My Utmost for His Highest - May 23rd - Careful Infidelity

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? - Matthew 6:25

    Jesus sums up common-sense carefulness in a disciple as infidelity. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will press through and say--Now where does God come in in this relationship, in this mapped out holiday, in these new books? He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

    "Take no thought. . ." don't take the pressure of forethought upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the word He puts in? The devil? No, the cares of this world (Matthew 13:22). It is the little worries always. I will not trust where I cannot see, that is where infidelity begins. The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.

    The great word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition.

My thoughts

Infidelity is to be unfaithful to a spouse or to have unbelief is a religion. Either one of these definitions could be would Chambers is saying here - that worry or not listening to what God tells us to do is infidelity. We must be careful that we don't let the cares of this world sabotage our focus on Him. That we don't get pre-occupied with earning money, listening to our leaders, being responsible -- the cares of this world - and stop listening to Him. 

My Utmost for His Highest - April 28th - What Will You Get

But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.’ - Jeremiah 45:5

    This is the unshakeable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him--"I will give thee thy life." What more does a man want than his life? It is the essential thing. "Thy life for a prey" means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life, nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in the shows of things, not in the way of property and possessions, but of blessings. All these have to go; but there is something grander that never can go--the life that is "hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)"

    Are you prepared to let God take you into union with Himself, and pay no more attention to what you call the great things? Are you prepared to abandon entirely and let go? The test of abandonment is in refusing to say--"Well, what about this?" Beware of suppositions. Immediately you allow--What about this?--it means you have not abandoned, you do not really trust God. Immediately you do abandon, you think no more about what God is going to do. Abandon means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions. If you abandon entirely to God, He says at once, "Thy life will I give thee for a prey." The reason people are tired of life is because God has not given them anything, they have not got their life as a prey. The way to get out of that state is to abandon to God. When you do get through to abandonment to God, you will be the most surprised and delighted creature on earth; God has got you absolutely and has given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition.

My Thoughts

The classic edition mentions "prey", while the current edition says, "prize." The danger in life is to focus on what has been given to me rather than focus on the one who has given it and being in union with Him. To surrender or abandon my life is to do it completely, without expecting anything in return. It is not "surrender" and then I look to God for a prize. The prize I will receive in abandonment or surrender is God given life.