10:23 KJV "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)" Reflection This verse calls you to a steady, quiet kind of courage—the kind that doesn’t shout, but holds on. Hold fast is the language of clinging with both hands, not because your grip is strong, but because the One you’re holding is faithful. Faith wavers when we look at ourselves, our circumstances, or our limitations. But faith steadies when we remember the character of God. He has never broken a promise. He has never failed to finish what He begins. Your part is simply to keep your heart turned toward Him, even on the days when you feel thin or tired. His faithfulness is the anchor; your faith is the hand that rests on it. Prayer Lord, help me hold fast to You. Steady my heart when it trembles, quiet my doubts when they rise, and remind me...

Daily Bible Verse:  Hebrews 11:8 (NLT) "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going."   Most of us rarely leave home without knowing exactly where we're going.Yet the Lord often leads us forward without explanation - without telling us where, why or what awaits. This is the walk of faith: obeying, trusting, and believing His Word. Abraham pleased God because he obeyed him by faith. In the same way, when the Spirit urges us, we must respond. Don't miss the moment by debating your worthiness or worrying what others will think. We don't have to explain ourselves to anyone - only obey God. Believe God. Follow the urging of the Spirit. Trusting Him frees us from worry and anxiety, because He is faithful. He never leaves us. He will never leave us. Step out in faith, not knowing where you are going. Be bold in your walk with Jesus. Pray...

"Mary was visited by an angel with a message beyond imagining: she would bear the Son of God. She did not shrink back, nor did she say, ‘Who am I?’ Instead, her faith held her steady. Joseph too believed, even when the path led through hardship and uncertainty. Their story reminds us that God’s call is not about our worthiness in the world’s eyes, but about His presence with us. When others judge or dismiss us, when our past whispers unworthiness, Immanuel speaks a different word: God with us, God choosing us, God using us." Prophecies from the Old Testament and Fulfillment in the New Testament: Micah 5:2 — “But thou, Bethlehem...out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Luke 2:8–14 — (Angels announce the birth to shepherds:)  "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them...