Quote #6 from Oswald Chambers

Oh, how I love Oswald!
Did I say that before? Well, it's true.

What a joy to read through this devotion again and again! The problem with reading through any devotion is oftentimes there are so many gems to mine. Sometimes you miss them. That's why going back through your devotional books are always a great way to revive your heart as you journey deeper with God. Take time to sit and savor what is actually being said. I have enjoyed sharing with you some of my special treasures on the Joy Treasure. I pray you are encouraged.

Today's quote comes from the July 11th page of "My Utmost for His Highest," published by Barbour and Company.

The devotion is grounded from Philippians 3:10 which says, "that I may know Him."

Oswald says, "The initiative of the saint is not towards self-realization, but towards knowing Jesus Christ. The spiritual saint never believes circumstances to be haphazard, or thinks of his life as secular and sacred; he sees everything he is dumped down in as the means of securing the knowledge of Jesus Christ."

On vacation as a child, I remember watching candle makers dump a new candle down into a container of colored wax. The candle maker would dump, shake, and place the candle out to dry. Sometimes it would not look finished because it needed to be dumped into more color. Sometimes the candle needed just one color. But, the candles that needed more color would have to cool off so they could be dipped again into other colors. More color would add more depth to the candle. The finished product was exactly as the candle maker would have planned it to be.

There are things in life that God dips us into to make us shine more boldly for Him, for His glory. His desire is for us to have a more secure knowledge of Jesus. Sadly,we are quick to question, grumble, sigh and stomp ourselves into thinking about how we can figure out the best solution to our circumstances. We can't figure it out. All we know is that God has us exactly where He wants us and is working all things for the good.
When I think about this quote, I consider God being like my candle maker. He knows exactly what colors to dump me into to make me into what HE desires me to be. He knows how long the process will last. He knows if I will need more time to dry or more time for color. He is my Creator and my Creator knows me, His Creation.

When I turn towards working on myself by myself or my circumstances, change will only go so far. But when I let God lead me through my circumstances,then I gain a more secure knowledge of Him. The end result turns into exactly what HE fashioned me to be- more like His Son, Jesus.

As the candle maker dumps the candle into the colored wax, so does God