Short But Pithy

As you may have guessed, if you've followed my blogging efforts, I am influenced by the great Christian writer, Oswald Chambers. He was a Scottish pastor who served in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan in the early 1900s.

He founded the Bible training College in London in 1911, and served as principal and lecturer until the school was forced to close because of World War I. In 1915 he ministered as a YMCA chaplain to Australian and New Zealand troops preparing for action in the Middle East. He died in 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix, at the young age of forty-three.

His writing, though occasionally difficult to understand, is usually right on target in a no-nonsense way. Perhaps it is because most of his books were first sermons delivered to young men about to face battle and death.


From his May 7, entry in the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest:

"Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love." (I love the phrase, "...robust vigorous confidence...")

"Faith is the heroic effort of your life, you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God." (There it is again, "...reckless confidence...")

"The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvelous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power."

Wow. Life can be a great romance, a glorious opportunity...I want some of that!

Thank you, Oswald.