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Daily Reflections with Oswald Chambers [January 28, 2007]
My Utmost for His Highest (The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers; 1992) ^ | 1935/1992 | Oswald Chambers

Posted on 01/28/2007 3:23:10 AM PST by .30Carbine

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 one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.

Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.

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 01/28/2007 3:23:12 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 01/28/2007 3:24:24 AM PST by .30Carbine (O Thank You, Lord Jesus!)
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To: All
I always thought it odd that some parent in Israel in the time of Jesus Christ would name their son Saul, after that profane king. It would be like one of us naming a son Judas, I think. There is an interesting parallel, though, in this naming - for the first Saul persecuted David, the Appointed King, and the second Saul the Son of David, Jesus Christ, Who Rules Forever amen.

We are not told until Acts 13:9 that Saul...was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, though his conversion is recorded in chapter 9.

The name Paul means "little."

The salutation by the hand of me, Paul, which is a sign in every letter; thus I write;
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [is] with you all! Amen.
~2 Thessalonians 3:17-19 (YLT)

3 posted on 01/28/2007 3:44:15 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: .30Carbine
All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”- John 4:24

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
4 posted on 01/28/2007 4:52:02 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: Vision
Amen. It delights me as I go through any typical day to realize that I am the travelling tabernacle of the Holy God, and worship happens all day long within me! All day long Jesus and I speak truth to one another. It is magnificent and beyond description, but we who are Christ's are the very Temple of the Living God! (1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16)

The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father.

5 posted on 01/28/2007 5:44:45 AM PST by .30Carbine (Not sure? Call 1-888-NEED HIM or needhim.org)
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To: .30Carbine
Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ.

So very true! Thank you for this beautiful devotion!
6 posted on 01/28/2007 11:34:03 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: .30Carbine

Praise the Lord that I got home safely today in the middle of a whiteout snow storm.


7 posted on 01/28/2007 6:40:49 PM PST by Ciexyz (In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:16)
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To: Ciexyz
Oh indeed, indeed! Thank You, Jesus, for your guidance and protection of our dear FRiend C.!

I have been on the road behind the wheel in such conditions - I felt like Helen Keller, like I should have one hand out the open driver's side door feeling the road as I went! It is very scary, and the stress of it, as well as the time it takes to travel so much slower, the strain on the eyes, all the factors altogether, just exhausting.

Thank you so much for your praise testimony! May we post simply to praise and thank our Good Shepherd more often!

8 posted on 01/29/2007 1:51:10 AM PST by .30Carbine
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To: Alamo-Girl
Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit.

And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.

9 posted on 01/29/2007 1:53:05 AM PST by .30Carbine
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