My Utmost for His Highest for Thursday, 17 August 2017 "Are You Discouraged In Devotion?" by Oswald Chambers
…Jesus…said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have…and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. [Luke 18:22-23]
Have you ever heard the Master say something very difficult to you? If you haven’t, I question whether you have ever heard Him say anything at all. Jesus says a tremendous amount to us that we listen to, but do not actually hear. And once we do hear Him, His words are harsh and unyielding.Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this man with Him. He simply said to him, “Sell all that you have…and come, follow Me.” Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him— He simply spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him alone.
Have I ever heard Jesus say something difficult and unyielding to me? Has He said something personally to me to which I have deliberately listened— not something I can explain for the sake of others, but something I have heard Him say directly to me? This man understood what Jesus said. He heard it clearly, realizing the full impact of its meaning, and it broke his heart. He did not go away as a defiant person, but as one who was sorrowful and discouraged. He had come to Jesus on fire with zeal and determination, but the words of Jesus simply froze him. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion to Jesus, they produced heartbreaking discouragement. And Jesus did not go after him, but let him go. Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His word is truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. What is so terrible is that some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life. I wonder what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that particular point? One thing is certain— He will never throw our past failures back in our faces.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The Bible is a relation of facts, the truth of which must be tested. Life may go on all right for a while, when suddenly a bereavement comes, or some crisis; unrequited love or a new love, a disaster, a business collapse, or a shocking sin, and we turn up our Bibles again and God’s word comes straight home, and we say, “Why, I never saw that there before.” [Shade of His Hand, 1223 L]
Bible in One Year: Psalms 97-99; Romans 16Psalms 97:1 Adonai is king, let the earth rejoice,
let the many coasts and islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
setting ablaze his foes on every side.
4 His flashes of lightning light up the world;
the earth sees it and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of Adonai,
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All who worship images will be put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols.
Bow down to him, all you gods!
8 Tziyon hears and is glad, Adonai;
the daughters of Y’hudah rejoice at your rulings.
9 For you, Adonai, most high over all the earth,
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love Adonai, hate evil!
He keeps his faithful servants safe.
He rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in Adonai, you righteous;
and give thanks on recalling his holiness.
98:1 (0) A psalm:
(1) Sing a new song to Adonai,
because he has done wonders.
His right hand, his holy arm
have won him victory.
2 Adonai has made known his victory;
revealed his vindication in full view of the nations,
3 remembered his grace and faithfulness
to the house of Isra’el.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
4 Shout for joy to Adonai, all the earth!
Break forth, sing for joy, sing praises!
5 Sing praises to Adonai with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious music!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the shofar,
shout for joy before the king, Adonai!
7 Let the sea roar, and everything in it;
the world, and those living in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands;
let the mountains sing together for joy
9 before Adonai, for he has come to judge the earth;
he will judge the world rightly and the peoples fairly.
99:1 Adonai is king; let the peoples tremble.
He sits enthroned on the k’ruvim; let the earth shake!
2 Adonai is great in Tziyon;
he is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and fearsome name (he is holy):
4 “Mighty king who loves justice, you established
fairness, justice and righteousness in Ya‘akov.”
5 Exalt Adonai our God!
Prostrate yourselves at his footstool (he is holy).
6 Moshe and Aharon among his cohanim
and Sh’mu’el among those who call on his name
called on Adonai, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the column of cloud;
they kept his instructions and the law that he gave them.
8 Adonai our God, you answered them.
To them you were a forgiving God,
although you took vengeance on their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt Adonai our God,
bow down toward his holy mountain,
for Adonai our God is holy!
Romans 16:1 I am introducing to you our sister Phoebe, shammash of the congregation at Cenchrea, 2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as God’s people should, and give her whatever assistance she may need from you; for she has been a big help to many people — including myself.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers for the Messiah Yeshua. 4 They risked their necks to save my life; not only I thank them, but also all the Messianic communities among the Gentiles. 5 And give my greetings to the congregation that meets in their house.
Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in the province of Asia to put his trust in the Messiah.
6 Give my greetings to Miryam, who has worked very hard for you.
7 Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, relatives of mine who were in prison with me. They are well known among the emissaries; also they came to trust in the Messiah before I did.
8 Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker for the Messiah, and to my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greetings to Appeles, whose trust in the Messiah has been tested and proved.
Greet those in the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet my relative, Herodion.
12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who are working hard for the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has done a lot of hard work for the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah’s congregations send their greetings to you.
17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained — keep away from them. 18 For men like these are not serving our Lord the Messiah but their own belly; by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the innocent. 19 For everyone has heard about your obedience; therefore I rejoice over you. However, I want you to be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil. 20 And God, the source of shalom, will soon crush the Adversary under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Yeshua be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow-worker, sends greetings to you; so do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.
22 I, Tertius, the one writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 My host Gaius, in whose home the whole congregation meets, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and brother Quartus greet you. 24 [Romans 16:24 Some manuscripts have verse 24: The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all. Amen.]
25 Now to God, who can strengthen you, according to my Good News,
in harmony with the revelation of the secret truth
which is the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah,
kept hidden in silence for ages and ages,
26 but manifested now through prophetic writings,
in keeping with the command of God the Eternal,
and communicated to all the Gentiles
to promote in them trust-grounded obedience —
27 to the only wise God, through Yeshua the Messiah,
be the glory forever and ever!
Amen.
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Utmost: Classic Readings and Prayers90 Days of Inspirational Reading to Strengthen Your Soul
Take your relationship with God to the next level with daily inspiration and prayers drawn from Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest.
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