Posts Tagged: Oswald Chambers

“Being a Good Companion to Myself”

On January 15, 2022 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“If you can’t stand being by yourself, don’t inflict your presence on others.” (Source unknown, but it’s not me!)

My affirmation for yesterday was as follows:

“Today, by God’s grace, I am thinking a little more clearly, running a little faster, working a little harder, speaking a little more kindly, and enjoying my life a little more.”

However, I did not do well with living out the affirmation. I was cranky and unappreciative and hard to be with, especially late in the day.

The excuses for why I was so out-of-sorts don’t matter. Even if there were reasons, that doesn’t matter much. The hard fact of the out-of-sort-ness itself is the main thing. I am responsible for my moods. I am also responsible for not spreading my crankiness to everyone or anyone else.

I am reminded of what a great twentieth-century writer of spiritual devotionals said. “Moods don’t go by praying; they go by kicking.”

So, today, I am kicking my bad mood to the curb. That’s where the trash is picked up. I will not inflict my internal garbage on others today. Here is my affirmation for today:

“Today, by God’s grace, I am acting out being a person with whom I want to spend time. Since my self is with me everywhere and all the time I go, this is a good plan. This will also make me nicer to be around for others.”

The Apostle Paul writes to believers about how they are to live. The verbs for how Christ-followers are to act are all in the present tense in Greek, which emphasizes continual, ongoing action. Here is what Paul says:

“Eph. 4:25 ¶ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Eph. 4:26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Eph. 4:27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

Eph. 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Eph. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Eph. 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Eph. 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Eph. 5:1 ¶ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Eph. 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice.”

The truly Christian life is not an experience or a spasm. It is a daily and lifelong commitment to a Christ-like way of living.

I hope that you are in a kind mood—as opposed to kind of a mood—today, dear Reader. However, if you’re not in a kind mood, straighten up and fly right! There is no place for cranky-butts in the Kingdom of God. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, English Standard Version)

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“ON OPENING MY EYES WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THEM CLOSED (AND SEEING ANOTHER KID WITH HIS EYES OPEN)”

On November 9, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“Judge not!” (Matthew 7:1)

“ ‘Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.’ ” (Oswald Chambers)

 

I was probably about five- or six-years old when I noticed that another boy in my Sunday School class had not closed his eyes when the teacher told us that we should all close our eyes and pray.

I, of course, knew that I had to inform the teacher of this infraction.  (Hey!  Someone has to keep law and order, and hold back the chaos!)  The teacher thanked me, and went on with the class.  I’m not sure if she had to suppress irritation or a laugh.  Maybe both.

Since then, I have become much better at trying to disguise my judgmentalism.  I wish I were better from it, but I can’t honestly say that.  No, I am better at trying to disguise my judgmentalism.

Take driving, for example.  I hate it when people weave in and out of traffic.  It keeps me from effectively weaving in and out of traffic.

My wife is a really good woman, and my best friend.  However, every once in a very great while, she forgets to turn off a light when she leaves a room, and I feel a deep-seated need to point that out—despite the fact that my dad used to do that, and I swore I would never do that.

However, I sometimes forget to turn off one or more lights when I leave a room.  That is, of course, an entirely different matter.

And then there are the big things that I judge other people for.  There are also the similar, but even bigger, things that I (the judge) have done.

So, what can I do to grow past my young, judgmental, tattle-tale-ish self?

Well, for one thing, I can try to pay attention.  When am I feeling judgmental and/or thinking judgmental thoughts?  Awareness is not growth or holiness or compassion, but it can be a prelude to those good things.

I can ask myself a simple, but uncomfortable, question: In what way or ways is my behavior similar to what I am judging in the other person?  Often the things we are most irritated with in other people are precisely the things that we are struggling with in ourselves.  Or, more often perhaps, they are precisely the things that we are not struggling with in ourselves.

The truth is that judging other people is one of my favorite sports.  However, it doesn’t burn very many calories, nor does it tone up any muscles.  In fact, judging doesn’t do anything good at all.  It doesn’t help me or the person I’m judging.  It doesn’t glorify God.

Are there times when a person needs to be confronted about what they are doing?  Yes!  However, if I have my rebuker in overdrive, the problem is mine, and not the other person’s problem.

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Moods Leave when I Kick them Out!

On April 20, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I was in a bad mood.  The reasons (can I even call them reasons??) are not important.  Moods rarely, if ever have reasons.  They do, however, have consequences.  My mood compromised my ability to fully appreciate worship, my wife, the lovely weather, and everything else in the universe.

One of the things that helped me greatly was a quote from Oswald Chambers (I believe, from his book, My Utmost for His Highest).  I have italicized (thus, emphasis mine) the section that especially spoke to me.

“In your patience possess ye your souls. — Luke 21:19

When a man is born again, there is not the same robustness in his thinking or reasoning for a time as formerly. We have to make an expression of the new life, to form the mind of Christ. “Acquire your soul with patience” (rv). Many of us prefer to stay at the threshold of the Christian life instead of going on to construct a soul in accordance with the new life God has put within. We fail because we are ignorant of the way we are made, we put things down to the devil instead of our own undisciplined natures. Think what we can be when we are roused!

There are certain things we must not pray about — moods, for instance. Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking. A mood nearly always has its seat in the physical condition, not in the moral. It is a continual effort not to listen to the moods which arise from a physical condition; never submit to them for a second. We have to take ourselves by the scruff of the neck and shake ourselves, and we will find that we can do what we said we could not. The curse with most of us is that we won’t. The Christian life is one of incarnate spiritual pluck.”

Are you like me?  Do you need to do some mood-kicking?

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