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 1 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 11:1 "When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples . . . He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities" His Way—Wait On The Lord Jesus sent His disciples away because their presence would have blocked His work in their hometowns. Their familiarity would have interfered with what He wanted to teach, so He went alone and taught freely where they had stepped aside. I am learning His ways. Learning to be quiet and let God have His way with the circumstances. I am not sulking or feeling sorry for myself, I am doing what He told me to do even though I cannot see one inch in front of me. I am working while I wait on Him.  God does not work in the ways we imagine that He will. He is always doing a new thing that we do not know. He just asks that we be obedient, do what He has asked us to do, and ...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Trust ye in the Lord for ever:  for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.  Isaiah 26:4 July 28 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Mark 6:45 "He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. . ." The Process Is the Purpose Chambers says we often misunderstand God's purpose for our lives. We imagine He is leading us toward some great success, a particular end, or a desired goal. But that is not God's purpose at all. God is a God of now , not later. What matters is the moment we are living right this second — and how we walk through it with Him. The way we respond to Him in the present is far more important than any destination we think we're heading toward. Chambers reminds us that God is not focused on where we are going, but on our obedience in each moment . We are to see Him in our lives, to see "Him walk...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections   Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Forgiving one another... Ephesians 4:32 July 27 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest John 7:17 "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine . . ." Obedience First—Then Worship Chambers teaches that spiritual knowledge does not come through study alone — it comes through obedience . If we are not growing spiritually, there is something in our lives we have refused to obey. Spiritual darkness is never random; it is the result of a place where we have said, "I will not obey that." Jesus gave a clear example. If you bring a gift to the altar and remember your brother has something against you, you must leave the gift, go make things right, and then return. Obedience comes first . Worship comes after . This is why forgiveness is essential in the Christian walk. We must forgive others, and we must not carry unforgiveness in our he...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page July 18 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Acts 9:5 He said, "Who are You, Lord?" Woe is Me if I Refuse the Light Chambers' message, The Mystery of Believing , begins with the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus— the moment he met the Son of God on the road to Damascus and was forever changed. The strong-willed Pharisee became a humble bondservant of Jesus Christ. Chambers goes on to speak of the belief within us all, and what we ultimately choose to do with it.  Jesus is not a religion. He is a Person. And to have a relationship with the Person of Christ, you must believe Him to be the Son of God—the Word made flesh who lived among men, suffered, died, and  reconciled us to the Father. He is the sacrificial Lamb of God who took on the sin of the world. His blood washes our sins away. Our sins are forgiven, and we receive eternal life when we accept H...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page July 15 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Romans 1:14 "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians . . ." My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty Paul carried an overwhelming sense of indebtedness to Jesus Christ. He never saw himself as a superior Christian, never as someone “above” others. He saw himself as a bondservant — someone whose life was purchased by Christ and belonged entirely to Christ. Chambers says that every valuable part of my life is the result of Christ’s redemption. My peace, my hope, my transformation, my ability to love — none of it came from me. All of it came from Him. And because of that, my life is not my own. It is His. This is what Paul means when he says, “I am a debtor.” Not a debtor to people — a debtor to Christ. And because of that debt of love, Paul spent his life enabling Christ to bring redemption into the lives of others by be...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page July 14 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 5:39 "I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" Going the Extra Mile Jesus’ words reveal the humiliation of being a Christian —not humiliation in the sense of shame, but the humbling of our natural self‑will. In the natural world, if someone insults you and you do not strike back, people assume you are weak. But in the spiritual world, not hitting back is evidence of the Son of God living in you . When you are insulted, misunderstood, or mistreated, you must not only refuse to resent it—you must see it as an opportunity to reveal the sweetness of Jesus. You cannot imitate His nature. You cannot “act like Him” by effort. His nature is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes a moment where Christ Himself can be seen. The Sermon on...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page 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 ex...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page June 30 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 5:25 “Agree with your adversary quickly…” Stepping Into the Light of Reconciliation There are moments in our walk with God when He shows us something that needs to be addressed — a wrong attitude, a strained relationship, a hidden resentment, a quiet disobedience. When the Spirit brings something into the light, Jesus tells us to respond immediately . Not later. Not eventually. Now. This is the heart of Matthew 5:25. It is not about legal disputes — it is about spiritual responsiveness . When God reveals something that needs to be made right, delay begins a painful process inside us. Guilt grows. Restlessness grows. Distance grows. The heart becomes unsettled. Not because God is punishing us, but because the soul cannot rest while resisting the light . Jesus teaches urgency because obedience delayed becomes obedien...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Jun 29 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest Matthew 5:30 "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" Walking in Decisive Obedience For years I thought this verse was literal, but I learned today that it is not. Jesus is using hyperbole — extreme exaggeration for emphasis — to teach the seriousness of sin.  So, we do not need to amputate any limbs; but we do need to apply strict discipline  to the habits and choices that sabotage our walk with the Lord. Some things may not be sin, but if they pull our focus from Him, they need to be limited or removed.  Anything that weakens our obedience, distracts from our focus, stirs up old patterns, or dulls our spiritual sensitivity is not right for our new walk with the Lord.  T...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Jun 8 Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest  John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Obey the Light You Have There is a difference between knowing truth and walking in it . Jesus said the blessing is not in understanding His words, but in doing them. Many of us know far more than we obey. We hear His nudges, His whispers, His gentle direction — yet we stay tied to the familiar places where we feel safe. Chambers uses the picture of a ship tied to the dock. The dock is comfort, predictability, and the life we already understand. The ropes are the things we cling to — habits, fears, excuses, or the desire to stay in control. And the sea represents the deep purposes of God, the places where faith becomes real and spiritual discernment grows. If we refuse to step out in obedience, God may allow circumstances to shake us loose. Not as punishm...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page   Mark 6:31 "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." Reflection There is a tenderness in Jesus’ invitation that often goes unnoticed. He does not command the disciples to push through their exhaustion or to serve beyond their strength. Instead, He sees the weariness they can no longer hide—so many coming and going, so much need, so little space even to eat—and He calls them away. “Come apart… and rest a while.” This is not a suggestion for the weak; it is the rhythm of those who walk with Him. Rest is not an escape from ministry—it is part of it. Jesus knows that a soul constantly poured out must also be poured into. He knows that the desert place, the quiet place, the unhurried place, is where our breath returns and our hearts settle back into H...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections  Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Bible Verse Acts 20:24 "None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself..." Reflection Paul’s words in Acts 20:24 expose the quiet divide between a life offered to God and a life still gently guarded by self. Chambers names it plainly: it is far easier to serve God without a call, without a vision, without surrender—because then nothing is required of us beyond what feels reasonable. We can stay in the realm of “usefulness,” where we choose the work, the timing, the cost, and the applause. But once Jesus lays His hand on a life, everything shifts. The call becomes a steady inner pressure—holy, persistent, and unmistakable. It rearranges what we value. It interrupts our common sense. It refuses to let us measure our days by comfort, convenience, or visible results. Paul wasn’t indifferent because he was hardened; he was indifferent because he was seized....

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Bible Verse Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God..." Reflection Spiritual perseverance is not simply holding on with white‑knuckled endurance. It is the quiet, steady certainty that God is moving even when nothing around us seems to change. It is the assurance that His purposes are not fragile, His promises are not wavering, and His character is not at risk. Sometimes we fear that Jesus will somehow be defeated — that love will not win, that justice will not rise, that forgiveness will not take root, that kindness will not endure. We fear that the things He stood for will prove too delicate for this world. But perseverance calls us back to truth: God is never in danger of losing. When our hopes feel delayed or disappointed, it is not because they are dying — it is because they are being purified. God refines our desires until they rest on Him alone. The waiting is ...

The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page Bible Verse John 14:31 "Arise, let us go from here." Reflection There is a kind of daydreaming that draws us toward God — the kind that opens our hearts, steadies our breathing, and helps us listen for His will. Scripture is full of invitations to come aside, to rest, to be still long enough for our souls to catch up with our bodies. That kind of dreaming is holy. It prepares us to obey. But there is another kind — the soft, subtle drift that settles in after God has already spoken. It feels spiritual, but it is really a hesitation dressed in reverence. We linger over what we already know to do. We rehearse the obedience instead of offering it. We imagine the future instead of stepping into it. And Jesus, with the same gentle firmness He used in the upper room, interrupts our drifting with a simple command:  “Arise, let us go from here.” He does not scold. He does not shame...

Bible Verse Philippians 2:17 KJV   "Yea and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." (But even if my life is to be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of your faithful service (that is, if I am to die for you), I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you.) NLT Reflection There is a kind of obedience that never draws applause. A kind of service that is hidden, unnoticed, and sometimes misunderstood. This is the offering Paul speaks of — a life poured out, not for recognition, but for the strengthening of another’s faith. Chambers presses the question gently but firmly: Are you willing to be poured out where no one sees? Are you willing to serve without choosing the place, the time, or the audience? Are you willing to be used of God for the sake of another’s growth in Christ? We often want to give of ourselves on our own terms — in ways that feel meaningful, dignified, or appreciated. ...