12/15/25- My Utmost for His Highest
Hey, there! I’ve been really busy recently, so this is going to be a little bit of a shorter post. I have recently started reading the devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest,” by Oswald Chambers, and while I am aware that it is not a new book by any means, it is new (ish) to me. It’s only been a couple of days but so far I find it to be enjoyable and useful in giving an added focus to my thoughts throughout the day. Today I thought I might share my thoughts on the entry for December 15th, titled, “Approved to God.” The foundational scripture of this entry is 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
The gist of the passage it is pulled from is that it is integral to our faith that we persevere in our faithfulness to God, compete according the rules (2:5), and keep ourselves un-entangled/unstained from the world (2:4; James 1:27). We are to flee from youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, avoid being quarrelsome, and choose kindness, patience, and to teach others (2:22; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) with gentleness in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, with the goal being that they “may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2:26) The entry in My Utmost focuses on this aspect with firm intentionality, and I think we would all do well to internalize this passage with more care and sober reflection. Chambers encourages us in this, saying “Strive to re-express a truth of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same explanation when you share it with someone else.” I firmly believe this to be true, and it is in part why I started this little blog; I am making a point of learning how to live my life in such a way as will please the Lord, and I want to help encourage you to do so as well. Repentance is a gift, but I would not have known it was available unless someone (largely my father) had taught me about it and made darn sure I couldn’t forget about it. How many people walking around today don’t know about this gift, or take it for granted? I have, many times in my life, and I would hazard to say that you probably have too, if you aren’t actively doing so right now. I want to encourage you, whoever is reading this, to take a bit of time and evaluate your core understanding of the gospel and the promise(s) that God has given us through Jesus. Think on these things, mull them over, and write it down in your own words. Tell it to someone else, or show it to them, and ask them for feedback as to how clear it is. Truth is always good, but it can do the most good when it can be understood. One of my favorite illustrations of this is in the life of brother George Müller, from the 19th century. One of the stories told in his autobiography is of how, early in his pastoral career, he realized that although he taught the scriptures eloquently and thoroughly, his parishioners seemed to be missing out on much of the value of what he was sharing. He began to adjust his teaching style, not lessening the truth itself but working to make it more understandable in its presentation. We would all do well, I think, to take a page from his book and, in addition to learning how to express the truth accurately, learn how to express it clearly, gently, and with reverence (1 Peter 3:15).
P.S. Happy Hanukkah! I don’t know if anyone reading this celebrates it or not, but my family does, and I wanted to share the love just a bit. This holiday is more than just “Jewish Christmas” (they’re born from two completely different traditions) and is a time of lights, celebration, and dedication. Whether you celebrate this holiday or not, don’t forget to remain dedicated to the Light of the world, our Lord Yeshua/Jesus, and to celebrate not only the earthly victories that inspired Hanukkah, but to celebrate the victory of our Savior over sin and death.
