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Daily Reflections with Oswald Chambers [January 9, 2007]
My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers; 1992) ^ | 1935/1992 | Oswald Chambers

Posted on 01/09/2007 3:17:24 AM PST by .30Carbine

Prayerful Inner-Searching

" May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless. . . "

1 Thessalonians 5:23

"Your whole spirit . . . ." The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139. The psalmist implies— "O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me."

Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? ". . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). If this verse means cleansing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will "walk in the light as He is in the light" (1 John 1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are garrisoned by God with the stupendous sanctity of the Holy Spirit, that spirit, soul and body are preserved in unspotted integrity, undeserving of censure in God's sight, until Jesus comes.

We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.

In 1910 Chambers married Gertrude Hobbs. They had one daughter, Kathleen, who still resides in London (as of 1992).

In 1911 he founded and became principal of the Bible Training College in Clapham, London, where he lectured until the school was closed in 1915 because of World War I. In October 1915 he sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt (near Cairo), where he ministered to Australian and New Zealand troops as a YMCA chaplain. He died there November 15, 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix.

My Utmost for His Highest, his best-known book, has been continuously in print in the United States since 1935 and in this, the last decade of the century, remains in the top ten titles of the religious book bestseller list with millions of copies in print. It has become a Christian classic. [from the flyleaf of the book]


TOPICS: Ecumenism; General Discusssion; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: prayer; reflection; selfexamination
Come to these threads as you are; leave with what you have discovered.

Absolutely no flaming! These daily threads are intended to be devotional in nature. If a particular day's offering says nothing to you, please just go on and wait for the next day. Consider these threads a DMZ of sorts, a place where a perpetual truce is in effect and a place where all other arguments and disagreements from other times and places are left behind.

I can attest from personal experience that reading from Chambers daily will almost certainly change - not one's faith - but one's perspective of his/her own faith, and open up new vistas in your spiritual life. If - when - this happens to a reader of these threads, and they choose to share what has happened within them - we are treading on hallowed ground. Be respectful.

- Religion Moderator

1 posted on 01/09/2007 3:17:25 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: Religion Moderator; .30Carbine; 185JHP; 1lawlady; abigail2; al_c; Alamo-Girl; AlbionGirl; AlguyA; ..
Devotion ping!
2 posted on 01/09/2007 3:17:59 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: .30Carbine
Some days, just the quote in italics is enough.

It may sound lame, but when I just read a phrase or two and digest that, I get more meaning than several paragraphs.

Then again, I am at a point where I am questioning how much reading versus how much doing of God's word is most important to Him.

3 posted on 01/09/2007 5:51:15 AM PST by Kate of Spice Island (Jawn Eff Qari - what a maroon!)
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To: .30Carbine
somehow this devotional this AM reminds me of the old saying: You can't prohibit a bird from flying in front of your or over your head, but you certainly CAN prohibit him from building a nest on your head!

The Holy Spirit doesn't keep the sin from daily "brushes" in our life.. It/Satan are always there.. But we can prevent the sin from having a foothold(building the nest) with the Holy Spirit help!

Have a great day all.. dusting of snow here in Cleveland.. falling gently now
4 posted on 01/09/2007 6:04:14 AM PST by DollyCali (Don't tell GOD how big your storm is -- Tell the storm how B-I-G your God is!)
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To: .30Carbine
The man who has been dulled by sin...The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit.

That's good.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2
5 posted on 01/09/2007 6:07:16 AM PST by Vision ("Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you your heart's desires." Psalm 37:4)
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To: .30Carbine
It is only when we are garrisoned by God with the stupendous sanctity of the Holy Spirit, that spirit, soul and body are preserved in unspotted integrity, undeserving of censure in God's sight, until Jesus comes.

Thanksgiving Unto Him for 'His Power which Worketh in us Mightily!' (Col.1:29)

6 posted on 01/09/2007 8:13:42 AM PST by Kitty Mittens (To God Be All Excellent Praise!)
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To: .30Carbine
The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit.

Amen. Amen. Amen. There is no other way. Thank you for this beautiful devotion!
7 posted on 01/09/2007 10:16:27 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Kate of Spice Island

He just wants our spirit, soul and body to be blameless.
The number of words we read is moot, isn't it?

I loved this devotion and that one verse was enough to chew on all day, and now repeat to you.

Hallelujah, God is good! We can trust Him to cleanse us.


8 posted on 01/09/2007 1:20:28 PM PST by GracieRose
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To: Alamo-Girl; Vision; Kitty Mittens; GracieRose; DollyCali; Kate of Spice Island
The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are garrisoned by God with the stupendous sanctity of the Holy Spirit, that spirit, soul and body are preserved in unspotted integrity, undeserving of censure in God's sight...

I heard a very beautiful thing about Jesus yesterday on Midday Connection, in Anita Lustrea's interview with author Ed McGlasson, and discussion of his book, The Difference A Father Makes

My transcription begins about 19 minutes into the broadcast:

...this blessing of father to son, father to daughter; bar mitzvah to the boy at thirteen, and bat mitzvah to the daughter, this kind of rite of passage right in that adolescent time when those questions come up, the Lord put in the tradition and even in this story of Jesus this moment to where you don't have to wonder from this day forward or ever work for my love again. "You are my beloved son."

...When Jesus came...he came to bring the same Father that he had. He came to bring a Father for those who didn't have a dad in their life. As a matter of fact, when I finished my manuscript, a Rabbi that I gave to read this, I said, "Now, tell me if this lines up with Jewish history, and Rabbitical teaching." He cried and he looked at me and he said, he said, "You know this totally makes sense, why Jesus was in the Temple when he was 12 years old ...Jesus was there, and actually lost his mom and dad for three days. And when they found him the mom, Mary, said, "Why did you do this to us?" And Jesus' response was, "Didn't you know I had to be about my Father's business?"

And this Rabbi looks at me, Stephen Berkowitz, from Seattle, he says, "When a little Jewish boy has no earthly father, he has to go to the Temple a year before he's ready to be bar mitzvahed, at twelve, so he can be bar mitzvahed by the men in the synagogue. ...He said, "In that moment Jesus became an orphan for every single guy who never had a dad."

You know Jesus had no earthly father. ...Jesus came to bring you the dad that you always wanted. See, it's part of you receiving his love for you...connect to the love of the Father for you...it's about you connecting personally to Jesus in a way so that you catch the smile that's over Jesus' life over your life - the smile of the Father.

...It's the model of the Father's Voice blessing the Son...that model, where we find in Scripture Jesus was called out publicly, it's not there by chance. And let me tell ya, that last line in bar mitzvah - this is what a Rabbi told me - is a father grabbing his son or daughter and drawing, and carrying them into manhood or womanhood, and blessing them, and it's:

"This is my beloved son...whom I love."

9 posted on 01/10/2007 2:17:42 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: .30Carbine

Thank you, Dearest Carbine! I'm about to Listen to the Program Right Now. I'm So Grateful for the Blessings you Bring to Christ's Lambs!


10 posted on 01/10/2007 8:46:29 AM PST by Kitty Mittens (To God Be All Excellent Praise!)
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To: .30Carbine

Thank you so much for that meditation!


11 posted on 01/10/2007 10:08:20 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl; Kitty Mittens

You are both so welcome!


12 posted on 01/11/2007 2:55:22 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: .30Carbine; JockoManning

PING POST #9


13 posted on 01/11/2007 7:16:42 AM PST by Quix (LET GOD ARISE AND HIShe ENEMIES BE SCATTERED. LET ISRAEL CALL ON GOD AS THEIRS! & ISLAM FLUSH ITSELF)
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To: .30Carbine

THANKS BIGUMS.

TEARJERKINGLY WONDEROUSLY POWERFUL. PTL!


14 posted on 01/11/2007 7:17:25 AM PST by Quix (LET GOD ARISE AND HIShe ENEMIES BE SCATTERED. LET ISRAEL CALL ON GOD AS THEIRS! & ISLAM FLUSH ITSELF)
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To: Quix; .30Carbine

Truly beautiful, thank you for the transcription.

jm


15 posted on 01/11/2007 7:55:15 AM PST by JockoManning (http://www.klove.com - - > listen online)
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To: Quix; JockoManning
TEARJERKINGLY WONDEROUSLY POWERFUL
Truly beautiful

I feel the same way!

16 posted on 01/12/2007 3:17:48 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: .30Carbine; All

Agreed.

Lurkers, refer to post # 9.

jm


17 posted on 01/12/2007 6:08:22 PM PST by JockoManning (Jimmy Carter you are a treasonous America-hating destructive evil force !!!)
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To: JockoManning

You are a blessing, dear one. Thank you!


18 posted on 01/13/2007 2:42:06 AM PST by .30Carbine
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