Do You Hear the Dead Men Talking

 All the writers of the Bible have passed on.  They are physically dead now, but alive in the kingdom of heaven.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them are the 24 elders who surround the “Ancient of Days” on His throne, and praise him constantly.  The wonderful thing is that their God inspired writing lives on, and inspires some who read it to help others of us understand their words.

Two of these that I greatly admire are Thomas a’ Kempis, and Oswald Chambers.  a' Kempis was a monk living in the fifteenth century.  He wrote “The Imitation of Christ,” a book written by a monk for monks.  It’s no wonder that it is not a popular book today, but among the monk information are rich bits of wisdom.  He talks much about humility, suffering, and the forsaking of earthly things.  Things that would seem easier for a monk than for men and women of our age.  

Sampling of his wisdom

….he who is the true conqueror of himself is the true lord of the world, the friend of Christ, and the true inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

Or

Because of a little adversity you soon leave off what you had begun in My service, and with great yearning you seek outward consolation.  But a strong and faithful lover of God stands unshaken in all adversities, and gives little heed to the deceitful persuasions of the enemy.

Now Chambers is a man more of us can relate to, he was married and lived between 1874 and 1917; only a hundred years ago.  when I read his devotions from “My Utmost for His Highest, I almost always think of my ways of the past, how I am now, or how I want to be; I can relate to his words.  Many say he is hard to understand, some are not in agreement with all he says, but he makes us think if we will give him the time.

Excerpts from his devotions

On the Sermon on the Mount ;  These messages of Jesus Christ are for the will and the conscience, not for the head.  If you dispute the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will blunt the appeal to your heart.

On the Baffling Call of God:  The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him.

You can read Oswald Chambers daily at www.utmost.org