My Utmost Fo His Highest by Oswald Chambers — June 30 (Updated Edition by James Reimann)

Agree with your adversary quickly… —Matthew 5:25

In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ‘till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being.

Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?

Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21).

“Agree with your adversary quickly….” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!

Dear God, I’m often surprised where a scripture will take Mr. Chambers. I know these are excerpts from sermons and lessons he taught that his wife put together into these daily devotions ten years after his death, but still, I think would have loved hearing some of his sermons.

It was towards the end of today’s devotion that caught my eye. It was about not putting off repenting before you, but doing it now. Here, I won’t do it justice.

Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience.

Basically, he’s saying I should save myself some trouble and be used by you as soon as possible. Why wait?

I heard an interview with Rob Lowe tonight. He was talking about getting sober 30 years ago. He said the biggest obstacle to him getting sober was the thought that all of the fun would be gone. “What, I can’t have some champagne to celebrate the New Year? I can’t have a drink with my friends to celebrate the birth of a child?” But he went on to say that he has had more fun after getting sober than he ever did doing alcohol and drugs and, as he put it, that’s saying something considering how much he did in the 80s.

So his point was, if you are waiting because you think you are going to be giving up fun, don’t wait. There is more fun and freedom on the other side. The same is true for my sinful pleasures to which I still stubbornly hold. There is more freedom and joy to be had when the Holy Spirit is able to grow good fruit in me. Satan lies when he says that sin is where the fun is because in sin there is only bondage. You offer freedom from that bondage and that is the only place where I will find love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23)

Father, Help me to search my heart moment by moment so that I can always be willing to let go of what I think will bring me joy and cling to the one true source of joy. And help me to not worry abut my neighbor or adversary owes me, but help me to focus on what I own my adversary. You didn’t call me to look out for my rights, but to simply love you and love others.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

2 Peter 3:8-9

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9

Dear God, my wife and I were having dinner with friends last night and the conversation rolled around to some of the things in our lives that haven’t gone how we planned or wanted. For some of those things, we are still waiting for you to answer our prayers and do what we hope you will do.

I mentioned to them that I have just gotten to the point that I believe that you will bring about the things I hope you will. Bring about, but it has to be done n this way, taking this much time, because that is the way that will be best for your plan and the way that will best accomplish what I hope you will accomplish. There are times when I feel like my decision to believe this is a mental crutch to get through some of the disappointments and frustrations in my life. On the other hand, when I look back on my life, time and time again I can see that the things I wanted to happen that you brought about almost always required more time to come together than I wanted, but they also turned out better than I had expected because of it.

Father, for privacy reasons and since others see this journal I am not going to specifically say what I mean when I pray this, but I know you know what I’m talking about. So please do your work. Do it in your time. Do it in your way. Do it for your purposes and plan. And do it for your glory. Forget me. Forget my desires or my ego in this. I give it all to you and submit my glory in exchange for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

My Utmost For His Highest for June 27, 2020 — by Oswald Chambers

Excerpt from second half:
…Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).

Dear God, the Mr. Chambers’s verse that launched this devotion was from the beginning of Jeremiah, and I found myself not totally agreeing with his first paragraph. I almost stopped reading. Then I got to the sentence that said:

Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him.

Justice, justice, justice. I’m not judging anyone else for looking for justice (such as Black Lives Matter). Sometimes we simply have to defend ourselves. But for me in my life, I tend to look for justice in the wrong places. With my wife. With my children. At work. But that puts my eyes on me and what I deserve as opposed to worshipping you, considering my life worth nothing to me (Acts 20:24), and then distributing generous amounts of free mercy.

Then I read on and saw this:

Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?”

How many times have I said, “Why should I be treated like this?” Countless. Countless. And what good did it do me? All it did was feed my self pity, and that’s exactly where Satan wants me–eyes on me and not on you.

I suppose in terms of Black Lives Matter and racism, disrespect of law enforcement, crime, and shattered lives, it is up to Christians to not fight for justice for ourselves personally, but to fight for the justice for others. And I’ve seen a lot of people doing that. I’ve seen a lot of those who are white and don’t experience racial discrimination march, protest, and stand up for those who face terrible types of discrimination. That is a great way of giving justice and being able to keep our eyes on you at the same time.

Father, show me how to be part of giving justice to those around me. Give me the courage I need to step out and fight for justice for others. I’ll admit that I’d rather sit in my home, enjoy my advantages as a white male, and survive another day. But your Holy Spirit can’t grow my heart if I do that. If I do that then I won’t be about giving justice to others. I’ll just be about putting my eyes on me and taking them off of you. I know that is the last thing I should do.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Mark 4:18-19

Dear God, wow, I really let the cares of the world zap me yesterday! I usually have a rule that I try to not spend more than 15 minutes a day looking at headlines and news stories, but for the last few days, I have allowed myself to become totally preoccupied by the latest on positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, race relations, politics, etc. I was constantly refreshing the numbers to see how many infections my County in Texas is reporting. Finally, I was so mentally destroyed I left work at 3:00 and headed home.

What happened to me? Well, Jesus had a parable for that:

18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:18-19

I allowed the cares of this world to soak into my heart over several days and choke out you seed in the soil of my heart.

Father, I’m sorry. I promise to spend very little time on the things of this world today and much more time on you. I want you. I need you. You are my only hope. Help me to be intentional about providing you good soil with which to work.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Jeremiah 23:23-24

“Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23-24

Dear God, this is one of those passages that gives me hope and demands worship. It gives me hope because it reminds me that you are omnipresent, and you care enough to be omnipresent. You could have the power to be here and not use it because you don’t care, but you are here right now because you do care. Now part of that is the fact that I cannot hide anything from you. There are no secrets from you no matter how hard I try. And yet you still love me. You still care enough to be here and be present. You still care enough about me to know everything about me.

Father, I’m sorry for letting you down so often, but I worship you and I thank you that you are with me anyway. Be with those I love in the same way. Be with our community. Be with our nation. Be with our world. Love richly and give us what we need. And if what we need to be brought to you is some suffering and humility, I humbly submit to whatever path you have for me to get me where you need me to be.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Dear God, what would I do if there were honest to goodness persecution of Christians in our country? What would I do if the shoe was on the other foot right now and the movement around our country had to be for “Christian Lives Matter” instead of “Black Lives Matter” because we didn’t have racial discrimination but religious discrimination?

I read this passage this morning and my first thought was that I am so soft. I’ve always enjoyed the life of the majority. I’ve been in the dominant racial group and the dominant religious group. In fact, other than a little bullying growing up, I’m not sure I’ve ever really had to fear other people. I don’t know what it means to suffer or have to struggle to survive.

But what if? What would it be like to be judged by every person the instant they looked at me? What if, as the Jews did in Hitler’s Germany, I had to walk around with a cross emblazoned on my shirt, and then a good percentage of people who saw that judged me and some even harassed me? What if I woke up this morning nervous about driving to work?

Father, I heard a podcast last night of black sports journalists talking about their experience with black athletes and being black professionals in a field where there are very few people of color. I need to go back and find the exact quote, but one of them said something to the effect of, “To the people who say that racism is a lot better than it used to be and it’s not that big of a deal anymore, I first as, ‘Are you white?’ And then I ask, ‘Do you have black friends and do you spend any significant time talking to them about this issue?’ ” Well, I get that there is still racism, but I still have no idea what it’s like to start each day behind the eight ball. To look at my children and know that their opportunities are limited and their lives could be in danger because of their skin color. I’m so sorry for those that do have to face that every day. Please show me how to use the advantages I have to affect change for them.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5

Dear God, this is the verse yesterday from My Utmost for His Highest. I don’t normally read his commentary before I start typing to you, but I read the first few sentences today. He had an interesting sentence in there: “There is a difference between retaliation and retribution.” He says that what Jesus is indicating in his different lessons is that we shouldn’t retaliate, but we should be aware that what goes around comes around.

I suppose the trick is to pull myself out of the retribution feedback loop by not retaliating. If someone is doing something wrong and I do not retaliate like I would normally want to then I am short-circuiting the natural order of things and exhibiting your love. After all, that’s what you’ve done with Jesus and your love for us. You love us unreasonably, and I am grateful for that.

I have a few relationships that I can gratefully say I stuck around even through what I perceived to be wrongs done to me. And after several years, I can say I’m glad I did. I’m glad I am not looking back now and thinking that I shouldn’t have let that relationship go 10 or 20 years ago. I haven’t always been perfect in those relationships. I’ve caused my share of pain as well. But I’m glad they are still there. Retribution is an interesting thing.

Father, help me to always be a source of mercy by drawing on the mercy you give me. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for loving me. Now, please flow through me and take your love and mercy to others through my life.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Mark 8:31-38

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:31-38

Dear God, it’s Father’s Day, and I want to say it to you: Happy Father’s Day! Thank you for being my father. Thank you for being a good father and loving me. Thank you for noting giving me every desire of my heart, but for slow walking me through this life. Thank you for continuing to teach me and grow my heart and mind. Thank you for nourishing my soul. Thank you for opening my eyes more and more to the life perspective of others.

I took a long bike ride this morning and I listened to some Christian music while I also did some thinking. Two things stand out to me from the ride.

• The first is I started thinking about my children and how never once in their growing up did I ever worry about society holding them back. They are both white, from an educated, middle class home, and I knew they would have opportunities. The only thing that could get in their ways would be tragedies such as health issues or losing a parent, or personal choices. But I never once thought about their skin color getting in their way or even being a threat to their safety. Having started reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin this week, all I can think about now are my black niece and nephew and how their lives will have challenges I never had to face with my children. It has changed how I pray for them and their parents. Yes, as sensitive as I like to think I am, there is still a lot for me to learn.
• The second was listening to Keith Green’s song, “‘The Prodigal Son Suite.” His lyrics for the part when the son comes home and makes his speech to his dad add some words that aren’t in the actual text in Luke 15, and I heard them in a new way this morning. Here are the words he used: “Father, I’ve sinned. Heaven the shame. I’m no longer worthy to wear your name. I’ve learned that my home is right where you are. Oh, Father, take me in.” Now, in our American society, we don’t necessarily think that our place is right where our parents are. And you have certainly told us that we are to leave our father and mother and cleave to our wives. So from a human perspective I’m not advocating this, but from a spiritual perspective (and this, after all, is a parable about you and us) it is right on point. My place is right where you are, denying myself.

That brings me to this passage today. The verse was, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” But the context of that one verse is important. It follows up Jesus being blunt about the suffering to come, Peter’s rebuke, and then Jesus’s rebuke of Peter.

Father, I’ve sinned. Heaven the shame. I’m no longer worthy to wear your name. I’ve learned that my place is right where you are. Oh, Father, take me in. And thank you for saying yes to this request through your son and part of your being, Jesus.

I pray all of this with courage because of this very gift,

Amen

 

Ephesians 5:25-33

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:25-33

Dear God, this is a great verse for Father’s Day weekend because it is a reminder to me that my life as a father and a husband is not about me, but it is about what I bring to the table. And, in terms of my marriage, you call me to bring this to the table:

• Love my wife
• Give her the kind of love that cleanses her
• Pray for her, including scripture
• Take responsibility
• Unite with her instead of my parents

So what kind of love cleanses my wife? Well, it starts with praying for her, but even before that I need to be about submitting to you and presenting myself to you and to hear and holy and blameless. I need to first be cleansed by you if I am to offer her the kind of grace and love that she needs from me. So the priorities are:

1. Pursuit of you through humble submission and disciplined discipleship
2. Extend the love you give to me to her
3. Pray for her
4. Build her up into the the woman you created her to be and supporting that as my highest calling
5. Allowing respect to come naturally from her after I have done these things instead of demanding it

Father, I must also remember in all of this that I have two fathers-in-law. I have her father and I have you, and you see everything I do behind closed doors. I am sorry for where I have failed in each of these areas. As I go through this weekend, I commit to focusing more on this as your Father’s Day weekend because you are so good. This weekend isn’t about the love I receive. It’s about the love I have the opportunity to give.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

John 17:13-20

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
John 17:13-20

Dear God, thank you for praying this prayer for me. Thank you for having this kind of heart for all of us. I think, today, I am going to pray this for my fellow Christians. The ones in my family, in my church, in my community, and in the world.

Father, help us to all learn from you that we might have a full measure of your joy within us. Give us your word, and help us to receive it and embrace it even if it costs us the approval of the world. Don’t relieve us from the sufferings of this world, but use those sufferings to draw us closer to you and to learn to help our sisters and brothers in their suffering. Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from evil. Sanctify us by helping us to live in your truth. Help us to know truth from lies. Help us to know the voice of the shepherd and to discern when we are hearing Satan instead. Send us into the world so that we might be your ambassadors to others who need you and need to see you in their neighbors. And sanctify us through the power of what Jesus did for us. What you did through sending Jesus for us.

I pray all of this in Jesus’s powerful name–my only hope,

Amen