Christian Crier
Have you ever heard of Oswald Chambers? If not, you will be pleasantly surprised and if not, here is why you should know who this man of God is.
Oswald Chambers Wisdom
Oswald Chambers, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (24, July 1874 – 15, November 1917) once wrote that “Jesus Christ can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot. Our weakness lies in always wanting to vindicate ourselves.”1 This deeply religious Scottish man was raised by devout Christian parents and was consumed by the Holiness Movement, which refers to a set of practices and beliefs of a Christian’s perfectionism whereby they believed it was possible to live a life that is free of voluntary sin but could only be accomplished through a secondary work of the grace of God. His passion for the holiness of God inspired him to found the Bible Training College in London where no one was turned away because of an inability to pay. Close to one half of those who graduated entered into the ministry which was unprecedented at that time. He was both an evangelist and a teacher but he may have been most remembered for his inspiring book “My Utmost for His Highest” which was a brilliant, biblically-centered devotional book. It was one of the first devotionals that, during this period, became one of the best sellers of all books and still is today. This devotional is just as inspiring and relevant as the day on which it was first published in 1924 and remains among the top ten bestselling among Christian books.
Oswald Chambers Role in Christian History
Oswald Chambers could be thought of as the father of the daily devotionals due to his great work “My Utmost for His Highest” and was the template for all other daily devotionals since. He also set a pattern for striving to live a holy life. He believed that biblical knowledge was not enough…it took information with application which lead to sanctification. The idea that Christians could receive a second outpouring of grace so that they could willfully reject sin was tied to the Holiness Movement. The movement was growing at the time and although some churches divided over this practice, his belief that we must believe that we can choose to avoid sin and do what is right spurred many a Christian to try and live a life of sanctification whereby they grew in holiness and this growth in holiness could be achieved by devoting oneself to the daily intake and study of the Word of God.
Oswald Chamber Quotes
Here are just a few of the greatest of Oswald Chamber’s quotes.
The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.
The agony of man’s affliction is often necessary to put him into the right mood to face the fundamental things of life. The Psalmist says. Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I have kept Thy Word.
Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.
The “words” of God and the “Word” of God stand together; to separate them is to render both powerless. Any expounder of the words of God is liable to go off on a tangent if he or she does not remember this stern, undeviating standard of exposition, namely, that no individual experience is of the remotest value unless it is up to the standard of the Word of God.
Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love.
Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
It is impossible to live the life of a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.
It is not so true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things.
Our true character comes out in the way we pray.
The only right a Christian has is the right to give up his rights.
God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.
Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.
Sum up the life of Jesus by any other standard than God’s, and it is an anticlimax of failure.
Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.
God’s silences are His answers. If we only take as answers those that are visible to our senses, we are in a very elementary condition of grace.
Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.
Jesus Christ carries on intercession for us in heaven; the Holy Ghost carries on intercession in us on earth; and we the saints have to carry on intercession for all men.
Conclusion
There is so much common sense in these pithy statements of Chamber’s and it was because he feared God for there is wisdom found only in Him (Prov 1:7). If a person leans on their own understanding, they will fear the things of the earth. If you haven’t repented and trusted in Christ then you have only the world’s wisdom (1 Cor 1:25, 3:19) and this is the best your life will ever be but if you are a child of God, the best is yet to come.
Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon
1. Oswald Chambers. “The Place of Help”. Grand Rapids: Christian Literature Crusade, Incorporated, 1993), 1051.
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