The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections

  Spiritual Growth: Being Prepared This reflection is the first of two gentle steps of preparation before the new year. In this post we consider how to approach the Word with confidence and reverence; in the next, we will reflect on putting on the whole armor of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 " Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." KJV "Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." NLT Six Steps to Prepare to Read the Holy Scriptures also referred to as the 'Word' Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New Living Translation Bible in today's devotional. 1. Prepare: Come with Confidence and Eliminate potential Distractions. (enter a prayer closet or be in a quiet space) Hebrews 6:19   " This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us throu...

The Armor of God:   Before the battle begins, the armor waits.    Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT 10...be strong with the Lord's mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. 13 Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.  14 Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness . 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.  16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.  17 Put on salvation as your helm...

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 Corinthians 3:18 “We all, with unveiled face, beholding…the glory of the Lord…” 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. We live by beholding Him. And when we look to Him first — before speaking, before responding, before teaching, before deciding — something quiet and real begins to...

Learning to Put God First in a World Full of Distractions Matthew 6:25 "... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on" Today Chambers digs deeper into the personal places of our lives — but truly, it is the Lord Jesus Himself who is doing the digging. Matthew 6:25 is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and Chambers reminds us: Do not take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. We are not meant to carry the weight of our own needs. We are not meant to worry about the practical details of our lives. We are meant to seek first the Kingdom of God — to put Him first in everything. Before you buy a new book… Before you plan a vacation… Before you make any decision at all… Put God first. Seek His approval. Seek His guidance. He may have other plans for you — and for your money, your time, your energy, your life. Matthew 13:22 tells us that “the cares of this world” choke the Word out of us. Not the...

2 Peter 1:5 — “Also… add to your faith…” Yesterday I realized that I had lived out today's devotional in real time... again God engineered my circumstances so that I experienced today's devotional before I knew about it or wrote about it. One day a few months ago, I realized… I am living these devotionals day by day! And then just recently, I found this passage in my January 1 devotional where I introduced this book we’re working through, My Utmost for His Highest , and quoted Charles Stanley, who said: “This volume is not a treasure to be admired but a message to be lived.” And I wrote: Let’s live it.  Well… I am. Every devotional, every day, I’m experiencing it and writing about it in real time. Even when I realized that I was living out these devotionals, I did not remember writing that — but there it was in black and white on the first day of this series, the very first devotional reflection of Chambers' work. I had sealed my fate with my own words.  I guess God t...