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Daily Reflections with Oswald Chambers [January 23, 2006]
My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers; 1992) ^ | 1935/1992 | Oswald Chambers

Posted on 01/22/2006 11:05:48 PM PST by Alamo-Girl

Transformed by Beholding

" We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . . "

—2 Corinthians 3:18

The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord’s own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it— something good, but not what is best.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" ( Colossians 3:3 ). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . ."

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 01/22/2006 11:05:52 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Religion Moderator; xzins; HarleyD; opus86; winodog; RnMomof7; The Grammarian; Jack Armstrong; ...
Devotion ping!
2 posted on 01/22/2006 11:06:16 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl

A great lesson in today's Reflection.

Now, everytime I look in the mirror, I will have this reminder.

"Daily Reflections" - "mirror" = Yep, works for me.


3 posted on 01/22/2006 11:17:58 PM PST by Diver Dave
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To: Diver Dave

Great catch, Diver Dave! Thank you so much for your post!


4 posted on 01/23/2006 12:07:34 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl

GOODMORNING AND GRACE TO ALL BRETHREN!

"I have exalted one chosen out of the people."
- Psalm 89:19



Why was Christ chosen out of the people? Speak, my heart, for
heart-thoughts are best. Was it not that he might be able to be our
brother, in the blest tie of kindred blood? Oh, what relationship there is
between Christ and the believer! The believer can say, "I have a Brother
in heaven; I may be poor, but I have a Brother who is rich, and is a King,
and will he suffer me to want while he is on his throne? Oh, no! He loves
me; he is my Brother.
" Believer, wear this blessed thought, like a necklace of diamonds, around
the neck of thy memory; put it, as a golden ring, on the finger of
recollection, and use it as the King's own seal, stamping the petitions of
thy faith with confidence of success.
He is a brother born for adversity, treat him as such.


Christ was also chosen out of the people that he might know our wants and
sympathize with us. "He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet
without sin." In all our sorrows we have his sympathy. Temptation, pain,
disappointment, weakness, weariness, poverty-he knows them all, for he has
felt all. Remember this, Christian, and let it comfort thee.
However difficult and painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of
thy Saviour; and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of
death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt find his
footprints there.
In all places whithersoever we go, he has been our forerunner; each
burden we have to carry, has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.


"His way was much rougher and darker than mine
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?"

Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red track upon the road, and
consecrated the thorny path for ever.

C.H.SPURGEON

SOLI DEO GLORIA!!!


5 posted on 01/23/2006 4:16:24 AM PST by alpha-8-25-02 ("SAVED BY GRACE AND GRACE ALONE")
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To: Alamo-Girl

Good morning bump!


6 posted on 01/23/2006 5:38:28 AM PST by abigail2 ('The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it.' George Bush Inaugural Speech '05)
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To: Alamo-Girl

Jesus the Light

In Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1, 4-5 NRSV


Lord, you are indeed
the fount of all holiness,
a fountain of light
tried by the hand of darkness
and found unconquerable.

The midnight could not quench the light
even when locked into the earth,
but with the indescribable fire of love,
you burst forth,
to set your light as a beacon to all men.

O unrepressible Light,
O annealing power of God
that heals our imperfections,
make me a mirror,
grinding away all my imperfections
until I reflect your light to all those around me.


7 posted on 01/23/2006 9:18:08 AM PST by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: Alamo-Girl; betty boop; harold; All
[ " We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . . " —2 Corinthians 3:18 ]

Like I've been saying.. (When you are Born Again)
When you look into a mirror(to shave or something) to see the Glory/creation of God, your body. You're spirit(indwelt by the Spirit) is looking back at you.. Observing a timeless dance.. The transformation of the earthy to the heavenly..

Two images but which one is real?.. This; Not noticed except without the veil.. An unveiled face is mandatory to seeing the image in the mirror clearly.. or to notice the spirit/Spirit peering back'acha.. What is the veil?..

Judgeing by my own experience there can be many veils.. that appear as one.. As each veil is/was removed, what I saw in the mirror became clearer.. and the reality of my body and my spirit viewing each other was indeed a "vision"...

There appears to be more going on when you brush your bodys teeth.. fancy that..

8 posted on 01/23/2006 9:56:22 AM PST by hosepipe (CAUTION: This propaganda is laced with hyperbole..)
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To: Alamo-Girl

Prayers offered up for a safe trip for those attending the Marches for Life on the East and West Coast. One of my relatives, acting as a chaperone, took a youth group to Washington DC for the march.


9 posted on 01/23/2006 10:00:33 AM PST by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.)
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To: alpha-8-25-02

Thank you so much for the beautiful Spurgeon devotion!


10 posted on 01/23/2006 10:45:42 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: abigail2

Good afternoon, abigail2! Thank you for bumping by!


11 posted on 01/23/2006 10:46:17 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Knitting A Conundrum

Thank you so much for the beautiful meditation and prayer!


12 posted on 01/23/2006 10:48:31 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: hosepipe
There appears to be more going on when you brush your bodys teeth.. fancy that..

Indeed. Thank you for sharing your testimony and insights!
13 posted on 01/23/2006 10:50:18 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Ciexyz

Kudos to your relative! I join with you in prayers for all these.


14 posted on 01/23/2006 10:51:00 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl; .30Carbine; alpha-8-25-02; hosepipe; Kitty Mittens; gobucks; Knitting A Conundrum; ...

"Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . .""
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O to be a reflection of our Lord.
Day by day ever more
Knowing whom we have believed ...
Trusting what He has in store
for our tomorrows ...
and our now ...

He was called
a man of sorrows ...
He is the one to follow ...
to waves of lilies,
amid heavenly fields,
along the road to glory ...

Forgive me Father,
You know me through
and through.
What I want is
to be with You ...

Holy, Holy, Holy,
are YOU.


15 posted on 01/23/2006 11:10:42 AM PST by Countyline (God loves you ... He wants you to love Him back; and learn of Him.)
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To: Countyline

How beautiful! Thank you!


16 posted on 01/23/2006 11:41:59 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Countyline; Alamo-Girl
What I want is to be with You ...

Amen! Thank you, dear Countyline, and All of you children of the King for Blessing me Daily with your Posts. (I'm Here at Least Twice Daily Lurking.)

Great are Thy Tender Mercies, O Lord! (Ps.119:156)

17 posted on 01/23/2006 1:32:13 PM PST by Kitty Mittens
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To: Kitty Mittens

Amen! Thank you so much for your prayers!


18 posted on 01/23/2006 9:26:42 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Countyline

Thank you for the Elohim-exalting verses!


19 posted on 01/24/2006 6:12:40 AM PST by .30Carbine ( Have we not all one Father ? Did not one God create us? ~Malachi 2:10)
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