Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life-gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.
We imagine that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord, "I *delight* to do Thy will, O My God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the misconception that duty is always tied to unpleasantness, contrasting this view with a more joyful approach to fulfilling one's responsibilities.
Oswald Chambers points out the common belief that responsibilities and duties are inherently unpleasant tasks one must endure. However, he contrasts this notion with a spirit of joy and delight in performing one's duties, as exemplified by the devotion of the Lord. This perspective encourages people to find fulfillment and happiness in their obligations rather than viewing them as burdens.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about finding joy in work, this quote serves to inspire employees to approach their tasks with a positive mindset.
More from Oswald Chambers
All quotes βNever make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayer.
Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God.
When we preach the love of God there is a danger of forgetting that the Bible reveals not first the love of God but the intense, blazing holiness of God, with His love at the center of that holiness.
It is much easier to do something than to trust in God; we mistake panic for inspiration.
Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion.
Similar quotes
My regret was immediate and permanent and useless.
Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.
You have this idea that you'd better keep working otherwise people will forget. And that was dangerous.
My company survives because I've learned to respect the ideas of people younger than me and recognize when my wisdom is obsolete.
Thought precedes action, action does not always precede thought.
What is discipline? Discipline means creating an order within you. As you are, you are a chaos.