RSS | My Utmost For His Highest http://utmost.org Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers en-us Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:25:12 +0000 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:25:12 +0000 noreply@rbc.org Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with Live.com Becoming the “Filth of the World” http://utmost.org/becoming-the-filth-of-the-world/ We have been made as the filth of the world . . . —1 Corinthians 4:13

These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves…

]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/becoming-the-filth-of-the-world/ The Compelling Force of the Call http://utmost.org/the-compelling-force-of-the-call/ Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! —1 Corinthians 9:16

Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was…

]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/the-compelling-force-of-the-call/ The Call of God http://utmost.org/the-call-of-god/ Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel . . . —1 Corinthians 1:17

Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way…

]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/the-call-of-god/ Do You See Your Calling? http://utmost.org/do-you-see-your-calling/ . . . separated to the gospel of God. . . —Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is…

]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/do-you-see-your-calling/ The Dilemma of Obedience http://utmost.org/the-dilemma-of-obedience/ Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision —1 Samuel 3:15

God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the…

]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/the-dilemma-of-obedience/ How Could Someone Be So Ignorant! http://utmost.org/how-could-someone-be-so-ignorant/ Who are You, Lord? —Acts 26:15

“The Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand . . .” (Isaiah 8:11). There is no escape when our Lord speaks. He always comes using His authority and taking hold of our understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake…

]]> Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/how-could-someone-be-so-ignorant/ How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus! http://utmost.org/how-could-someone-so-persecute-jesus/ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? —Acts 26:14

Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of “the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no…

]]> Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/how-could-someone-so-persecute-jesus/ Look Again and Think http://utmost.org/look-again-and-think/ Do not worry about your life . . . —Matthew 6:25

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for other things, will choke out the life of God in us (Matthew 13:22). We are never free from the recurring waves of this invasion. If the frontline…

]]> Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/look-again-and-think/ Look Again and Consecrate http://utmost.org/look-again-and-consecrate/ If God so clothes the grass of the field . . . , will He not much more clothe you . . . ? —Matthew 6:30

A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of…

]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/look-again-and-consecrate/ Leave Room for God http://utmost.org/leave-room-for-god/ When it pleased God . . . —Galatians 1:15

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him-to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into…

]]> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/leave-room-for-god/ God’s Overpowering Purpose http://utmost.org/god%e2%80%99s-overpowering-purpose/ I have appeared to you for this purpose . . .—Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life…

]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 http://utmost.org/god%e2%80%99s-overpowering-purpose/