Why Oswald Chambers and his incredible ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ is still a guide for today

To Scottish preacher Oswald Chambers, the word “tweet” described the sounds bird make. Having died a century ago, he knew nothing of Facebook, Instagram, or our other modern forms of communication. His world differed dramatically from ours.

So what could Chambers possibly say to us today about social media where religious, political, and lifestyle opinions are regularly posted to highlight our differences and often lead to anger and angst?

I suggest that Chambers’ approach to belief and the way we express our belief is a helpful example to the divided, noisy, uptight world in which we live.

Oswald Chambers’ personal style is just one aspect of a legacy that is as powerful as it is unlikely. A book of his daily meditations, “My Utmost for His Highest,” has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide since 1927. It remains one of the most popular Christian devotionals even today.

Some four dozen books bear Chambers’ name, nearly all of them published posthumously from verbatim notes of his teaching that were captured by his stenographer wife. Chambers’ insights are treasured a hundred years after his death by Christians of many ages and backgrounds.

All of us, though, whatever our beliefs, might learn something from the man’s example.

More