Tag: Oswald Chambers

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discipleship carries an option

Brooke and I were reading our devotional this past week and this really hit me because of what we're called to do. These are two different thoughts from the devo by Oswald Chambers:

"One life wholly devoted to God is of more value to God than one hundred lives simply awakened by His Spirit" - Oswald Chambers

"Wholly devoted" vs "simply awakened" (there's a sermon in there!)

"Unless the worker lives a life hidden with Christ in God, he is apt to become an irritating dictator instead of an indwelling disciple. Many of us are dictators, we dictate to people and to meetings. Jesus never dictates to us in that way. Whenever Our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced it with an "IF," never with an emphatic assertion - "You must." Discipleship carries an option with it."

We have the high challenge of preaching God's word in such a way that it casts a compelling enough vision for students that they would WANT to be a disciple of Jesus.  This sobers me because just because I'm preaching doesn't mean students are being discipled. My job is not to dictate God's Word but to LIVE IT first, then preach it in such a way that provokes/prompts discipleship in our students hearts.  In my mind, that's different than telling student what they NEED to do, or what they SHOULD do.  

I believe this generation WANTS to opt-in to God's call on their life but they also don't want to be CORNERED into it.

Sometimes us preachers have a way of making God's amazing unchanging Word BORING or MUNDANE even though we know it's not.  After this devo I was challenged to work harder, longer, prayer more, study more or do whatever it takes to disciple as Jesus discipled. Are you committed to doing that for yourself...and your students?

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Everything matters to Jesus

Every person, Every task, Every student, Every volunteer, Every program, Every prayer, Every _________ (fill in the blank)  ...it all matters to Him and all of it can be used to know more about Him.

"Whether it be eating or drinking or washing disciples feet, whatever it is, we have to take the initiative of realizing Jesus Christ in it. Every phase of our actual life has its counterpart in the life of Jesus. Our Lord realized His relationship to the Father even in the most menial work. "Jesus knowing . . . that He was come from God, and went to God . . . took a towel . . . and began to wash the disciples' feet." - Oswald Chambers 

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Chew on this a little bit

This will change your life.

"We ought never to bear the burden of sin or of doubt, but there are burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off, He wants us to roll them back on Him. "Cast that He hath given thee upon the Lord." (R.V. marg.) If we undertake work for God and get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility will be overwhelmingly crushing; but if we roll back on God that which He has put upon us, He takes away the sense of responsibility by bringing in the realization of Himself." - Oswald Chambers

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Is there a 'reckless abandonment' about me?

This really challenged me this week:

"The spiritual saint never believes circumstances to be haphazard, or thinks of his life as secular and sacred; he sees everything he is dumped down in as the means of securing the knowledge of Jesus Christ. There is a reckless abandonment about him." - Oswald Chambers

God I need you.  I want to be the kind of man who seeks you with reckless abandon!