Oswald Chambers
devotion for today has a boat load of information, we need for the Christian
life. In fact, it is not stretching it if I say we have a lifetime of true
Christianity in these few words and could be subject to several posts. One of
the reasons I am so excited about this devotion is because it is so close to
home. As I have shared with you before, my ministry is directly associated with
these people who are in the Church, professed that they are Christians but have
never made it to received true Salvation. Hence, my gifts of discernment and
wisdom as well as the ability to judge according to the knowledge and
leadership of the Holy Spirit in my life. If God felt that I needed these
things in order that He can use me, can you imagine what He is able to bestow
on those He truly called to occupy leadership and teaching positions in His
Church?
Whether you are
a pastor, an elder or evangelist, any kind of teaching position that He calls
you to, there is no doubt that you will be equipped to see what needs to be
seen through wisdom, discernment and more. The job is to open up other people’s
eyes to the truth they do not know, to help them walk the walk. Why would He
not do it for you first before He sent you? Why would Oswald Chambers able to
see all these things and through his writings you can tell they are like
natural abilities to him. He was not exceptional, he was just walking the walk.
His devotion
today contains some truths that cannot be mere word that comes out of our
mouths i.e receiving forgiveness of sin… This brings you face to face with a
Holy repentance that you have never known in your life. This repentance could
happen the same day you receive Christ in your life, but it could also happened
few months down the road. Either way, you have to have the capability to
receive this holy gift from Him. Too many people say they have received
Christ but go on never knowing what it means to repent. Yet, this repentance is
needed to make a 360 degree turn. Failing that, we live as people who
are saved in their sins and not from sins. As long as you do not know the
difference of what I just said, in your heart and in the quality of your life
with God, well, you are not saved yet. Christ did not come to save us in
our sins. This is not the real Salvation that He died on the cross for. The
irony is that we keep saying salvation is through grace but we do not
understand that getting there to the point where we know and compute that we
have been saved from sins and we can see the ugliness of it and how and
why God is disgusted by it is a MAJOR work of His grace in our lives.
Another truth
in this devotion that must be considered very carefully is the fact that Oswald
said “when a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has
received something as a gift from Almighty God…” Do not take the word knows
lightly. This knowing happened with an encounter with the Holy One that
brings you to a place where you own that truth. You do not just repeat like a
parrot that salvation is by grace, but it is your truth that is in the depth of
your identity in Him, so deep within, that no one can take it away from you.
Another major
truth in this devotion is that Oswald also said: “their eyes are open, but
they have received nothing” this simply put you in the category of the seed
that falls where there are rocks, and not much soil.
Another major truth
is that even though our job is to open people’s eyes, we cannot do it by
ourselves unless the Holy Spirit is allowed to move freely in our lives, with
no hindrances to impede His work in others through us. That is a big
responsibility that we learn the sacredness of it through being prepared by Him
for service. This is where service to God becomes an extension of who you are
in Him.
I have to stop
in order to keep the length of this post to a reasonable document, but another
truth that is devastating the Church is the fact that today’s preachers are not
able to recognize which is which and how to deal with the lack of conversion in
the pews and the pulpits. Please understand that I know there are some awesome
pastor and teachers out there who have been called by God, took His personal
training and walk in the Spirit with Him. They are the elite that God referred
to in Jeremiah 3:15 “Then I will give you
shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and
understanding”. These shepherds
after God’s own heart did not and will not become such just by taking a few
courses in college or university. They are aware that after they are trained by
man, they have to go through God’s university and curriculum before they are
ready to lead His flock. This makes the difference between leading and leading.
The problem is
that we are living in a time where anyone can be a pastor or teacher, because
they feel like it or they want to work for God, notice the emphasis is for
God not with God. We also have greed; the need for status, insecurities,
resources at their disposal, being well connected which was the practice of the
Pharisees (blind leading blind) etc. You can understand why they are not
equipped to deal with dires strait situations in their congregations that require
an abundance of God’s grace.
I can
understand that you might be offended by my writings, but do not stop there. Do not
make it about you or me. Know that if you stop there and make it about you and me,
there is a major problem in your walk that Satan does not want you to know. Examine
yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to help you, to get your pride and bondage out
of the way so that you can see what needs to be seen and know for sure where
you stand with Him. Ask Him to save you, not because you deserve it, but for
His glory. Keep praying day in, day out until He answers you. If you truly ask
Him with a sincere and open heart, you will be amazed at His response.
Here is Oswald
Chambers devotional
The Opened Sight
This verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament.
God’s first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, “. . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . .” When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ. Our job as workers for God is to open people’s eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to light. But that is not salvation; it is conversion-only the effort of an awakened human being. I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not regeneration. This is a neglected fact in our preaching today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely, forgiveness of sins.
This is followed by God’s second mighty work of grace: “. . . an inheritance among those who are sanctified . . . .” In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others
This Oswald chamber devotion is the courtesy of http://utmost.org/
