Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Smiling Complacency 

     The only way to get out of our smiling complacency about salvation and sanctification is to look at Jesus Christ for two minutes and then read Matthew 5:43-48 and see Who He tells us we are to be like, God Almighty, and every piece of smiling spiritual conceit will be knocked out of us for ever, and the one dominant note of the life will be Jesus Christ first, Jesus Christ second, Jesus Christ third, and our own whiteness nowhere. Never look to your own whiteness; look to Jesus and get power to live as He wants; look away for one second and it all goes wrong. 

From The Highest Good 

If I compare myself with myself, I look pretty good.

But if I compare myself with the righteous standard of God Almighty, I see who I truly am: a sinner in need of a Savior.

The only way to keep myself from feeling smug about how good I’m doing as a Christian is to keep my eyes on Jesus. I love how Chambers sums it up: Jesus Christ first, Jesus Christ second, Jesus Christ third, and our own whiteness nowhere.