Are you familiar with the book of devotionals by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)? It is 365 devotionals to be read one at a time for the whole years. Oswald Chambers was talented in poetry, music, and art, but his passion was preaching the gospel. His parents were baptized by. the famed British pastor Charles Spurgeon and were very spiritual. Oswald felt that he heard the Lord call him, “I want you in My service but I can do without you.” He spent a decade in a theological training school and later began his own Bible Training School. He had a very “dry” period of several years until he asked God “for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whatever that meant”. Jesus’ words in Luke 11:13 changed everything for him. Luke 11:³ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” He asked God the Holy Spirit and relied on the Spirit for the rest of his life in his preaching and writing. He married Gertrude Hobbs but he called her “Biddy”. He died from complications from an appendectomy in 1917. After his death, Biddy began putting his writings into some 4 dozen books, most notably My Utmost For His Highest. With her help, Oswald reached more people after death than he had in life.

I remember reading his devotionals in My Utmost For His Highest. It just seemed that each one spoke to my needs for that particular day. Is that just coincidence or the work of the Holy Spirit through Oswald giving me what I need for that day? I don’t know, but it sure seemed to work everyday. Maybe that is why so many people read these same 365 devotionals year and year and they never get old.

I urge you to go online and request the daily devotionals from the book to be sent to your email. I feel the same way about the Spirit using the Bible every day to meet our particular needs for that day. The Bible is not just like our constitution, filled with laws and doctrines, once for all time (and it does have that). All of it was written specifically to someone living in the past: to the Jews, to people living in the first century, to believers in churches, and to individuals like Timothy and Titus. None of it was written directly to us and yet the Spirit can use the Bible to speak to us through the application of what the Spirit wrote to others. Hebrews 4:¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Spirit can apply the word to our lives and needs. So when we read the word, we should be asking, “Ok, I know this was written to someone else, but what would the Sprit want me to take from it in my life today?” My mom wrote several looooooong letters before she died, dealing with some issues. When I read those letters, I can feel her spirit still speaking behind those words. It is the same with the Spirit and the word. When you read the word, try to picture the Spirit (however you might picture the Sprit) watching you reading the word and hoping that you will apply what you read to your daily life and needs.