His Abandonment to Us
"Abandonment is not striving—it is stepping into the fullness of what has already been given."
Reflections on Oswald Chambers' Devotional
Understanding the Heart of the Devotional
Oswald Chambers presents a powerful truth: We will never fully abandon ourselves to God until we grasp how completely He abandoned Himself for us. God did not parcel out His love in increments or hesitate in giving. He gave all. When He sent His Son into the world, He held nothing back—no reservations, no limits. John 3:16 isn't just a statement about salvation; it's the revelation of divine abandonment, a love so full and self-giving that it demands a response.
Chambers challenges the tendency to think of salvation as mere forgiveness or moral transformation. Salvation is far more—it is the total release from self and immersion into the life of God. The Spirit of God doesn't simply make us better people; He unites us with the very life of Christ. Abandonment, in this sense, is not a striving or struggle. It is the natural response to the love that has already fully given itself. When we truly grasp this, we stop wrestling with surrender and simply rest in the reality that we are already His.
Personalized Journal Entry | The Holy Spirit’s Voice through Scripture
I have loved you with an everlasting love; before you knew Me, I chose you. I did not withhold My Son, but freely gave Him up for you—how will I not also, along with Him, graciously give you all things? In Him, you were crucified, buried, and raised, that you might no longer live for yourself, but for Him who died and rose again. You have been joined to the Lord, and you are one spirit with Him.
Do not say in your heart, “How shall I abandon myself?” for you have already died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. You are not your own; you were bought at a price. I have sealed you with My Spirit, and I dwell in you. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. Rest, abide, remain—these are not burdens but invitations. My love has cast out fear, and where My Spirit is, there is freedom.
Why then do you hesitate? Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Behold, I make all things new. You are a temple of My Spirit, and I delight to dwell in you. No longer strive; simply walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. As you abide in Me, you will bear much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing.
(Scripture references: Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Corinthians 6:17, 19-20; Colossians 3:3; Galatians 2:20; John 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 12:2; Revelation 21:5; Galatians 5:16)
Prayer of Confident Trust
Father, You have held nothing back from me, not even Your own Son. You have united me with Christ, making His life my life, His righteousness my righteousness, His Spirit my Spirit. I rest in this truth—I am not trying to abandon myself; I am already fully Yours. My life is no longer my own, and that is the greatest freedom of all.
You are the initiator, the sustainer, and the completer of all things in me. There is no striving in love, no hesitation in surrender. My life is hidden in Christ, and I trust You fully to express His life through me today. I refuse to entertain the old mindset of self-effort. Instead, I embrace the reality of who I am in Christ—fully given, fully loved, fully Yours.
Amen.
Image Intent:
A sunrise over an open road, symbolizing the freedom and surrender of walking fully in God’s love.