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The Love of God: An Intimate Look at the Father-Heart of God
Chambers’ study assumes the absolute authority of the Bible, then searches it deeply to discover treasures that enhance spiritual growth. Those treasures include the richness and relevance of Scripture, the reality of faith at work, and intimacy with God.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
77 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Oswald Chambers
333 books485 followersOswald Chambers was born to devout parents in Aberdeen, Scotland. At age 16, Oswald Chambers was baptized and became a member of Rye Lane Baptist Chapel. Even as a teenager, Chambers was noted for his deep spirituality, and he participated in the evangelization of poor occupants of local lodging houses. Oswald married Gertrude in May 1910, and on May 24, 1913, Gertrude gave birth to their only child, Kathleen. In 1915, a year after the outbreak of World War I, Chambers was accepted as a YMCA chaplain. He was assigned to Zeitoun, Cairo, Egypt, where he ministered to Australian and New Zealand troops, who later participated in the Battle of Gallipoli. Soon his wooden-framed "hut" was packed with hundreds of soldiers listening attentively to his messages. Confronted by a soldier who said, "I can't stand religious people," Chambers replied, "Neither can I." Chambers was stricken with appendicitis on October 17, 1917 but resisted going to a hospital on the grounds that the beds would be needed by men wounded in the long-expected Third Battle of Gaza. On October 29th, a surgeon performed an emergency appendectomy, but Chambers died November 15, 1917 from a hemorrhage of the lungs. He was buried in Cairo with full military honors. Gertrude, for the remainder of her life published books and articles for him edited from the notes she had taken in shorthand from his sermons. Most successful of the thirty books was, "My Utmost for His Highest", which has never been out of print and has been translated into 39 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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July 20, 2025“God and love are synonymous. Love is not an attribute of God, it is God; whatever God is, love is. If your conception of love does not agree with justice, judgment, purity, and holiness, then your idea of love is wrong. In that case, it is not love you conceive in your mind but some vague infinite foolishness, all tears and softness and utter weakness.”, p. 12
December 14, 2012
Excellent book by a man who knows God and His ways. Lots of great thoughts to ponder: "Christianity is not a thing of times and seasons, but of God and faith. Drink deep and full of the love of God and you will not demand the impossible from earth's loves; then the love of wife and child, of husband and friend, will grow holier and heathier and simpler and grander." "The significant thing about our lord is that He never explained anything." "Sacrifice is not giving up things, but giving to God with joy the best we have."
June 17, 2020
I received my first devotional from my brother back in the early nineties, My utmost for His highest, by Oswald Chambers. I have gone through it consistently over the years and it has become foundational as a guiding force in my life. A few months ago I was desiring more depth of understanding Gods love and heart. My search led me to this book written by Oswald Chambers many years ago. I have marked up every page and have taken time to not rush through it, but read, look within, ponder, and re read each word. There is so much wisdom that will be easily escaped by the reader if he/she is not willing to truly understand the heart of the author, which is the heart of God in Christ Jesus. The writing constantly directs you back to the idea, “Commit yourself to Me. “We are to believe in a person, not to believe for something “. I feel this has deepened my faith because I’m understanding the work of the Holy Spirit which is at work in the believer in a deeper level.
I recommend this book if you are truly desiring more understanding about The love of God written from a depth of poverty that truly the author understood.
I recommend this book if you are truly desiring more understanding about The love of God written from a depth of poverty that truly the author understood.
February 14, 2025
This book was harder for me to get through. I found it more dry, towards the end it got much better and even slightly enjoyable to read. There were things throughout it that I'm not sure I agree with but most of it was pretty good. What really bothered me is that the book didn't really have anything to do with the title. It was more about what a Christian is, how to be a Christian, and how to do life as a Christian. Also quite a bit about the way in which the Holy Spirit works through and in us. It also seemed to repeat much of the same things throughout the entire book. I think that it could have been a much shorter read if it weren't for that. I think there are better books on the subject it was about. And for all these reasons I'm giving only three stars. I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone because as I said there are better books on the subject.
February 25, 2022
Giving this 3-stars because it was a mixed experience - I loved some chapters and disagreed with others. Still, I think it was a worthwhile read.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Look back over your history, as revealed to you by grace, and you will see one central fact growing large - God is love."
"So when the duller moments come and the mind requires something more certain than the memory of mere emotions and stirring sentiments, consider this revelation - the eternal fact that God is love."
"Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult. But no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure."
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Look back over your history, as revealed to you by grace, and you will see one central fact growing large - God is love."
"So when the duller moments come and the mind requires something more certain than the memory of mere emotions and stirring sentiments, consider this revelation - the eternal fact that God is love."
"Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because it has been found too difficult. But no man has ever gone through the crisis of deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure."
April 14, 2022
I read this book with a women's Bible study group. It facilitated great discussions on how we understand and relate to God and others, and how we see ourselves. It's a life-changing read, though it pays to pause often and reflect on Oswald's expression of insights.
My one star off stems from my personal preference. I needed frequent pauses to process information. Had I not had a convenient reading schedule, due to weekly discussions, it may have taken me longer to read or even to finish it at all. But such is Oswald Chambers, and one reason why he is so well loved!
My one star off stems from my personal preference. I needed frequent pauses to process information. Had I not had a convenient reading schedule, due to weekly discussions, it may have taken me longer to read or even to finish it at all. But such is Oswald Chambers, and one reason why he is so well loved!
June 26, 2018
Great little book. It is actually a collection of shorter works, all of which are helpful. I found "The Making of a Christian" particularly helpful, since it deals with the idea that it is not through our effort, but only through faith in Jesus that we can be saved: "The bedrock in Jesus Christ's kingdom is not sincerity, not deciding for Christ, not a determination to serve Him, but a complete and entire recognition that we cannot begin to do it; then, says Jesus, 'Blessed are you.'"
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October 12, 2024Amazing. I found this book because of my sister and I had to buy it for myself. The way Oswald Chambers writes is so perceptive and the language is so clear. I felt easily understood, especially as a long term/lifelong Jesus follower, and I can’t wait to go back and reread it in one year from now and see what insights I didn’t catch before because God is still working in my heart to bring forth those revelations. Definite recommend.
January 9, 2025
DNF I’m sure there was a lot of good stuff in this book BUT it didn’t have much if anything to do with the title, which is why I was reading it in the first place. Mostly had to do with how to be a Christian and life stuff. Again, all well and good but very misleading from the title topic. I also don’t love Chambers’ writing style.
July 26, 2025
Don’t get me wrong, theres good stuff in here. I’m generally a fan of the Oswald, but in this collection of devotional writings one is great, one is a dud, and the others are fine. Read for seminary class.
October 21, 2019
Truly Intimate
Read this book and be with God. Learn more about your relationship with our Lord. Reflect and be Rejuvenated in your Love for God.
Read this book and be with God. Learn more about your relationship with our Lord. Reflect and be Rejuvenated in your Love for God.
February 25, 2021
its nice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2022
There were some things that seemed based on his own experience rather than Scripture, but there were also moments of deep truth that brilliantly shone.
March 19, 2014
"Many a man has had his soul restored in the valley of the shadow, not in the green pastures...."
I picked this one up at the used book store off the clearance rack. I didn't expect to get much from it at first. But, then little nuggets of truth started to sink in. In the end, I am so glad I picked it up. It is not a "sit down and read straight through" type book. I enjoyed it more by reading a little at a time.
I picked this one up at the used book store off the clearance rack. I didn't expect to get much from it at first. But, then little nuggets of truth started to sink in. In the end, I am so glad I picked it up. It is not a "sit down and read straight through" type book. I enjoyed it more by reading a little at a time.
June 8, 2008
Another classic by Oswald Chambers. In this book you will be shown how deep God's love is for you and how you in return should love him with all your heart, soul and mind. This is a wonderful book for any Christian to read. Oswald Chambers is so insightful when it comes to the Holy Word Of God. :+)
May 30, 2014
As with most of Chambers’ writing, this little book is full of staggeringly good stuff. Due to the fact that Chambers’ writings were mostly published posthumously, some of the text here is also included in other works, such as My Utmost For His Highest.
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August 22, 20120108
January 18, 2015
A must read for everyone!!
November 14, 2013
4.5 stars, really. Very, very good book, and one I will come back to for sure.
December 29, 2014
Oswald Chambers is an excellent devotional writer. There is much here to encourage one to reflect deeply on their spiritual life and deepen their walk with the Lord.
February 7, 2016
some readings were hard for me to understand~
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November 15, 2017Another beautiful book that helped me recognize the reality and blessing of uncertainty. The only certainty is God, and anything else I try to view as certain is going to disappoint me. And there is so much joy and security in Him!
Sounds counterintuitive, yet it isn't. No wonder Jesus spoke in such "riddles." How else to explain the inconceivable?
It is almost exactly 100 years since Oswald Chambers died, yet because of his wife's faithful partnership with him in taking shorthand notes of his every message, lesson, and sermon, their ministry continues today. God is so amazing!
Sounds counterintuitive, yet it isn't. No wonder Jesus spoke in such "riddles." How else to explain the inconceivable?
It is almost exactly 100 years since Oswald Chambers died, yet because of his wife's faithful partnership with him in taking shorthand notes of his every message, lesson, and sermon, their ministry continues today. God is so amazing!
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