Thursday, May 25, 2017

My Utmost for His Highest for Thursday, 25 May 2017 - "The Test Of Self-interest" by Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest for Thursday, 25 May 2017 - "The Test Of Self-interest" by Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest
 
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"The Test Of Self-interest" by Oswald Chambers
If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. [Genesis 13:9]

As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.
Whenever right is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. It would seem the wisest thing in the world for Abraham to choose, it was his right, and the people around would consider him a fool for not choosing. Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God.
“Walk before Me.”
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him.  [The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L]

Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 25-27; John 9:1-23
1 Chronicles 25:1 For the service, David and the army commanders selected some of the descendants of Asaf, of Heman and of Y’dutun to prophesy with lyres, lutes and cymbals. The list of those doing this work, according to the type of work performed was:Of the descendants of Asaf: Zakur, Yosef, N’tanyah and Asar’elah; the sons of Asaf were with Asaf, who prophesied according to the direction of the king. Of Y’dutun, the descendants of Y’dutun: G’dalyahu, Tzeri, Yesha‘yahu, Hashavyahu, Mattityahu — six, with their father Y’dutun, who, accompanied by the lyre, prophesied thanks and praise to Adonai. Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukiyahu, Mattanyahu, ‘Uzi’el, Sh’vu’el, Yerimot, Hananyah, Hanani, Eli’atah, Gidalti, Romamti-‘ezer, Yoshb’kashah, Maloti, Hotir and Machzi’ot; all these sons of Heman, the king’s seer in matters pertaining to God, were there to exalt [God]. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. They were all with their fathers Asaf, Y’dutun and Heman to sing with cymbals, lutes and lyres in the house of Adonai, serving in the house of God under the direction of the king. Their number, together with their kinsmen who had been instructed in singing to Adonai, was 288, all well trained. Whether great or small, teacher or talmid, they cast lots for their term of duty.
The first lot for Asaf fell to Yosef,
the second to G’dalyah; he, his brothers and his sons numbered twelve;
10 the third to Zakur, his sons and brothers, twelve;
11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and brothers, twelve;
12 the fifth to N’tanyahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
13 the sixth to Bukiyahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
14 the seventh to Y’sar’elah, his sons and brothers, twelve;
15 the eighth to Yesha‘yahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
16 the ninth to Mattanyahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
17 the tenth to Shim‘i, his sons and brothers, twelve;
18 the eleventh to ‘Azar’el, his sons and brothers, twelve;
19 the twelfth to Hashavyah, his sons and brothers, twelve;
20 the thirteenth to Shuva’el, his sons and brothers, twelve;
21 the fourteenth to Mattityahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
22 the fifteenth to Yeremot, his sons and brothers, twelve;
23 the sixteenth to Hananyahu, his sons and brothers, twelve;
24 the seventeenth to Yoshb’kashah, his sons and brothers, twelve;
25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and brothers, twelve;
26 the nineteenth to Maloti, his sons and brothers, twelve;
27 the twentieth to Eli’atah, his sons and brothers, twelve;
28 the twenty-first to Hotir, his sons and brothers, twelve;
29 the twenty-second to Gidalti, his sons and brothers, twelve;
30 the twenty-third to Machzi’ot, his sons and brothers, twelve; and
31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-‘ezer, his sons and brothers, twelve.
26:The divisions of the gatekeepers:
Of the Korchim: Meshelemyahu the son of Kore, of the descendants of Asaf. Meshelemyahu had sons: Z’kharyahu the firstborn, Y’dia‘el the second, Z’vadyahu the third, Yatni’el the fourth, ‘Eilam the fifth, Y’hochanan the sixth and Ely’ho‘einai the seventh.
‘Oved-Edom had sons: Sh’ma‘yah the firstborn, Y’hozavad the second son,
Yo’ach the third, Sakhar the fourth, N’tan’el the fifth, ‘Ammi’el the sixth, Yissakhar the seventh, and Pe‘ultai the eighth; for God blessed him. To his son Sh’ma‘yah were born sons who ruled over their father’s clan, because they were strong, brave men. The sons of Sh’ma‘yah: ‘Otni, Refa’el and his brothers ‘Oved and Elzavad, valiant men; also Elihu and S’makhyahu. These were all from the sons of ‘Oved-Edom, they and their sons and brothers, men of ability and strength for service, sixty-two from ‘Oved-Edom.
Meshelemyahu had sons and brothers, valiant men, eighteen. 10 Hosah, from the descendants of M’rari, had sons: Shimri the chief, for although he was not the firstborn, nevertheless his father made him the chief; 11 Hilkiyahu the second, T’valyahu the third and Z’kharyahu the fourth; all the sons and brothers of Hosah were thirteen.
12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, under their chief men, had duties, just as their kinsmen did, serving in the house of Adonai. 13 Great or small, they cast lots according to their clans for every gate. 14 The lot for the east gate fell to Shelemyahu. Then they cast lots for his son Z’kharyahu, a sensible adviser, and he was allotted the north gate. 15 ‘Oved-Edom was allotted the south gate and his sons the storehouse. 16 Shupim and Hosah were allotted the west gate and the Shallekhet Gate at the highway that goes up, with corresponding guards. 17 For the east there were six L’vi’im, for the north four a day, for the south four a day, for the Storehouse two and two, 18 while for the courtyard to the west there were four at the highway and two at the courtyard itself. 19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers, consisting of descendants of the Korchim and descendants of M’rari.
20 Of the L’vi’im, Achiyah was responsible for the stores in the house of God and the stores of holy articles. 21 The sons of La‘dan, the descendants of the Gershuni belonging to La‘dan, the heads of clans belonging to La‘dan the Gershuni: Yechi’eli; 22 and the sons of Yechi’eli: Zetam and Yo’el his brother, over the stores in the house of Adonai. 23 Of the ‘Amrami, of the Yitz’hari, of the Hevroni, of the ‘Uzi’eli, 24 Sh’vu’el the descendant of Gershom, the son of Moshe, was in charge of the stores.
25 His kinsmen: from Eli‘ezer: Rechavyahu his son, Yesha‘yahu his son, Yoram his son, Zikhri his son and Shlomit his son. 26 This Shlomit and his kinsmen were in charge of all the stores of the dedicated things that David the king, the clan heads, the captains over thousands and hundreds and the commanders of the army had dedicated. 27 From the spoil won in wars they had dedicated these things to repair the house of Adonai. 28 Also included was all that Sh’mu’el the seer, Sha’ul the son of Kish, Avner the son of Ner and Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah had dedicated. In short, if anyone had dedicated anything, Shlomit and his brothers were in charge of it.
29 Of the Yitz’hari: K’nanyahu and his sons were assigned to be over Isra’el in regard to outside business as officers and judges. 30 Of the Hevroni: Hashavyah and his kinsmen, 1,700 valiant men, had the oversight of Isra’el west of the Yarden in regard to all the business of Adonai and the service of the king. 31 Yeriyah was chief of the Hevroni according to their generations by clans. In the fortieth year of David’s reign the Hevroni were sought out, and there were found among them strong, brave men at Ya‘zer in Gil‘ad. 32 King David appointed 2,700 of his kinsmen, valiant men and clan leaders, as overseers over the Re’uveni, the Gadi and the half-tribe of the M’nashi for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.
27:The people of Isra’el, registered according to their clan leaders, were drafted for army duty under captains of thousands and of hundreds, and officers serving the king, in divisions of 24,000 each, for month-long terms of duty covering all the months of the year.
Over the first division, for the first month, was Yashov‘am the son of Zavdi’el; there were 24,000 in his division. He was from the descendants of Peretz and was in charge of all the army captains during the first month.
Over the division for the second month was Dodai the Achochi; Miklot was the chief officer of his division; there were 24,000 in his division.
The third army commander, for the third month, was B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada the chief cohen; there were 24,000 in his division. This is the same B’nayah who was one of the thirty heroes and was over the thirty; his son ‘Ammizavad was in his division.
The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was ‘Asah’el the brother of Yo’av, with Z’vadyah his son after him; there were 24,000 in his division.
The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhut from Yizrach; there were 24,000 in his division.
The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was ‘Ira the son of ‘Ikesh from T’koa; there were 24,000 in his division.
10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Heletz the P’loni, from the descendants of Efrayim; there were 24,000 in his division.
11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibkhai the Hushati, from the Zarchi; there were 24,000 in his division.
12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Avi‘ezer from ‘Anatot, from the Ben-Y’mini; there were 24,000 in his division.
13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Mahrai, the N’tofati, from the Zarchi; there were 24,000 in his division.
14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was B’nayah from Pir‘aton, from the descendants of Efrayim; there were 24,000 in his division.
15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the N’tofati, from ‘Otni’el; there were 24,000 in his division.
16 Over the the tribes of Isra’el:
leader of the Re’uveni: Eli‘ezer the son of Zikhri;
of the Shim‘oni: Sh’fatyah the son of Ma‘akhah;
17 of Levi: Hashavyah the son of K’mu’el;
of Aharon: Tzadok;
18 of Y’hudah: Elihu, one of David’s brothers;
of Yissakhar: ‘Omri the son of Mikha’el;
19 of Z’vulun: Yishma‘yahu the son of ‘Ovadyah;
of Naftali: Yerimot the son of ‘Azri’el;
20 of the descendants of Efrayim: Hoshea the son of ‘Azazyahu;
of the half-tribe of M’nasheh: Yo’el the son of P’dayah;
21 of the half-tribe of M’nasheh in Gil‘ad: Yiddo the son of Z’kharyahu;
of Binyamin: Ya‘asi’el the son of Avner;
22 of Dan: ‘Azar’el the son of Yerocham.
These were the commanders of the tribes of Isra’el.
23 But David did not include in the registration those twenty years old or less, because Adonai had said he would increase Isra’el’s numbers like the stars in the sky. 24 Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah began a census of these, but he did not finish, and wrath came upon Isra’el because of this; moreover the number was not entered into the Annals of King David.
25 In charge of the king’s supplies was ‘Azmavet the son of ‘Adi’el. In charge of the supplies in the countryside, the cities, the villages and the fortresses was Y’honatan the son of ‘Uziyahu. 26 In charge of farmers working the land was ‘Ezri the son of K’luv. 27 In charge of the vineyards was Shim‘i the Ramati, while Zavdi the Shifmi was responsible for the produce from the vineyards for the wine-cellars. 28 In charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the Sh’felah was Ba‘al-Hanan from G’derah, while Yo’ash was put over the storehouses for olive oil. 29 In charge of the herds of livestock feeding in the Sharon was Shirtai from the Sharon, while Shafat the son of Adlai was put over herds in the valleys. 30 Ovil the Yishma‘eli was put over the camels, Yechd’yahu the Meronoti over the donkeys 31 and Yaziz the Hagri over the flocks [of sheep and goats]. All of these were responsible for King David’s property.
32 Y’honatan David’s uncle was an adviser, a man of understanding and a secretary. Yechi’el the son of Hachmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Achitofel was an adviser to the king. Hushai the Archi was the king’s confidant; 34 and after Achitofel were Y’hoyada the son of B’nayah and Evyatar. Yo’av was commander of the king’s army.
John 9:1 As Yeshua passed along, he saw a man blind from birth. His talmidim asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned — this man or his parents — to cause him to be born blind?” Yeshua answered, “His blindness is due neither to his sin nor to that of his parents; it happened so that God’s power might be seen at work in him. As long as it is day, we must keep doing the work of the One who sent me; the night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, put the mud on the man’s eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash off in the Pool of Shiloach!” (The name means “sent.”) So he went and washed and came away seeing.
His neighbors and those who previously had seen him begging said, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “Yes, he’s the one”; while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” However, he himself said, “I’m the one.” 10 “How were your eyes opened?” they asked him. 11 He answered, “The man called Yeshua made mud, put it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Shiloach and wash!’ So I went; and as soon as I had washed, I could see.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” and he replied, “I don’t know.”
13 They took the man who had been blind to the P’rushim. 14 Now the day on which Yeshua had made the mud and opened his eyes was Shabbat. 15 So the P’rushim asked him again how he had become able to see; and he told them, “He put mud on my eyes, then I washed, and now I can see.” 16 At this, some of the P’rushim said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep Shabbat.” But others said, “How could a man who is a sinner do miracles like these?” And there was a split among them. 17 So once more they spoke to the blind man: “Since you’re the one whose eyes he opened, what do you say about him?” He replied: “He is a prophet.”
18 The Judeans, however, were unwilling to believe that he had formerly been blind, but now could see, until they had summoned the man’s parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind; 21 but how it is that he can see now, we don’t know; nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him — he’s old enough, he can speak for himself!” 22 The parents said this because they were afraid of the Judeans, for the Judeans had already agreed that anyone who acknowledged Yeshua as the Messiah would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, “He’s old enough, ask him.”
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My Utmost for His Highest
My Utmost for His Highest © 1927 in the U.K. by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. All rights reserved. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House, which is affiliated with Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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