Thursdays With Oswald—Why Should I Do What I Ought To Do?

September 9, 2010 — 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.

Why Should I Do What I Ought To Do?

      We imagine that if we obey authority we limit ourselves, whereas obedience to authority is not a limitation but a source of power; by obeying we are more. Naturally we are built to command, not to obey; man was originally constituted by God to have dominion—“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26 ); consequently there is the natural desire to want to explain things, because everything we can explain we can command. Spiritually, we are built not to command, but to obey. Always beware of the tendency to want to have things explained; you may take it as an invariable law that when you demand an explanation in connection with a moral problem it means you are evading obedience.

From Biblical Ethics

“God, if You will just tell me why I have to do this, then I’ll do it” doesn’t work. I simply must trust and obey.

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Thursdays With Oswald—God’s “Oughts”

September 2, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Two of my favorite authors are C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers. Lewis helps me to see biblical truths in a way I’ve not seen them before. Chambers helps me live out those biblical truths differently than I’ve been living them before.

I’m working my way through the complete works of Oswald Chambers (or maybe I should say, his writings are working their way through me!), so I thought I’d share with you, my dear reader, what’s challenging me.

We’ll see how this goes, but on Thursdays, I’ll share with you something I’ve been reading and thinking about from the writings of Oswald Chambers. Sometimes I may just let the teacher speak for himself, and sometimes I may offer a thought or two of my own. As always, you are welcome to weigh in with your thoughts as well. I’m excited to share these lessons with you.

God’s “Oughts”

      Strictly speaking, there is no disobedience possible to an imperative law, the only alternative being destruction. In this sense the moral law is not imperative, because it can be disobeyed and immediate destruction does not follow. And yet the moral law never alters, however much men disobey it; it can be violated, but it never alters. Remember, at the back of all human morality stands God.

      The Ten Commandments were not given with any consideration for human ability or inability to keep them; they are the revelation of God’s demands made of men and women who had declared that if God would make His law known, they would keep it. …

      If the “Oughts” of the Old Testament were difficult to obey, Our Lord’s teaching is unfathomably more difficult. Remember, the commandments were given irrespective of human ability or inability to keep them; then when Jesus Christ came, instead of doing what we all too glibly say He did—put something easier before men, He made it a hundredfold more difficult, because He goes behind the law to the disposition.

      The purity God demands is impossible unless we can be re-made from within, and that is what Jesus Christ undertakes to do through the Atonement. … It is not a question of applying Jesus Christ’s principles to our actual life first of all, but of applying them to our relationship to Himself, then as we keep our souls open in relation to Him our conscience will decide how we are to act out of that relationship.

From Biblical Ethics

A growing relationship with Jesus = Greater sensitivity to my conscience and the Holy Spirit = Correct disposition to obey God’s laws.

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Doing Thinking Doing

June 18, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

To think or to act? That is the question. Or maybe the question should be, which comes first: the thinking or the acting? Do I think about something and then go do it? Or do I do something first and then think about what I’ve done and how I could do it better next time?

The answer, I believe, is yes.

You could be the most creative thinker in the world, your thoughts could be off on another plane, but if you do nothing with what you’re thinking, all of those great insights are wasted.

On the other hand, many people hold to the axiom that experience is the best teacher, so they just do and do and do. But experience is not the teacher; we only learn when we stop to think about what we’ve done.

William Wilberforce was already a rising star in British politics when he experienced a deeper understanding of his relationship to God. Suddenly this man of word and action wanted to do nothing more than meditate on the greatness of God. Wilberforce believed that he could best serve God by withdrawing from society and simply thinking about God.

His good friend and future prime minister William Pitt disagreed. Pitt wrote to Wilberforce, “Why then this preparation of solitude which can hardly avoid tincturing the mind either with melancholy or superstition? … Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple and lead not to meditation but to action.” Or as the line from Amazing Grace has it, “We humbly suggest you can do both.”

I love Oswald Chambers’ counsel—

“God will never allow us to divide our lives into sacred and secular, into study and activity. We generally think of a student as one who shuts himself up and studies in a reflective way, but that is never revealed in God’s book. A Christian’s thinking ought to be done in activities, not in reflection, because we only come to right discernment in activities.”

Whether it starts with thinking or starts with action, successful thinking-doing must include both. Think about it → act on it → think about your results → do it again better than last time.

Paul wrote to the Romans how thinking and action work together when he said, “for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Romans 2:5 NLT). The Amplified Bible renders this phrase, “their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness; and their decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend and excuse them.”

Think about it → do it → think about it → do it = the pattern for success.

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God’s Originality

May 1, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever noticed all of the different ways that God reveals Himself to people? He is original with every original person.

I love looking at the Aha! moments that people have. You know, the moments when the light comes on and they understand Who God is to them?

  • When Jethro heard how God delivered Moses and the Israelites from Egypt he said, “Now I know that the true God is greater than all other gods.”
  • When Elijah raised a dead boy back to life the boy’s mother said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that you only speak His words.”
  • When Naaman was healed of leprosy he said to Elisha, “Now I know that there is only one true God.”
  • When David recalled all the ways God has delivered him from certain disaster he sang, “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed.”
  • When Peter was delivered from prison by an angel he said, “Now I know that God did this.”

(check out the references for these examples by clicking here)

God reveals Himself uniquely to everyone because we’re all unique originals.

“Let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” —Oswald Chambers

Here’s the problem with God’s originality: We try to make our unique experience with God a universal experience for everyone else. We think that because He did it such-and-such a way for us that everyone ought to experience it the same way.

Wrong!

Think about the deliverance from lions in the Bible. In Samson’s case, God gave him supernatural strength to kill a lion with his bare hands; Benaiah went into a pit to kill a lion with his club; Daniel never even touched the lions, and they couldn’t touch him either.

Imagine if Samson was there with Benaiah: “Hey, brother, if you’re going to go after that lion, just wait on God to give you supernatural strength. If you really had faith, you would lose that club!”

Imagine if Benaiah and Samson were giving lion-killing advice to Daniel: “My friend,” Benaiah might say, “Please use my club.” And Samson would interrupt, “How many times do I have to tell you? No clubs!” Yet in Daniel’s case, God wanted the lions alive.

Perhaps you had your “Now I know” moment after a prolonged struggle in a particular area. Your tendency would be to tell others, “Get on your knees and pray and pray and pray. Pray really hard! It might take years, but God will eventually help you breakthrough.” Perhaps God wants to deliver someone else instantly.

Perhaps your “Now I know moment” came while reading from the King James Version of the Bible. Your tendency is going to be to hand out KJVs to everyone. Perhaps God is going to speak to someone through the New Century Version.

Let God be original with you. Let Him uniquely work with others too. Don’t make your “Now I know” experience the theology which rules everyone around you.

I’m so glad God is unique with every unique individual because each of us is a one-of-a-kind original!

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The Passion Of Pessimism

March 17, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I’m reading Oswald Chambers’ challenging book Baffled To Fight Better. In this book, Chambers is commenting on the life of Job as portrayed in the Bible. His thesis is that we can fight better when we‘re totally baffled on how to fight on our own—when we‘re baffled, we can only turn to God.

Today I read Chambers‘ statement, “Real suffering comes when a man‘s statement of his belief in God is divorced from his personal relationship to God.”

This reminded me of what this important principle: “The man with an experience is never at the mercy of the man with an argument.” Or I would paraphrase this, “The man with an intimate relationship with Jesus is never baffled when things don‘t turn out as he planned.”

I‘ve been going through some baffling times—circumstances aren‘t coming together the way I would have planned them. But during this trying time, my relationship with Jesus is growing more and more precious to me.

Where pessimism could reign I am finding greater passion.

What have you discovered in your baffling times?

UPDATE: One of the things that came out of this baffling time I mentioned here was the healed scars that became the basis for my book When Sheep Bite. Please check this out!

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Grateful For My Powerlessness

March 5, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

This has been a very hard week!

I conducted a funeral service yesterday for a family whose baby died after only 18 days on earth. As a pastor, without a doubt the most physically-, emotionally-, spiritually-, and mentally-draining activity I do is a funeral. The Bible says that we grieve with those who grieve, and yet in the midst of that grieving, the family and loved ones are still turning to me to give them answers. Sometimes it seems there are more questions than answers. Between the grieving and the answer seeking, it’s very draining!

But God was gracious to me. He gave me a comforting word to share at the funeral, and at the conclusion eight people said that after their days on earth were done they wanted to have the assurance that they would be welcomed into God’s presence, just as baby Blake was. I had the privilege of praying with those folks as they invited Christ into their lives!

Probably the second-most draining thing I have to do as a pastor is deal with problems in the church. And, boy, did a big one crop up this week! It was supposed to culminate in a meeting this afternoon. So yesterday I was dealing with my two most draining issues at the same time! Today, this church problem wasn’t resolved, but God gave me such a peace about its outcome. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but what a peace flooded my heart to let me know that He is in control.

This morning I read this great quote from Oswald Chambers—

“It is a good thing to feel our own powerlessness in the face of destruction, it makes us know how much we depend upon God. … When a man gets to despair he knows that all his thinking will never get him out, he will only get out by the sheer creative effort of God, consequently he is in the right attitude to receive from God that which he cannot gain for himself.”

I am grateful today for my powerlessness. I am grateful that I feel so dependant on God. I am grateful for the sheer creative effort of God. And I am grateful for His peace.

I’m also grateful for the challenges. Why? Because without the challenges, I would not have felt such gratitude for my powerlessness, God’s provision, and God’s peace.

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To Be Or To Do

February 3, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Just pondering this quote from Oswald Chambers:

“God’s main concern is that we are more interested in Him than in work for Him. Once you are rooted and grounded in Christ the greatest thing you can do is to be.” (italics in original; I added bold)

God calls me not to do more for Him but to be more with Him. Being always trumps doing.

Now I ask myself: where do I need to do less so that I can be more?

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