Have I Slandered God?
Even when I feel empty, God sees fullness—because His Spirit in me is never lacking.
Have I Misjudged What God Has Given Me?
Oswald Chambers gets to the heart of a subtle but damaging attitude many of us carry without realizing: misjudging God's provision and, in doing so, slandering His goodness. He explains that Jesus' parable of the talents (or bags of gold) is not about natural abilities, personality, or even how sharp our minds are. It’s about our response to the Spirit’s life within us—our spiritual capacity, which is measured by God's promises, not our resumes.
The warning is this: if we assess spiritual life by our natural aptitude or our circumstances, we may start to subtly accuse God. “You expect too much from me,” or “You’ve put me in a place I can’t handle.” We don’t mean to say it so bluntly, but our worry, anxiety, and self-pity betray that inner posture. Chambers calls this spiritual laziness—a refusal to believe that God’s Spirit in us is enough for wherever we are and whatever we face.
The one-talent servant in Matthew 25 isn’t just unproductive—he’s untrusting. He believes the master is harsh, unreasonable, and risky to follow. That’s the slander: to believe that God would ever call us to something and not empower us for it.
This devotional reminds us not to interpret our calling through the lens of our own limitations, but through the lens of God’s promises and His Spirit within us. It asks us to examine not our talents, but our trust.
Journal Reflection – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit
You are mine. And all I require, I supply. I have not assigned you a mission that depends on your intellect, your personality, or your education—I have given you Myself. My power in you is not measured by your resources but by My promises, which are yes and amen in Christ. I do not weigh you down with expectations; I lift you up with My presence.
When I placed you where you are, I also placed Myself within you. I do not call you to faithfulness without making faith rise in your heart. I do not call you to love without pouring My love into you. I do not call you to endure without giving you My joy as your strength.
When your thoughts drift toward fear—when you say, “I can’t,” or “This is too much”—you are listening to the echo of the old man who no longer lives. That life is crucified. The voice that once doubted Me has been silenced at the cross. My voice speaks now, and it speaks peace. I have not called you to strive, but to abide.
Seek first My kingdom and My righteousness. As you do, you will find that all things needed will be added. I do not leave My own high and dry. I lead you in triumph in Christ. My grace is your sufficiency, not merely to get by, but to overflow.
So walk in the Spirit today, not measuring your worth or capacity by what you see in the mirror, but by what you see in My Word. You are My temple. I dwell in you. I work in you both to will and to do My good pleasure.
(Matthew 25:14–30; Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6–11; Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 2:14; John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
Prayer
Father, I rest in the truth that You are never unreasonable with Your children. You have never demanded something from me apart from what You’ve already placed within me through Christ. Thank You for the assurance that Your Spirit is enough for this very moment—and every moment to come. I trust You to express Your will through me today. Let me not judge anything by what I see in myself but by what I know of You. You are good, and You are faithful, and I lack nothing in You.
Amen.
Credits:
Devotional by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Photo credit: Unsplash.com