Living Simply— Yet Focused
By Oswald Chambers
“Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin”—
they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the
moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and
service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed
influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own
conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only
one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing
and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Do not worry
about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay
attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living
water” (John 7:38).
We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense
and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual
life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on
our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and
if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will
grow spiritually— just as “the lilies of the field.”
The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.
If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.
The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.
If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L
Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 4-6; John 6:1-21
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