In order to build a relationship, we must have regular contact with the person with which we desire the relationship. It is that way with building a relationship with Jesus Christ. In order to change the direction of my life and to keep it focused on Jesus, I require daily contact with Him through His word, found in the Bible and other devotional writings.
- Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 4,5
My first daily devotional was from the book My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Mr. Chambers’ writings caused me to reach for the deeper meaning of following Christ and had a great spiritual impact on my life.
Each devotion takes less than ten minutes to read, but contains spiritual secrets worth pondering for a lifetime.
Born in 1874 in Aberdeen, Scotland, Oswald Chambers wrote this book, which became one of Christianity’s greatest, without knowing it.
A gifted artist early in life, his future was assured by a scholarship to the leading art centers of Europe. But, after being won to Christ, the pull was so strong that he declined the scholarship and enrolled in Dunoon Bible Training College. He went on to conduct Bible teaching ministries in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. In World War I, he ministered as a YMCA chaplain to Australian and New Zealand troops preparing for action in the Middle East. There he died in 1917 following surgery for a ruptured appendix and was buried in Cairo under a headstone bearing the words of
Luke 11:13
- If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
His widow, Gertrude Hobbs, compiled his many manuscripts, notes, lectures, and sermons into the classic My Utmost for His Highest, a book that has been in print since 1935 and still challenges Christians to this day.
Beginning January 1st with the stating of the apostle Paul’s goal for his life.
Philippians 1:20
- For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die.
Oswald Chambers leads the reader day by day to an understanding of how scripture relates to daily living, ending December 31st with the security for today and for tomorrow and the expectation of our reward.
- You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you, and the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
Isaiah 52:12
If you are looking for daily inspiration, there is no better time to acquire this book and be ready to start the New Year.
My Utmost for His Highest: New...  | Devotions for a Deeper Life  |
Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The...  |
