Posting Oswald Chambers daily devotionals. Discuss one everyday? You'll up for that?

[JosephsDreams]

[h=1]'My Utmost for His Highest' from Oswald Chambers[/h][h=2]for February 28[/h]

"By this we believe … Jesus answered, Do ye now believe?"
​

John 16:30-31​

Now we believe. Jesus says - Do you? The time is coming when you will leave Me alone. Many a Christian worker has left Jesus Christ alone and gone into work from a sense of duty, or from a sense of need arising out of his own particular discernment. The reason for this is the absence of the resurrection life of Jesus. The soul has got out of intimate contact with God by leaning to its own religious understanding. There is no sin in it, and no punishment attached to it; but when the soul realizes how he has hindered his understanding of Jesus Christ, and produced for himself perplexities and sorrows and difficulties, it is with shame and contrition he has to come back.
We need to rely on the resurrection life of Jesus much deeper down than we do, to get into the habit of steadily referring everything back to Him; instead of this we make our common - sense decisions and ask God to bless them. He cannot, it is not in His domain, it is severed from reality. If we do a thing from a sense of duty, we are putting up a standard in competition with Jesus Christ. We become a "superior person," and say - "Now in this matter I must do this and that." We have put our sense of duty on the throne instead of the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to walk in the light of conscience or of a sense of duty, but to walk in the light as God is in the light. When we do anything from a sense of duty, we can back it up by argument; when we do anything in obedience to the Lord, there is no argument possible; that is why a saint can be easily ridiculed.

 

[JosephsDreams]

I try to stay in the light of "pure" motives and intimate contact with Jesus. I don't always do it though. So is it better to serve, at times, out of duty, but maybe not love, then to not serve at all? Is it sinful, or selfish, to serve because we are trying to fulfill some emotional need outside of Christ?
Does anyone of us consistently do anything without some expectation of some kind of return? Is that a sin? Can we be completely benevolent?

 

[crossnote]

I try to stay in the light of "pure" motives and intimate contact with Jesus. I don't always do it though. So is it better to serve, at times, out of duty, but maybe not love, then to not serve at all? Is it sinful, or selfish, to serve because we are trying to fulfill some emotional need outside of Christ?
Does anyone of us consistently do anything without some expectation of some kind of return? Is that a sin? Can we be completely benevolent?

Whatever is not of faith is sin. Rom 14:23
If we are not 'doing' out of a thankful heart (because of all Christ has done for us) but rather begrudgingly, half heartedness, etc., then yes, it is sin, similar to Cain.

 

[JosephsDreams]

Lord, that I may receive my sight." "

Luke 18:41​

What is the thing that not only disturbs you but makes you a disturbance? It is always some thing you cannot deal with yourself. "They rebuked him that he should hold his peace…but he cried so much the more." Persist in the disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself; do not deify common sense. When Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in common - sense ways, but in supernatural ways.
Watch how we limit the Lord by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past: I always failed there, and I always shall; consequently we do not ask for what we want. "It is ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the thing we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. God will do the absolutely impossible.
This man received his sight. The most impossible thing to you is that you should be so identified with the Lord that there is nothing of the old life left. He will do it if you ask Him. But you have to come to the place where you be lieve Him to be Almighty. Faith is not in what Jesus says but in Himself; if we only look at what He says we shall never believe. When once we see Jesus, He does the impossible thing as naturally as breathing. Our agony comes through the wilful stupidity of our own heart. We won't believe, we won't cut the shore line, we prefer to worry on.

 

[JosephsDreams]

Faith beyond what I have ever had in a steadfast manner. Probably most of us. It must be a wondrous life to life with that kind of faith. I know better now why Jesus said to come to Him as a child. Who can testify to a steady, consistent faith which throws aside common sense or past secular brainwashing?

 

[popeye]

"But you have to come to the place where you be lieve Him to be Almighty. Faith is not in what Jesus says but in Himself; if we only look at what He says we shall never believe. When once we see Jesus, He does the impossible thing as naturally as breathing."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[JosephsDreams]

I have seen Jesus, and have experienced experiences that attest to his doing the "impossible." In fact I am going through something now that attests to that. I still need more faith.