• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

ray choi

A follower of Jesus

  • Home
  • Messages
    • Sermons
      • OT
      • NT
    • Society
      • Family
      • Social Justice
      • Current Events
    • Topical Studies
      • Jesus
        • Lord’s Supper
        • Marriage
        • Kingdom of God
        • Christmas
        • Good Friday
        • Easter
      • Holy Spirit
      • Church
        • Discipleship
      • Misc
        • Prayer
        • Vision
        • Missions
        • Knowing God’s Will
        • God is Distant
        • Thanksgiving
    • Reflections
  • Resources
    • Devotionals
    • Spiritual Abuse / Healing
    • History
    • Book Reviews
    • Quotes
    • Websites
    • Other Ministries
    • Conferences
  • About

Oswald Chambers on Obedience and Taking the Initiative (2 Peter 1:5)

May 11, 2010 By ray

Here is a great devotional from Oswald Chambers about the importance of our role in the Christian life, doing our part, taking the initiative, and forming godly habits through repeated obedience…

. . . add to your faith virtue . . . (2 Peter 1:5)

Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us ( Philippians 2:12 ). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.

Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative— stop hesitating— take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, “I will write that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”; and then do it! Make it irrevocable. (emphasis mine)

We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything, forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet been.

Filed Under: Devotionals Tagged With: initiative, obedience, oswald chambers

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

  • cloud
  • linkedin
  • website
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • twitter

Links

  • Hill Community Church
  • Encounter Jesus (EJ) Fellowship
  • Easy Cloud Solutions
  • Easy Cloud Company

Categories

Archives

Tags

Christ christianity christmas church cross devotional discipleship Easter faith father fear francis chan freedom fruit God gospel grace Great Commission heart henry blackaby holy spirit humility Jesus Jesus Christ joy judgment Lord's Supper love marriage obedience prayer religion repentance Salvation sanctification satan sermons sin Spirit spiritual battle suffering surrender trust unity worship
  • Home
  • Messages
  • Resources
  • About

Copyright © 2023 · Powered by Easy Cloud Solutions