Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life-gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.
Spiritual maturity is not reached by the passing of the years, but by obedience to the will of God. Some people mature into an understanding of God’s will more quickly than others because they obey more readily; they more readily sacrifice the life of nature to the will of God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Spiritual maturity depends on one's willingness to follow God's will rather than just the passage of time.
This quote by Oswald Chambers emphasizes that true spiritual growth is not simply a result of aging, but rather a consequence of actively choosing to align one's actions with God's will. Those who are more obedient and willing to sacrifice their natural desires for a higher purpose tend to achieve spiritual maturity faster than others, highlighting the importance of readiness and commitment in one's spiritual journey.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speaking event on personal growth, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of commitment to personal values.
More from Oswald Chambers
All quotes →Never 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
Never have anything to do with likes and dislikes. The absence of what one likes is painful, as is the presence of what one dislikes. Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes. From preference arises sorrow, from preference arises fear, but he who is freed from preference has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.
Associate reverently, and as much as you can, with your loftiest thoughts.
Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.
Study and practice are both very important, but they must go hand in hand. Faith without knowledge is not sufficient. Faith needs to be supported by reason. However intellectual understanding that is not applied in practice is also of little use. Whatever we learn from study we need to apply sincerely in our daily lives.
Generosity is an activity that loosens us up. By offering whatever we can - a dollar, a flower, a word of encouragement - we are training in letting go.