My Utmost for His Highest

There have been so many days this year that Chambers was speaking directly to me! Admittedly, there have been days where the message was a little hard to follow or where we were crossways with our theology, but by and large, Chambers just had this gift for cutting through the worldly noise and getting to the heart of who God is and what He desires for us. Personally, his August writings were very impactful for me.

My Utmost for His Highest is a devotional book. This means that each day has a small, easy-to-digest piece of theology attached to it. I’ve read many of these before, hardly ever in the way they’re intended (instead, I barrel through, doing months in a single day). While this may alter the outcome of what I get from the volume, I find this a more efficient way of reading many books in less time.

Nevertheless, I found some of Chambers’ points to be atypical of what I expected to see in a devotional. Many times he emphasized making disciples of men versus getting people to believe what you believe. I for one found this to be a breath of fresh air (albeit, one that is about 100 years old) among all the books and materials that are show more about converting to believe what you believe down to the last letter. I agree with Chambers in this light, as with Christianity, there is so much that is left to interpretation that is not vital for being a Christian. If there was some subtle nuance to getting Christianity “right,” it would devalue the importance of Jesus and make Christianity more akin to the card game Mao than the straightforward walk it is.

While I’m not a fan of devotionals (for the reason stated above), I did think that Chambers had some pretty good ideas that I think today’s Christian may find useful. show less

Works which reach the status of “classics” in the canon of literature generally do so for good reasons; they stand the test of time and have something compelling about them. And so it is for Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest.

One can find this devotional in almost any format; this one (galley received as part of early review program) is published as a hardcover by Our Daily Bread and is intended to serve as a gift edition.

Oswald Chambers was a child of the fin de siècle who was raised a Scottish Baptist but joined the Holiness movement and participated in early Pentecostalism. He died while ministering to soldiers during World War I. Most of his works, including My Utmost for His Highest, were based on the transcription show more of notes his widow had taken during his messages at the Bible Training College he had founded. The original version was formatted for 366 devotionals; this edition was modified to cover them in 90 days.

Most devotional works these days attempt to somehow replicate Chambers in some way or another, and most fall short. He is not prepossessing; he does not wade into anything remotely controversial; and yet the substance of his messages remain profound. It truly is all about devoting oneself to God and His purposes and turning away from the impulses of self and the world.

It is best to take one’s time with a devotional such as this and meditate on each one. Highly recommended. show less

3.0 Daily devotional. Generally liked this but didn’t align with Chamber’s “all or nothing” thinking when it comes to the Christian life. I understand that we can all strive to do better in our relationship with Jesus, but we’re already saved and doing just fine all the same.

Still the best, I think. I've never known anyone else who can put such depth and meaning into 300 words every day like Chambers does in this book. He doesn't just deliver a warm mushy feeling like so many devotionals, but convinces you that Jesus is someone to be trusted, obeyed, and sought with all your heart. A wonderful, year-long journey that I recommend to pretty much anyone.

My Utmost for His Highest contains 365 daily readings that take heady doctrine and make it practical, realistic, and intensely personal. With humor and humility, Chambers speaks plainly to the common man struggling with devotion to Christ in daily living. Worldly cares and self-serving desires begin to lose their appeal as Chambers aides the reader in transforming his mind by viewing life through the instruction of God's Word.

One of my few favorite books - timeless, touching, totally true - little snippets of devotion which pull a heart into heavy worship.