The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections

  "Look at the birds of the air . . .  Consider the lilies of the field . . ."   Matthew 6:26, 28 God's designed influence is all around us. Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon. They are always there, quietly ministering to us.   Look at the birds of the air. Consider the lilies of the field—how they grow. They neither toil nor spin; they simply are .  We are invited to live the same way: simply, unaffectedly, and with our attention fixed on God, the source of all sustainabilities. Staying focused on Jesus is the only way to grow spiritually. Maintaining a right relationship with Him is the one thing we are called to do. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances. Jesus tells us not to worry about anything.  We do not have to strain to grow or force our spiritual life to develop. We simply focus on God, and everything else in our lives falls into its proper place.  Jesus teaches, "Just believe in Me."  Live for Him. S...

  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"  Romans 8:35 Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. His love is within us. Our relationship with Christ begins inside of us, grows inside of us, and is sustained by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us at all times. Because of this, we can reach God at any moment — in any place, under any circumstance. The evils of this world are real, but they cannot invade the inner sanctuary where the Spirit of the Most High God lives. No matter what is happening around us, we simply turn inward and focus on Him. Jesus has overcome the world and all its evils. God does not shield us from every trouble, but the troubles are not more powerful than the Spirit within us. We rest in the assurance that He is with us through it all. Just remember...not tribulation, or stress, nor weakness or sickness, no, not even famine, can separate us from God. Even death cannot hold fear over us. We have no reason to fear what this world can do, bec...

Luke 24:51 "It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven" Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain to pray. While He prayed, they fell asleep. When they awoke, they saw Jesus transfigured before them—His face shining, His garments radiant and white as snow. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Him about the death He would accomplish in Jerusalem. As the disciples watched in awe, a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.” This moment is recorded in Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, and Luke 9:28–36. From that point forward, everything Jesus did, He did on our behalf. He is our Redeemer. During the Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus—the Lamb of God—took upon Himself our sin, our judgment, and our death. He bore what we could never bear. As a human being, He endured the pain and suffering that rightfully belonged to us. When Jesu...

". . . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . ." 2 Peter 1:4 There is a quiet shift that happens in the heart when we stop living as if we are spiritually poor and begin living as if God truly is our Provider. Scripture says we are “partakers of the divine nature.” We share in His life. His strength. His resources. His grace. But that truth has to become a habit — a way of seeing. So often we slip into the language of lack: “I barely made it today.” “I can’t handle this.” “I don’t have what I need.” “This is too much for me.” We say these things as if our Father has cut us off without a penny. As if we are scraping by spiritually. As if we are alone in the struggle. But all of Almighty God is ours in Christ. And He does not ration Himself. He does not measure out grace with a teaspoon. He does not give strength in crumbs. He does not bless reluctantly or sparingly. The truth is simple: God is not withholding from us — we are often withholding trust from Him. And o...

  Ephesians 1:18 ". . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . ." When we come to Christ as our Savior, He takes up residence within us. Our body becomes His temple. Our life becomes the place where His life is expressed. When we surrender to Him, His faith becomes our faith, His strength becomes our strength, and His Spirit becomes the power within us. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one. And this One God now dwells in us through His Spirit. This is a magnificent truth to pause and consider. So much of life is busy and loud that we often forget the Holy Spirit is even there. I lived many years like this. It is painful to look back and realize how often I ignored Him. But I am not ignoring Him anymore. I am learning to stay aware of His presence, moment by moment. And I am amazed to see that He was active in my life even when I wasn’t paying attention. Yesterday I learned something that shook me: The conscience can only alert you — it...

2 Corinthians 4:10 ". . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body" The other day we learned from Chambers that spiritual habits can easily turn into empty routines—rituals that end up replacing God. When that happens, the habit is no longer about Him at all; it becomes about self. Chambers reminded us that we should be in the habit of having no habits—just a natural, living walk with God throughout the day. Today, Chambers shows us another side of this truth: we do need habits—habits that turn us toward God. We learn to bring everything to Him. When adversity hits, our first reaction is often panic, and in that panic we lose sight of God. But adversity is actually a moment to turn to God. It becomes a place where the Son of God can shine through us. We see this in Jesus Himself. When the crowd in Nazareth rose up in fury and drove Him to the edge of the cliff, fully intending to kill Him, He did not panic or resist. He simply walked through the middle of th...

  ". . . strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men" Acts 24:16 Today Chambers examines our conscience in relation to our obedience to God’s commandments. Our old nature always found God’s commands hard to keep. But with Christ living in us, obedience becomes possible — even natural — because Christ Himself empowers us to do what God requires. God never intended His commandments to be kept by our old nature. They were always meant for the life of Christ living through us. That has always been His plan for every believer, and every soul on earth is invited into that relationship through His Son. Our conscience is what keeps us aware of our actions — and the actions we allow into our lives. It works hand‑in‑hand with our obedience to God. What standard is your conscience upholding? If you keep God’s ways at the forefront of your mind, then His standards become your highest standards.  Your conscience stays quiet when you're doing right, but it spea...

2 Peter 1:8 "If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful ..." Do we spend time with God simply because it has become a good Christian habit? Or do we come because of love — the love of Christ Himself, our love for Him? In today’s devotional, Chambers exposes a subtle but common spiritual trap: becoming more aware of our habits than of Christ. He is not criticizing prayer, Scripture reading, or discipline. He is warning us about the moment when a good habit quietly becomes a substitute for living in daily dependence on God. It is good and necessary to form spiritual habits in the Christian life. Every new practice we add to our day becomes a habit, and these early habits — prayer, Scripture reading, quiet reflection — help establish consistency as we grow in Christ. Over time, they become part of us, actions we do naturally without thinking about them. But habits were never meant to become the center of our devotion. When a routine becomes s...

2 Peter 1:5, 7   ". . . add to your . . . brotherly kindness love" Reflection Chambers reminds us that Christian love is not a vague feeling or a natural affection. It is the deliberate, Spirit‑produced love that reflects the very nature of God. When Peter instructs believers to “add… brotherly kindness, love,” he is describing the highest expression of spiritual maturity — a love that mirrors Christ’s own. The foundation of Christian love is the believer’s supreme love for Christ, a love Jesus Himself says must exceed all other loves (Luke 14:26; Matthew 10:37). This kind of love does not begin with human effort. It begins with God pouring His love into the believer’s heart through the Holy Spirit. But once that love is given, it must be developed through the disciplines Peter lists in 2 Peter 1. God strengthens love by removing the pride, insincerity, and self‑centeredness that make natural love unreliable. Chambers emphasizes that God often places difficult people in our...

2 Peter 1:5 — “Add to your faith virtue…” Faith is God’s gift to you — but virtue, character, and daily obedience are things you are invited to add. God has done what only He can do: He has saved you, claimed you, and filled you with His Spirit. Now He invites you to participate in your own growth — not by striving or forcing, but by taking the next step with Him. Virtue is the Spirit‑given courage to act on what God has already shown you. Many believers assume that surrendering their will means God will now make every decision for them. Especially after a lifetime of wrong choices, it can feel safer to want Him to “take over completely.” But surrender does not erase your will — it renews it. Your will is still active, but now it can be strengthened and aligned by His Spirit. God renews and strengthens your will by filling it with new desires — desires that match His heart. He gives you spiritual instincts you did not have before. You begin to sense when something is right and whe...