I recently had the pleasure and privilege of presenting the devotion for our monthly critique group meeting. Stephanie Gallentine, who was interviewed in last week’s blog, wrote a YA thriller, Refuge, and we thought it appropriate to meet in a nearby wildlife refuge to recognize its recent publication.
For my devotion, I chose to read a selection from a book that saw me through the early days of my salvation; My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I’ve referred to this book several times since I surrendered my life to the Master. The pages of my copy are dog eared, stained, barely clinging to a broken binding. Over the years, I’ve given several copies as gifts.
This book is actually a compilation of notes meticulously taken by his wife, Gertrude from his lectures at The Bible Training College which he founded in London in 1911. In fact, Chambers wrote only one book entitled Baffled to Fight Better, while he’s credited in more than thirty other books similarly complied by his devoted wife of seven years.
After his school was closed in 1915 because of World War I, Chambers continued to minister to troops in Egypt as a YMCA chaplain. He died at 43 in Egypt, after suffering a ruptured appendix.
The Utmost for His Highest is an inspiring collection of devotions—one for each day of the year. Chamber’s wisdom is inspired and timeless, relevant to the hectic pace of the modern Christian life. They are also indexed by subject so the reader can easily locate an encouraging word for whatever issue he or she happens to be facing.
I recommend this book to the tired writer’s soul in need of edification and reassurance that writing gift is a call from God.
The devotion was very inspirational as we sat in the chapel of the Holy City in the Wichita Mountains. Thank you for sharing a portion of your treasured book with us. It is a book well worth owning.
ReplyDeleteAhh, our devotional at the chapel with the music playing softly in the background as Shirley read to us was just surreal.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to dig out my copy of that book. It's a classic. Thanks.
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